Comments on: Insurers reject mainstream devices for speech assistance

By: bloop

bloop — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:29:47 +0000

But at this price, is it worth having it covered by insurance ?

By: Laurie

Laurie — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:57:22 +0000

After reading the story regarding insurance companies rejecting devices that are lower in cost, less cumbersome and more usable than the ones they approve, can anyone deny we need health care reform? I don’t care to which side of the aisle you lean, how can insurance companies making this kind of call be right?

By: Suzanne Robitaille

Suzanne Robitaille — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:02:38 +0000

Thanks, Patricia. In the future, insurance companies will have a harder time justifying the costs of “dedicated” speech machines, especially if anyone in the world can use a $300 iPhone with speech capabilities that fits in their back pocket. And in many cases, an iPhone or BlackBerry may be all a person who cannot communicate really wants or needs; they shouldn’t be punished just because the device is so devastatingly cool.

By: Mark Hobratschk, JD, MPA

Mark Hobratschk, JD, MPA — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:38:10 +0000

What is the American Speech Language Hearing Association position on this?