Audiology students celebrate Advocacy Day

The NIU Student Academy of Audiology hosted its first Advocacy Day. Students and members of the NIU Audiology faculty wrote letters, sent emails, and placed phone calls to the Illinois lawmakers.

The goal of this event was to inform our state representatives about legislation that directly influences audiology and audiology patients. The Access to Frontline Care Act (H.R. 2042) would authorize the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a Frontline Providers Loan Repayment Program under which HHS would make student loan repayments in exchange for two years of service in a health care facility serving a frontline scarcity area. The Medicare Telehealth Parity Act of 2017 (H.R. 2550) legislation identifies audiologists as appropriate providers of telehealth services and authorizes Medicare to reimburse them for providing patients with audiology services via telehealth. This legislation could increase the care audiologists are able to provide in rural, underserved, and disadvantaged areas.

In total, 40 letters and 12 emails were sent, and 20 phone calls placed to legislative offices.

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