Koehler measure to provide hearing aid coverage for all

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dave Koehler is spearheading a measure to require insurance providers to cover hearing aids and related services for people of all ages.

“Illinoisans shouldn’t have to face financial burdens for something that is necessary for a high quality of life,” said Koehler (D – Peoria). “Hearing aids are devices that should be covered by insurance, and not by the wallets of those who wear them.”

House Bill 2443 builds upon the 2018 measure Koehler-supported measure that required insurance to cover hearing aids for children under the age of 18. Koehler’s measure expands upon that by requiring insurers to provide coverage for everyone if their doctor prescribes a hearing instrument – which can cost up to $4,000.

“If your doctor is prescribing something to you, it should be covered by your insurance,” said Koehler. “People shouldn’t have to forgo their hearing. It’s time we make hearing aids more accessible for all who need them.”  

House Bill 2443 passed the Senate Insurance Committee Tuesday and now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.

Koehler measure would allow prorated debt for education students

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dave Koehler is leading a measure to prorate debts of students who are recipients of scholarship programs who need to fulfil their obligations at a later time.

“There are many instances where students have to take a leave of absence or cannot complete their education when they originally planned,” said Koehler (D – Peoria). “Students who are pursuing an education degree shouldn’t have to pay more if they fulfill their teaching obligations at a later time.”

House Bill 3498 would allow a recipient of either the Minority Teachers of Illinois, Special Education Teacher Waiver or the Golden Apple Scholar of Illinois to have their debt prorated for completing their teaching obligations at a later time, up to a five year window.

“We have many students who have jobs and responsibilities that can take their time away from the classroom,” said Koehler. “We shouldn’t be punishing these students for trying to accomplish their goals – we should be giving them the opportunities they need to succeed.”

House Bill 3498 passed the Senate Higher Education Committee Tuesday and now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.

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Koehler-led effort to outlaw fertility fraud in Illinois passes Senate

SPRINGFIELD – When Bloomington resident Curt Richardson got his DNA test results back from Ancestry.com, his life – and those of his parents – changed forever when they learned they had been victims of fertility fraud.

Richardson’s story is similar to hundreds of others across the state and nation who have lived most of their lives thinking the very people who raised them were their biological parents. State Senator Dave Koehler is working to bring awareness to fertility fraud and provide justice to the families who fall victim to the heinous act.

“Fertility fraud is an issue that has been overlooked for far too long,” said Koehler (D – Peoria). “This is a horrible practice that has gone unpunished. Illinois needs to join other states in taking a stand for those who have been affected by this horrendous act.”

Fertility fraud occurs when a health care provider knowingly or intentionally uses their own human reproductive cells during an assisted reproductive treatment without the patient’s informed written consent.

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