H.R. 4606: Ally’s Act
This bill, known as Ally's Act, aims to amend several existing laws related to health insurance to ensure broader coverage for hearing devices and associated services. Here is a breakdown of its key provisions:
Coverage Requirements
The bill requires that group health plans and health insurance issuers, whether for employers or for individual policyholders, must provide coverage for several specific items and services related to hearing devices. These include:
- Auditory implant devices, including cochlear implants and bone conduction implants.
- Maintenance and repair of these auditory devices.
- Upgrades or replacements of these devices every five years, if an upgrade is not available.
- Accompanying items like adhesive adapters and softband headbands.
- A comprehensive hearing assessment.
- Preoperative and postoperative assessments related to surgery for the devices.
- Aural rehabilitation and treatment services as deemed necessary by a medical professional.
Coverage Conditions
Any health plan providing coverage for these services must ensure that:
- The financial implications (like copayments or deductibles) for hearing devices are no more restrictive than those for general medical and surgical benefits.
- There aren’t separate treatment limits for hearing device services that are stricter than those for other covered benefits.
- If a qualified physician or audiologist deems the services medically necessary, the insurance cannot deny or limit coverage for those services.
Definitions
The bill also provides a definition for "qualifying individuals," specifying that they are those for whom a physician or qualified audiologist determines may benefit from the auditory devices mentioned in the bill.
Applicable Laws
The bill modifies the following laws to include the new coverage requirements:
- Public Health Service Act
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- Internal Revenue Code
- Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Effective Date
The changes proposed by this legislation would become effective for plan years starting on or after January 1, 2026.
Relevant Companies
- PHG (Royal Philips) - A major manufacturer of hearing aids and auditory implant devices, likely to see increased demand for its products under this expanded coverage.
- WSO (Walmart Inc.) - As a retailer that offers health services, Walmart may benefit from expanded coverage options and the sale of hearing devices.
- DEO (DeVry University) - Involved in audiology training and services, may see increased enrollment in programs due to a growing need for audiologists as coverage expands.
This is an AI-generated summary of the bill text. There may be mistakes.
Sponsors
81 bill sponsors
-
TrackJoe Neguse
Sponsor
-
TrackGabe Amo
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackNanette Diaz Barragán
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJoyce Beatty
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackGus M. Bilirakis
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackRobert Bresnahan
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackNikki Budzinski
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackAndré Carson
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackTroy A. Carter
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackKathy Castor
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJudy Chu
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackSteve Cohen
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJ. Luis Correa
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackAngie Craig
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJason Crow
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackSharice Davids
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackRosa L. DeLauro
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackSuzan K. DelBene
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackChristopher R. Deluzio
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackDebbie Dingell
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackLloyd Doggett
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackVeronica Escobar
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackDwight Evans
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackCleo Fields
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackBrian K. Fitzpatrick
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackValerie P. Foushee
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackMaxwell Frost
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackAndrew R. Garbarino
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJimmy Gomez
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJosh Gottheimer
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackGlenn Grothman
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJosh Harder
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackChrissy Houlahan
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJared Huffman
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackBrian Jack
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackHenry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackRobin L. Kelly
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackRo Khanna
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackYoung Kim
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackMichael Lawler
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackTed Lieu
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackStephen F. Lynch
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJohn Mannion
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackDoris O. Matsui
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackSarah McBride
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackApril McClain Delaney
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackBetty McCollum
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJames P. McGovern
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackLaMonica McIver
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackRobert Menendez
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJared Moskowitz
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackKevin Mullin
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackDonald Norcross
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackEleanor Holmes Norton
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJimmy Panetta
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackBrittany Pettersen
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackChellie Pingree
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackMark Pocan
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackDeborah K. Ross
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackRaul Ruiz
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJohn H. Rutherford
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackPatrick Ryan
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackAndrea Salinas
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJanice D. Schakowsky
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackKim Schrier
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackTerri A. Sewell
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackMikie Sherrill
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackGreg Stanton
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackThomas R. Suozzi
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackEric Swalwell
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackMark Takano
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackMike Thompson
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackRashida Tlaib
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJill N. Tokuda
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackPaul Tonko
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackJefferson Van Drew
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackMarc A. Veasey
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackEugene Vindman
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackDebbie Wasserman Schultz
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackBonnie Watson Coleman
Co-Sponsor
-
TrackGeorge Whitesides
Co-Sponsor
Actions
2 actions
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| Jul. 22, 2025 | Introduced in House |
| Jul. 22, 2025 | Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Workforce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. |
Corporate Lobbying
0 companies lobbying
None found.
* Note that there can be significant delays in lobbying disclosures, and our data may be incomplete.
