Aetna agrees to pay for double cochlear implants <\/p>\n
By MARIA M. PEROTIN
\nStar-Telegram staff writer
\nAetna will now pay for profoundly deaf patients to receive two cochlear implants. <\/p>\n
The change in Aetna’s rules means that the insurer covers the devices for eligible patients over 1 year old. <\/p>\n
About cochlear implants: They’re small electronic devices that can help deaf users have a sense of sound and understand speech. About 22,000 American adults and almost 15,000 children had received them as of 2005, according to the Food and Drug Administration. <\/p>\n
How the implants work: Each implant has an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second part placed under the skin. The device sends signals to the auditory nerve. Users undergo a surgical procedure and follow-up therapy. <\/p>\n
Aetna’s decision: The insurer, which has about 977,000 members in Dallas-Fort Worth, updated its policy Oct. 19 to include coverage of two implants for adults and children who meet certain conditions. <\/p>\n
Background: The Let Them Hear Foundation, a group that contests insurance denials to hearing-impaired patients, said it was on the verge of filing a lawsuit over Aetna’s earlier contention that the implants were an experimental treatment. <\/p>\n
Aetna became the fourth of five national insurance carriers to add coverage for two implants, according to the foundation. <\/p>\n
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, the state’s largest insurer, began covering the treatment in September 2006. <\/p>\n
mperotin@star-telegram.com
\nMaria M. Perotin, 817-390-7339<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Aetna agrees to pay for double cochlear implants By MARIA M. PEROTIN Star-Telegram staff writer Aetna will now pay for profoundly deaf patients to receive two cochlear implants. The change in Aetna’s rules means that the insurer covers the devices…<\/p>\n