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Today, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) toured the 12^th District to discuss health care priorities, especially those impacting seniors.

Dingell visited the Copeland Center in Wyandotte to talk with seniors about their concerns and discuss her new bill, the Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage Act of 2015. Hearing loss is the most prevalent condition in the United States, affecting more than nine million seniors, but half of all older Americans who need a hearing aid are unable to afford or obtain one.

“Untreated hearing loss has a dramatic impact on seniors’ mental health, relationships and quality of life,” said Dingell. “No one should feel isolated, confused or shutout from the world around them because they cannot afford the treatment they need. This legislation would allow Medicare to provide coverage for hearing aids, helping to eliminate this problem that so many seniors face and significantly improving the quality of life for millions of Americans.”

According to the National Council on Aging, if left untreated, hearing loss has serious emotional and social consequences for older Americans. Those with untreated hearing loss are more likely to report depression, anxiety, paranoia and are less likely to participate in organized social activities compared to those who wear hearing aids. Additionally, some studies have demonstrated a higher risk of dementia in people with hearing loss.

A photo of today’s visit at the Copeland Center is attached.

Today, Dingell also visited Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, which was recently recognized as one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation. She met with physicians and staff to learn about issues facing the hospital and discussed a bipartisan compromise, which recently passed the House of Representatives, to repeal and replace the flawed Medicare physician payment formula, known as the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR).

“This bipartisan compromise will finally provide doctors and health care providers certainty regarding Medicare physician payments. But most importantly, it will benefit the patients and seniors who depend on them to receive the care they need,” said Dingell. “There are so many problems that confront us which require us to set our differences aside and work together, and I’m hopeful this compromise will set a trend of bipartisanship in Congress.”

The compromise, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, also increases funding for community health centers by $7.2 billion for two years and includes an extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides quality, affordable care for more than 89,000 low-income children in Michigan. The bill now awaits passage by the Senate.

For more information on the bipartisan compromise, please click here.