House Bill 910 – Hearing Aids for Children

Last week, I testified on behalf on House Bill 910, An Act to provide coverage for hearing aids for children, which I filed at the beginning of the session along with 22 or my colleagues.  Since the hearing we have received dozens of emails from supporters of the bill.  I would also like to thank Lisa Adams and everyone with the Massachusetts Hearing Aids for Children coalition for all their great work in supporting this bill and coming to the hearing. 

Below is an excerpt from my testimony at Wednesday’s hearing.

“Chairman Buoniconti, Chairman Koutoujian, and Members of the Joint Committee on Financial Services, I want to thank you all for the opportunity to testify in strong support of House Bill 910, An Act to provide coverage for hearing aids for children.  Hearing loss is the most common birth defect in the U.S., affecting three in every 1,000 newborns annually.  Experts agree that hearing is critical for speech development, cognitive development, social and emotional well-being and academic achievement. According to records kept by the Department of Public Health, approximately 200 out of 80,000 babies are born with a hearing loss in the Commonwealth each year and approximately 150 of those children require hearing aids.

 For most of the children impacted by hearing loss, the use of quality aids can significantly improve the ability to hear.  Access to hearing aids is the critical component to this equation.  We know hundreds of children in the Commonwealth are born with hearing loss each year and that we have the technology to give these children a better life; insurance companies are denying this coverage to Massachusetts families who are forced to pay $2,000 out of pocket if they want their child to develop at the same level as their hearing peers.  At least fifteen other states in the U.S. require insurers to cover at least some of the costs associated with hearing aids for children.  I feel it is essential we do the same.

Chapter 111, Section 67F of the Massachusetts General Laws requires newborns to have a hearing screening administered before leaving the hospital.  A goal of these newborn hearing screenings is long-term cost savings because early identification results in improved language abilities, lower educational and vocational costs, and increased lifetime productivity.  These screenings provide families with invaluable information about the health of the child but once hearing loss is detected there is no support for paying the costs of hearing aids.  This bill would change that. 

I am urging the chairs and members of the committee to give House Bill 910 a thorough evaluation and release a bill that serves the best interests of families in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Mandating coverage of these hearing aids will lift a financial burden to hundreds of Massachusetts families and give their children unlimited opportunities.”

Office Hours Tonight – 11/9

Sean will have office hours tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. at Panera Bread in Arlington.  Please stop in to discuss any issues or concerns you may have.  Panera bread is located at 1398 Massachusetts ave in the Arlington Heights. 

As always Sean can also be reached at the office 617-722-2400 or on his cell phone 781-859-7781. His email address is Sean.Garballey@state.ma.us.

Sen. Jehlen to host debate on expanded gambling in Medford – Oct. 15

This comes from Senator Jehlen’s Office:

The debate on expanded gambling in Massachusetts is heating up, with hearings scheduled this month, and a vote likely early next year.  One of the first public discussions this year will be held on Thursday, October 15.

I’m inviting you to a debate on the issue on Thursday October 15 from 7:00 – 9:00 at Century Bank, 400 Mystic Avenue in Medford.  The forum will feature speakers representing both sides of the gambling debate.  Knowing the presenters, I can promise an informative and entertaining exchange.

Senator Sue Tucker represents the City of Lawrence and the towns of Andover, Dracut, and Tewksbury.  In 1996, Sen. Tucker organized a statewide coalition against casinos in Massachusetts.  Now she is working with business, political, and the religious communities to build a diverse coalition to defeat any proposal for expansion.

Representative Kathi-Anne Reinstein represents Revere, Chelsea and Saugus.  She has long been a proponent of expanded gaming, believing that it is an economic growth opportunity not only in her native region, but also throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Senator Tucker and Representative Reinstein will present arguments for and against casinos and other forms of expanded gambling in Massachusetts.  Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions and to express their own opinions.  Light refreshments will be served.

From Woburn, take exit 30 off  Route 93, and turn onto Mystic Ave.  Century Bank is visible on your right. 

Special Joint Committee on Ways and Means Revenue Hearing – Thursday, October 8th

Thanks to Chairman Charlie Murphy’s office for this information.

There will be a special consensus revenue hearing being hosted jointly between the House Committee on Ways and Means, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, and the Executive Office of Administration and Finance.  The hearing is scheduled for tomorrow, October 8^th, at 1:00 pm, in Gardner Auditorium.

 The hearing will allow the public to hear directly from administration officials and economic experts about the latest economic trends and updated revenue projections. 

Those invited to testify before the panel include:  

• Navjeet Bal, Commissioner of the Department of Revenue
• Howard Merkowitz, Director, Office of Tax Policy, Department of Revenue
• Michael Widmer, President of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation
• Dr. David Tuerck, Chairman of the Suffolk University Department of Economics and Executive Director of the Beacon Hill Institute
• Dr. Alan Clayton-Matthews, Northeastern University
• Yolanda Kodrzycki, Senior Economist and Policy Advisor of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. 

Improving quality in early education and care by family child care providers

Today, at the State House, the Joint Committee on Child, Families, and Persons with Disabilities heard testimony on H494, An act relating to improving quality in early education and care by family child care providers.   Sean is a co-sponsor of this bill which was filed by Rep. Scaccia of Readville.  An excerpt of Sean’s testimony is listed below.

“For our children, there is little more important than starting out the first years of life with a caring and nurturing support system that encourages strong development long into the future.  In Massachusetts, family child care provides 35 percent of the full-time child care in Massachusetts and nearly 70 percent of infants and toddlers in non-parental care are in family child care settings.  More than 5,000 providers care for one or more children of low income working families in their own homes or those of the children.

Studies tell us that parents, nationwide, have difficulties finding quality care for their children.  This is unacceptable and this bill would help families trying to find quality care by providing them with an organized quality workforce.   Giving family child care providers a collective voice will help them enhance the quality of care by providing support and incentives for training and education.  Additionally, research shows that infants and toddlers need secure attachments with quality caregivers in order to thrive socially and cognitively. 

Having caregivers is great, having high quality caregivers is the goal.  This bill creates an environment where caregivers can excel throughout their careers.  We must help family child care providers learn more about promoting children’s development in the earliest years, and we must give high-quality providers the support they need to stay in the field and provide stable care for infants and toddlers.  Research shows this is the time in which having quality care fosters strong development in almost every measure.

We are unable to force caregivers in Massachusetts to stay on the job or take steps to improve their skills. However, we can create opportunities so that when they want to make improvements they can and at the same time, ensure that our children are being cared for by quality caregivers.  This is what H494 represents to me: a better quality of life for family child care providers and quality care for the next generation.”