Updated 4/15/2011

A bill that would provide tax credits for hearing aids is on the table again after being reintroduced recently by Representatives Tom Latham (R-IA) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) with 36 original co-sponsors, including four members of the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill is unchanged from legislation in the 111th Congress that attracted a record 131 co-sponsors by the end of the session. In the Senate, Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) are organizing original co-sponsors as they prepare to reintroduce companion legislation in that chamber.

The hearing aid tax credit would provide assistance to many of the 34 million people who need hearing aids to treat their hearing loss. If enacted, the bill would provide a $500 tax credit per hearing aid for children and people age 55 and older.

To support the proposed hearing aid tax credit, visit www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org, a site sponsored by the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) in collaboration with the Hearing Industries Association (HIA) that makes it easy for hearing health professionals and others to send letters regarding the bill to their senators and representatives.

Other features of the site include:

• Form letter with personalization options;
• Ability to print or e-mail letters;
• Ability to e-mail up to 10 friends about the bill;
• An FAQ about the Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act;
• Information on state-level tax credit legislation currently being considered in Michigan and New York.

BHI and HIA also suggest the following strategies to support the hearing aid tax credit:

Inform all hearing aid and ALD users. Provide a message about the legislation and the website to all your hearing patients. The BHI/HIA suggested message is:Your Congressman and Senators are considering a proposal to provide you with a tax credit for hearing aid treatment. They need to hear that you support this idea now! Visit http://www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org/. A sample card is available on the BHI Web site.

Place a message on your website, such as: Help pass hearing aid tax credit legislation now: http://www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org/.

Promote the site in your newsletter.

Promote the site on your business card.

Send an eBlast to your patients.

Do a post card campaign. A suggested postcard design is available on the BHI Web site.

Place an op-ed piece in your local newspaper. A suggested op-ed piece is available on the BHI website. Hearing health professionals are permitted to modify this piece to promote their practices.

Promote the website in your community at places like: physician offices, chiropractor offices, drug stores, food store bulletin boards, senior centers, assistive living and retirement communities, places of worship (newsletters, bulletin boards), day care centers, schools, places where boomers and seniors meet (golf courses, tennis clubs, bowling alley, etc.).

Start a chain e-mail. Suggested message: Hearing loss affects 1 in 4 households in America. Congress is considering a proposal to provide Americans with a tax credit for hearing aid treatment. They need to hear that you support this idea now! While passage of the tax credit bill may not impact you it could help a friend or relative of yours. Visit http://www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org/ and make your voice heard either for yourself or on behalf of a relative or friend. Please forward this email to at least 10 others who may benefit from this legislation.

Get corporate awareness. If you currently do audiological screenings for local corporations, talk to the human resource executive to get an announcement in their corporate newsletter or for their bulletin board.

Write your own professional letter for your patients.

Issue a local press release. A sample press release is available on the BHI website.

For more information: http://www.betterhearing.org/, http://www.hearing.org/.