INSURANCE/HEALTH: Provides relative to insurance coverage for hearing aids (EG1 INCREASE GF EX See Note)
HB 774 requires health insurance companies in Louisiana to cover hearing aids for children under 18 and young adults up to age 26 who are already covered under their insurance policy. The bill mandates that coverage must be provided by a licensed audiologist or hearing aid specialist after a physician's medical clearance and a medically appropriate audiological evaluation. This change applies directly to insured individuals in these age groups and overrides previous insurance coverage limitations (R.S. 22:1047). The law ensures that hearing aid coverage is tied to medical necessity and professional evaluation, rather than being excluded under standard policy terms.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 27, 2026
Last action Apr 27, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
HB774 Original
→
HB774 Engrossed
·
2 edits
·
Apr 14, 2026
MINOR
The bill was amended to clarify the language regarding who qualifies for hearing aid coverage under health insurance plans. The changes ensure that the age limit is explicitly stated as 'twenty-six years of age and under' rather than just 'twenty-six and under,' removing potential ambiguity about whether the age limit includes the 26th birthday. Additionally, minor technical edits were made to improve the flow of the statute.
Scope change
The scope of the bill's applicability remains the same, but the clarity of the eligibility criteria for individuals aged 26 and under was improved.
ELIGIBILITY
Clarified the age requirement for hearing aid coverage by adding the words 'years of age' to specify that individuals up to and including age 26 are eligible.
TECHNICAL
Adjusted punctuation and phrasing in the legislative text to improve readability and grammatical consistency.
Floor votes · House Apr 14, 2026
How they voted
91–5
Passed · 9 other
Total votes 105
Apr 14, 2026
D
Democratic33
93% Yea
R
Republican72
83% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
13
Key actions
4
Committee
6
Apr 27, 2026
Committee
Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.
upper
Apr 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate Committee amendments read and adopted.
upper
Apr 22, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported with amendments.
upper
Apr 14, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 89, nays 6. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Apr 8, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported with amendments (13-0).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Insurance.
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Insurance.
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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