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[Subsidizing hearing aid purchase in mild to moderate pediatric hearing--pediatric status following prefectural
Yuko Kataoka1, Kunihiro Fukushima, Akiko Sugaya
1Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Okayama University Postgraduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Science, Okayama.
Insights
Newborn hearing screening identifies mild to moderate hearing loss early. Government aid for hearing aids is limited, but Okayama Prefecture now provides subvention for children with hearing loss, improving access.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health Policy
- Audiology
Context:
- Newborn hearing screening (NHS) facilitates early diagnosis of mild to moderate hearing loss.
- Current Japanese law excludes individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss from government hearing aid subsidies.
- This exclusion forces parents to bear the cost of hearing aids or forgo them entirely.
Purpose:
- To advocate for and secure government financial assistance for hearing aids for infants and children with mild to moderate hearing loss.
- To address the gap in public health policy regarding audiological support for young children.
- To document the process of petitioning for and achieving policy change.
Summary:
- This report details the successful petitioning process in Okayama Prefecture for hearing aid subsidies for children with mild to moderate hearing loss.
- Following a petition by the authors and a related society, Okayama Prefecture initiated subvention for hearing aids in April 2010.
- The study outlines the procedures and specific details that led to this significant policy change.
Impact:
- Ensured that children with mild to moderate hearing loss in Okayama Prefecture can access necessary hearing aids.
- Established a precedent for local government subvention, potentially influencing national policy.
- Improved the quality of life and developmental outcomes for hearing-impaired children through timely audiological intervention.
Abstract:
The dissemination of newborn hearing screening (NHS) has enabled those with mild to moderate hearing loss to be diagnosed in early infancy. The "handicapped independence support law", however, prevents those not determined to be physically handicapped; i.e., those with mild to moderate hearing loss-, from government assistance in purchasing hearing aids. This results either in (i) parents purchasing hearing aids at their own expense or (ii) nonpurchase of hearing aids. To redress this situation, subvention in purchasing hearing aids of mild to moderate hearing loss children has been begun by some local governments. We petitioned for such aid at the Okayama Prefecture Assembly. A society for supporting pediatric hearing difficulty in Okayama Prefecture also submitted a similar petition in September 2009, and subvention began in April 2010 for all such children in Okayama Prefecture. We report procedures and details leading to this subvention.
