ASHA is pleased to provide the document: Essential Coverage: Rehabilitation and Habilitation Services and Devices (11/2015) to ISHA and ASHA members in Illinois. The document can be used to explain the role of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) in providing services to clients who require rehabilitation and habilitation services and devices for the purposes of education and advocating within our state to maximize coverage of member services. The guide contains the federally adopted definition of rehabilitation and habilitation and provides clinical examples of medically necessary audiology and SLP services under the defined benefit category. The new federal definition provides an opportunity to advocate for expanded coverage of habilitation services that have previously been denied.
We encourage you to utilize this information to better advocate with regulators, legislators and private insurers to ensure that consumers have access to audiology and SLP rehabilitation and habilitation services and devices.
A second advocacy document, titled Essential Coverage of Habilitation and Rehabilitation: A Smart Investment (10/2020), highlights the critical role of habilitation and rehabilitation services, particularly in the fields of audiology and speech-language pathology. The document underscores the financial benefits of investing in these services for society, and advocates for expanded insurance coverage to improve access for both children and adults. It also calls for policy reforms to ensure broader availability of these essential services.