Public Comments

I am writing in strong support of House Bill 5433. As a speech-language pathologist, I see firsthand how untreated hearing loss impacts speech development, literacy, academic performance, vocational adequacy, and social-emotional well-being. Access to appropriate hearing aids and audiological care is not optional — it is foundational to communication, learning, and long-term success.

I am also the daughter of a mother who wears hearing aids, and I have personally witnessed how essential they are for maintaining independence, connection, and quality of life. No family should have to choose between financial stability and the ability to hear.

In my volunteer work with the Alzheimer’s Association, I have reviewed research demonstrating the clear connection between untreated hearing loss, social isolation, and increased risk for cognitive decline. Expanding insurance coverage for hearing aids and related services is not only an educational issue — it is a public health issue.

HB 5433 would provide meaningful, equitable access to essential care for children and adults across West Virginia. I strongly urge you to support this important legislation.

1. The current laws in our state of West Virginia do NOT currently reflect a just sentence for people that choose to drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
2. The person that took Baileigh's life, senselessly, was given a slap on the wrist and that should never be possible again!

I respectfully urge members of the West Virginia Legislature to support House Bill 5433.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

1. Please make coverage available to all
2. that needs it . They matter too
3. and some can’t pay for it.

I would like to start by stating how glad I am to see this bill be introduced. It has been too long that I’ve seen families struggle to get any assistance in obtaining hearing aids for their children when it is abundantly clear how necessary—NECESSARY—they are for the success of a hard of hearing student.

There is abundant research supporting the notions that:

1. Hearing loss adversely affects language acquisition
2. Language is the basis of understanding the world around us
3. Stunted language acquisition adversely affects students’ ability to understand their world and fully access instruction, which…
4. Causes students to struggle in school, particularly in English, Reading, Science, and Social Studies. They also (very often) struggle with word problems in math (WAY more than people with full hearing).
5. Even for students who were not born with a hearing loss, keeping up with the classroom becomes a huge challenge. It is extremely difficult for them to access instruction and functional directions such as page numbers, due dates, etc. Additionally…
6. People with hearing loss often feel isolated and struggle to socialize due to their hearing loss and inability to clearly discriminate speech sounds thus…
7. …leading to lowered motivation and self image, making high achievement in school that much more difficult.

You can see how this spirals, creating a feedback loop that cumulatively puts students farther and farther behind.

Having hearing technology GREATLY assists students who need it and gives them the opportunity to access instruction more equitably with their peers. Conversely, them NOT having hearing technology when they indeed need it GREATLY HURTS their chance of having a positive experience in school. Schools will, at their expense, supply hearing technology to students that can be used ONLY in class, but then when they get home…they don’t have that. This is a struggle to adjust to.

This situation has been unfortunate for students and families, because very often parents/guardians WANT to obtain hearing technology but CANNOT. Why? Because high quality—even just decent—hearing aids cost thousands of dollars (not including additional assistive technology, whose gouged prices often cost additional thousands) that most families simply cannot afford. If they receive Medicaid, it takes MONTHS or even OVER A YEAR to get through the red tape of getting hearing aids, which could be enough to set their child far behind in school.

Heretofore, there has been NO HELP for families to obtain this technology, and it is truly necessary for people with hearing loss to have access to it.

This isn’t just true for students. There is a well documented relationship between hearing loss and dementia, depression, and a number of other conditions.

All of this taken together, we can see plainly the reverberations this will send out: increased cost of care for seniors, lowered performance of West Virginia Schools (NOT the fault of the students), increased strain on families limiting their ability to thrive…all things that affect the state as a whole.

All of these effects are not a mystery. We KNOW the effects already. We also KNOW that the people most impacted by this are low-income families who cannot afford the proper interventions for hearing loss.

What IS a mystery is why this assistance hasn’t already been willingly provided by insurance companies.

Health insurance companies hold people’s health hostage for a price. We’ve seen it time and time again. If the companies won’t willingly provide the support, then something needs to be done to ensure they do.

There is a plethora of books on the subject. Here are a few sources you can read up on:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6796661/

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/hearing-loss-and-the-dementia-connection

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2773567 (Abstract and conclusion only)

https://pubs.asha.org/doi/abs/10.1044/jshd.5101.53 (Abstract only)

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/fullarticle/2813302

https://www.worldofbooks.com/products/evidence-based-practice-in-educating-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-students-book-patricia-elizabeth-spencer-9780199735402?sku=GOR014339818 (book citing numerous studies about impact of hearing loss on students difficulty in school and how to teach/accommodate effectively)

The people of West Virginia will never stop drinking and driving if they know there are little to no consequences. DUI’s are an obvious problem in West Virginia. Hold people accountable and the rate will go down! People are not scared enough! A slap on the wrist is NOT enough for murder.

Hello, I am deeply troubled by this bill.  Needle exchange and clean need/syringe programs are evidence based initiatives that reduce the spread of HIV and Hep C.  I beg you to step down from your moral high horse and think about the additional burden on our already overwhelmed healthcare system.  This will be another nail in the coffin of increased healthcare rates over time.  Cutting Medicaid and putting stipulations on it will already do enough damage.  I would be happy to provide evidence based research for you to refer to.  There are many, and this isn’t evidenced from a single random study.  You can not legislate morality, but you can help ease the burden of the healthcare system and ensure a drug addict remains as healthy as they can to potentially seek treatment and become a contributing member of society.  I am very afraid of the future and access of healthcare in this state.  Please don’t make it be a death by a thousand cuts.

• We need this .bill updated. My daughter was killed by drunk driver and pleaded quilty to DUI  CAUSING DEATH AND HAVING A CONTROLED SUBSTANCE. She was supposed to be sentenced 3-15 years but at the sentencing the judge suspended sentence and gave her 6 months home confinement and after that 18 months in youth rehabilitation center