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Ladies and Gentlemen, As you may already know, Illinois Association of the Deaf is hosting an election to decide who our next President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Financial Consultants will be. The elections will be held during the 45th Biennial IAD Conference, June 11-13, 2009 in Bloomington, IL. As a part of the election process, we send questions to candidates who are officially running for office and post their answers for the public's review before the elections. We have three people who have accepted nominations for the president position. More nominations well be accepted at the IAD business meeting at the conference for all five positions. We encourage you to go to the IAD business meeting on Saturday, June 13, 2009 and vote for the new officers! Your voice is important to us! The questions, the candidates' names, and their answers are in the pdf file attached to this e-mail. If you have any questions, please contact Julia Anderson at Nominations@iadeaf.org Thanks!
Julia Anderson
Sypnosis As Introduced: Amends the Illinois Insurance Code, the Voluntary
Health Services Plans Act, and the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act
to require coverage for hearing instruments and related services for all
individuals when a hearing care professional prescribes a hearing instrument.
Provides that an insurer shall provide coverage for up to $2,500 per hearing
aid per insured's hearing impaired ear subject to certain restrictions.
Provides that an insurer shall not be required to pay a claim if the insured
filed such a claim 36 months prior to the date of filing the claim with
the insurer and the claim was paid by any insurer. Effective immediately. Illinois Association of the Deaf Position Paper on Senate Bill 68 For more than 100 years, the Illinois Association of the Deaf has acted as a nonprofit organization promoting advancement of the social, educational, and economical well-being of the deaf and hard of hearing citizens of Illinois. The Illinois Association of the Deaf (IAD) strongly supports Senate Bill 68 - the bill that proposes insurance coverage of hearing aids because it greatly benefits deaf and hard of hearing residents of Illinois who depend on hearing aids. Most insurance companies do not cover the cost of hearing aids. Hearing aids typically cost about $2,500 per ear. With such a high cost, many deaf and hard of hearing Illinois citizens cannot afford to purchase hearing aids. The IAD opposes Amendment #1 which proposes to reduce the amount of coverage from $2,500 to $2,000. We believe that the $2,500 maximum cap on covered hearing aids is a fair amount considering that there are hearing aids that cost significantly more than $2,500. In addition, many hearing aids covered under such policies will cost less than the $2,500 maximum cap. The IAD also strongly opposes Amendment #2 which proposes to limit the ages of deaf and hard of hearing people covered for hearing aids to those who are 18 years old or younger. IAD believes that any deaf and hard of hearing person of any age who requires hearing aids to be a productive citizen should receive coverage for the hearing aids. The IAD and its members request that every member of the Illinois Senate vote in support of SB 68, while opposing Amendment #1 and #2. There are deaf and hard of hearing individuals in every Senate district of Illinois, and these individuals need your support to utilize their hearing as much as possible in their daily lives including but not limited to learning, working, raising families, interacting socially, and communicating with their doctors and other professionals. Your vote can mean the difference between making hearing aids available to the deaf and hard of hearing residents of your districts. Thank you for your support. Sara Bianco Illinois Association of the Deaf President Approved by the IAD Board of Directors on March 11, 2009
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