If you are covered by group insurance—through your employer, or as the dependent of someone who is employed—excluding coverage for cochlear implants is a violation of multiple federal laws. 

Even so, a surprising number of insurers and employers illegally exclude cochlear implants from their policies.

If you have received a denial for hearing-related services, you may be eligible for assistance from the Insurance Advocacy Program operated by the Let Them Hear Foundation. 

The program is open to all U.S. citizens and services are free of charge. 

The program specifically covers denials for: cochlear implants (single or bilateral), Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid implantation, conventional hearing aids, atresia repair, microtia reconstruction, balance disorders, and other hearing related surgery. 

While insurance companies are not legally required to cover bilateral implantation, the Let Them Hear Foundation has succeeded in getting dozens of bilateral implant denials overturned since the program’s inception.

For more information, visit http://advocacy.letthemhear.org and fill out an application or call (877) HEAR HELP or (650) 462-3143.