ATTACHMENT A
flEARING C4RE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION iCIA
ABOUT THE HEARING CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION, ITS MEMBERS AND THEIR WORK
December 2016
SERVICES OFFERED BY MEMBERS OF HCIA
Between them, HCIA Members care for many hundreds of thousands of Australians from more than 440 locations across the country. They lead teams of clinicians and client service officers to provide their clients with excellence in hearing care. The clinicians are industry trained and Government accredited specialists in hearing care, and they work with the latest hearing technology. The founding Members employ approximately 500 professional staff between them.
Members provide services such as diagnostic audiometry, hearing aids, custom ear moulds and earplugs, assistive listening devices, industrial audiology, and educational seminars. Through their: focus on training and recruiting, they have built an experienced and dynamic group of professional Me.mbers consisting of audiologists, audiometrists, and client service teams. The founding Members also form part of international groups which deliver hearing services to clients in many countries out~ide Australia.
NATIONAL HEARING CARE
National Hearing Care (NHC) is Australia’s leading independent provider of hearing healthcare services with more than 150 permanently staffed clinics throughout metropolitan and regional Australia. NHC Invests heavily in hearing care across Australia; by expanding its reach and client access (including more than 85 NHC visiting sites located in regional areas), through training and developing audiology students and graduates, and by providing free information sessions and free hearing checks to the community. NHC prides itself of providing high levels of customer satisfaction and customer care. www.nhc.com.au
HEARING LIFE
Hearing Life was founded in Adelaide, South Australia and has provided hearing care services to· Australians for over 80 years. It has become one of Australia’s largest networks of hearing clinics.· Hearing Life has a network of clinics across Australia and has expanded into the USA and New Zealand. Hearing Life is a network of 65+ national retail-hearing clinics in Australia with an additional approx. 150-associated visiting sites (testing hearing and prescribing hearing devices and adult rehab): Hearing Life continues to build on its past history and reputation through professional .services, its range of quality hearing solutions and its commitment to helping clients make informed choices about their hearing. Hearing Life has a strong University graduate program and also provides ongoing professional development and training for all of its audiologists and audiometrists and prides itself as being an employer of choice. www.hearlnglife.com.au
CONNECT HEARING
Connect Hearing is one of the fastest growing hearing care groups in Australia. Established in 2005, Connect Hearing provides quality hearing care to over 120 locations across Australia. The Connect Hearing mission is to make a positive difference in people’s lives and it is driven by the goals to provide the highest quality of hearing care and the highest quality of innovative hearing solutions. Connect Hearing is a part of the world’s leading hearing care group, Sonova. Providing hearing care and hearing solutions for over 60 years, Sonova is present in every continent with over 3000 1
HEAR ING CARE INDUSTRY ASSOC IATION , iCIJ\
locations globally. Through Sonova’s best practice technology innovation cycle, Connect Hearing is able to’offer clients world class solutions such as Lyric, the first and only fully invisible, extended wear hearing aid and the best in class rechargeable hearing aids providing 24 hours of hearing from one. charge.
Connect Hearing is proud to support the Hear The World Foundation, a Sonova initiative, that provides funding for hearing care projects in developing countries and raises awareness for hearing loss.
AUDIOCLINIC
AudioClinic is one of the leading providers of hearing care services in Australia. Its mission is to help people reach their full hearing potentia l. This is done by providing individuals who have a hearing loss with the most professional, comprehensive and convenient hearing healthcare services, including high quality, affordable hearing devices, and the counseling and assistance they need to enhance the quality of their lives through better hearing. Founded in 1975, Audioclinic has grown to 200 clinics located across Australia, and provides hearing services on behalf ofthe Australian Government and Office of Hearing Services. With more than 300 hearing clinicians and support staff in Australia, AudioClinic is committed to transforming hearing health services by raising community awareness of hearing health and embracing technological and service innovations.
Audioclinic is part of the William Demant Group (WDH), one of the world’s leading hearing healthcare companies, and is t he only company that covers all areas of hearing care. From diagnostic instruments and traditional hearing aids to cochlear implants and bone-anchored hearing solutions. It has a demonstrated commitment to ongoing funding of hearing research, and the capability to manage the development, delivery and roll out of innovative technology. WDH’s majority shareholder, the Oticon Foundation, supports social and educational programmes, publications, conferences, cultural activities and campaigns for researchers (including NAL), the IDA Institute (an independent, not-for profit organisation located in Denmark and funded by a grant from Oticon Foundation), hearing care professionals and the general public. WDH owns and manages the world renowned Eriksholm Research Centre. Research is being made publically available, refer to http://www.erlksholm.com/about-us.aspx www .audioclinic.com .au
BAY AUDIO
Launched in Australia in 2007, Bay Audio is one of Australia’s leading edge providers of hearing health solutions and devices. It has 48 permanent stores located in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria and more than 35 visiting sites. Bay Audio’s success has been built on the latest technology devices delivered in a modern retail environment and convenient locations making us part of our customer’s everyday life. Through the use of state-of-the-art technology, the help of highly trained clinicians and ongoing updates on services and technology, Bay Audio offer a premi-um experience for customers. Services that Bay Audio offers include diagnostic hearing tests, on line hearing tests, hearing protection and advice, hearing loss treatment and hearing device consultations and evaluations. Bay Audio also offers advice on private and government funding for hearing loss related issues. As an active member of local communities, Bay Audio was founded by Audiologist and is still operated by them today; hence it has a strong sense of corporate and social responsibility to make a difference at every level of people’s lives. www.bayaudlo.com.au
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MEARING COE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION iCA
NEUROSENSORY
Neurosensory’s ongoing evolution is driven by its belief in enriching people’s lives by improving how they interact with the world around them. We believe that our clients and the medical community deserve the highest possible standards in care. Our mission is to make a positive difference to every client’s life. In an effort to help improve the quality of hearing health care in Australia, Neurosensory is a research partner of the University of Queensland, and a member of the HEARing Co-operative Research Centre (CRC). Every yea·r Neurosensory’s clinicians meet with hundreds of medical professionals around Australia to provide professional education sessions detailing the positive impacts that assessment and intervention can make for people with hearing and balance disorders.
Neurosensory is independently owned by over 60 of Australia’s leading Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeons, who are committed to the highest standards of hearing health care. Neurosensory was established over 35 years ago and now operates Australia’s largest network of comprehensive hearing and balance care clinics, with 22 centres across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria: Our comprehensive hearing health care model ensures that every client receives tailored, clinically proven care.
Neurosensory has led the way in offering new technology to improve outcomes for hearing impaired Australians. Our clinics have been at the forefront of offering new implantable hearing technology and tinnitus treatments for the last 35 years, and are currently developing new multi-disciplinary approaches to further improve outcomes for Australians with hearing and balance problems. www.nsu.com.au
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ATTACHMENT B CAHEAft lNG COE INDUSTll’ ASSOCIATION
TABLE 5-4: PEOPLE IN PAID WORK AGED 45-64 YEARS, BY HEARING PROBLEMS AND GENDER
(Page 54 of the report by Access Economics 2006)
In Paid Work Not in paid work Total
Male Hearing problems 46 51 97
{47.4%) (52.6%) (100%)
No hearing problems 197 93 290
(67.9%) (32.1%) (100%)
Female Hearing problems 16 37 53
(30.2%) (69.8%) (100%)
No hearing problems 155 177 332
(46.7%) (53.3%) (100%)
Source: South Australian Health Omnibus Data Males x2(1) = 13.1 p<0.001: Females x2(1) = 5.04 p< .025 . . .
ATIACHMENTC
HEARING CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION ’iCIA
2015/16 FEDERAL BUDGET SUBMISSION
FROM THE HEARING CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
TITLE: Access to hearing services for low-income working-age Australians.
PURPOSE: To extend eligibility for the Australian Government Hearing Services Program to low income working-age Australians, subject to a means test.
COST:
Option 1 - $238.Sm over 4 years;
Option 2 - $148.3m over 4 years with a $100 co-payment.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
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That access to the Australian Government Hearing Services Voucher Program be extendec;I to low income Australians of working age (26-65 years), subject to a co-payment.
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That this access be subject to a means test (nominally, $37,000 p.a. which was the level was chosen by the previous Government for the Low Income Superannuation contribution). ’3. That access be limited to those with eligible hearing loss in the same manner as now operates under the Australian Government Hearing Services Voucher Program.
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That a co-payment of $100 be instituted for those aged 26-65 to ensure that any extension to the Program is directed to the most highly motivated individuals.
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That all contracted providers to the Program deliver these services to low income Australians to ensure the widest geographical coverage and the greatest possible choice for individual clients, i.e., extension of the Program to low income Australians should operate in exactly the same way as the Australian Government Hearing Service Voucher Program in every other respect.
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That this enhancement to the Program commence from 1 January 2016. Page 1 of 5
BACKGROUND:
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In May 2010, the Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee handed down a report with unanimous support. It was titled; Hear Us, Inquiry into Hearing Health in Australia. Recommendation #4 was that eligibility for the Australian Government Hearing Services· · Program be extended to include all Australians, subject to a means test.
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In 2011, a Sub-Committee of the Hearing Services Consultative Committee reporting to the Minister of Mental Health and Ageing advised Government on the implementation of this recommendation.
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In August 2014 HCIA was encouraged by Assistant Health Minister Senator Fiona Nash to bring forward a 2015/16 Budget submission.
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This submission gives effect to the recommendations of the Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee and Hearing Services Consultative Committee.
KEY ISSUES
One in six Australians suffer from some degree of hearing loss and nearly half of them are of working age, that is 16 to 64 yrs. By 2050, this figure will increase to one in four.
For those between 45 and 65 years of age with hearing loss, the chance of being employed is 20% lower for men and 16% lower for women .
Access to the Australian Government Hearing Services Program is available (in the main) to:
·• People under 26 years of age
- Pension concession card holders
- Health care card holders This means there is a large number of Australians of working age with hearing impairment who have limited or no access to the program.
The most recent study into the economics of hearing loss was the comprehensive economic analysis by Access Economics in 2006, Listen Hear - the Economic Impact and Cost of Hearing Issues in Australia. That report placed the economic cost of hearing loss to Australia at $11.75b {$14.Sb*) or 1.4% of GDP. This figure represented an average cost of $3,314 ($4,093*) per person per annum for each of the 3.55 million Australians who have hearing loss or $578 ($714*) for every Australian. The largest financial cost identified in the report was productivity loss, which accounted for well over half of all the financial costs ($6.7b). The costs of hearing impairment included lost earnings, tax forgone, the cost of carers, welfare payments, education and support services and deadweight costs caused by the taxation needed to finance the welfare payments.
*CPI adjusted amounts for 2014/15 are shown in brackets.
Page 2 of 5
A large proportion of these costs will be ultimately borne by governments. Thus the value of retaining or re-engaging people with hearing loss in the workforce is very significant, and the opportunity costs to the nation of not addressing this issue, are substantial.
In making its recommendations, the Sub-Committee of the Hearing Services Consultative Committee extensively considered both an individual’s eligibility to enter the program and income threshold levels. For the purposes of this Budget Submission, those levels remain unchanged.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Figures. are based on the best estimate that was available to the Sub-Committee of the Hearing Services Consultative Committee in 2011. The explanation of these figures is detailed in Appendix 1. These figures have utilised 2008 Centrelink data. No more recent data is available to HCIA. They are clearly an over-estimate of eligible numbers today and hence over-estimate cost to Government.
Option 1: If there is no co-pay*
Year 1 2015-16 $19.0m
Year 2 2016-17 $58.Sm
Year3 2017-18 $79.9m
Year4 2019-20 $82.lm
TOTAL $238.Sm
Option 2: If there is a co-pay of $100*
Year 1 2015-16 $11.8m
Year 2 · 2016-17 $36.3m
Year 3 2018-19 $49.5m
Year 4 2019-20 $50.7m
TOTAL $148.3m
These figures have been calculated with no offsetting savings. However, given the best available estimates, the cost of hearing impairment is $3,314 ($4010*} per person w ith a hearing loss, expanding hearing services with a one-off payment of $1,410 accrues an economy-wide benefit of $3,314 ($4010*} per person.
Donna Staunton
HCIA Chief Executive Officer
“’2014/ 15 figures.
Page 3 of 5
APPENDIX ONE
ASSUMPTIONS FOR COSTINGS
a. The number of people on an income below $37k by age group informed by straight line extrapolation between known numbers of income below $20k p.a. and income below $40k p.a. This gives a number of potentially eligible hearing impaired people of working age (26- 65) of 360,000*.
Number of people 26-65 years with incomes less than $40k = 402,747 Number of people 26-65 years with incomes less than $20k = 117,419 Portion of years to be excluded to get $20k -$37k= 3/20)
Therefore 402,747-((402,747 -117,419) X 3/20) = 359,948). This has been rounded to 360,000.
*NOTE: As mentioned above, these estimates utilise the most recent Centrelink data available to HCIA, which is from
- As a result of this, these numbers are likely to be an overestimate. ·b. Prevalence of hearing impaired by age:
• 25 - 34yrs 2%
• 35 - 44yrs 5%
• 45 - 54yrs 12%
• 55 - 64yrs 26%
c. The number of people accessing the service annually would be 15% of those eligible without a co-payment and 10% of those eligible with a co-payment of $100.
d. That it would take 12 months for the scheme to build up to the figure of 15%. This build up would occur in a straight line thus, utilisation by six month period would be:
• Jan-June 2016 - no co-payment 3.75%; co-payment 2.5%
• July-Dec 2016 - no co-payment 11.25%; co-payment 7.5%
- Jan-June 2017 - no co-payment 15.00%; co-payment 10.0% e. · The cost per person is $1,410.00 ·f. Indexation of 2.5% is assumed from Year 2
Page 4 of 5
Number of Pea le Accessin Service
No Co-pay
People Accessing Cost/ person in $ * Cost $m
Year 1 2015 - 16 13,500 1410 19.0
Year 2 2016 -17 40,500 1445 58.5
Year 3 2017-18 54,000 1480 79.9
Year 4 2019 - 20 54,000 1520 82.1
Cost over 4 years $238.5m
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2.5% indexation used $100 Co-pay
People Accessing Cost/ person in $ * Cost $m
Year 1 2015-16 9,000 1310 11.8
Year 2 2016-17 27,000 1345 36.3
Year 3 2018-19 36,000 1375 49.5
Year 4 2019-20 36,000 1410 50.7
Cost over 4 years $148.3m
- 2.5% indexation used Page 5 of 5
ATTACHMENT D
>HARINC UU INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION iCIA
SUBMISSION TO THE SENATE EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATION COMMITIEE
CONCERNING THE VET STUDENTS LOAN BILL (2016) INQUIRY
This submission is made on behalf of the Hearing Care Industry Association (HCIA). *
It relates to the Diploma of Audiometry course Ref HTL757415.
In making this submission, we note that the decision to keep certain courses on the VET Fee Help schedule was made based on
- the skills need list that the States and Territories already have in place and
- on areas of national economic need in order to ensure that the courses Australian students are studying (and that taxpayers are subsidising) have the maximum chance of leading to jobs.
While we h·ave no argument with this ·sentiment, we believe an error has been made in relation to the Diploma of Audiometry that will have a substantial negative impact on industry and the public. We hope that this is an oversigbt and ask that Audiometry be reinstated as a Fee-Help eligible area of study.
HCIA is an industry association whose members employ a highly significant number of hearing health
professionals in Australia. We fit approximately approximately 60% of all adult hearing devices used. in the Australian market. We provide services under the Australian Government Hearing Services Program; the National Disability Insurance Scheme; state based workers compensation schemes and in the private market. For the·adult market, hearing devices are fitted by both Audiologist and Audiometrists. Audiology is a University based applied science pegree and Audiometry is a 2 year TAFE diploma. For routine device fitting, the work of Audiologists and Audiometrists is interchangeable.
At the present time, Australia is facing a shortage in the Audiology and Audiometry workforce. We face substantial difficulty in employing enough practitioners to help service the ageing Australian population as evidenced by the fact that HCIA members are routinely required to bring overseas trained clinicians into Australia utilising 457 visas. There is no doubt that the need for the services of Audiologists and Audiometrists. will only increase over time.
Audiology (the applied science degree) appears on the skills needs list in all states and in many cases that definition can be used interchangeably with Audiometry (the TAFE Diploma). While there are some diagnostic services that can only be provided by Audiologists, both Audiologists and Audiometrists provide a similar’ service with respect to the routine fitting of hearing aids. Audiometrists work primarily with adult clients and provide a range of services to school aged children. They focus on hearing and auditory function assessment and (re)habilitation.
HEAklNG CARE INDUSTRY •SS0C1Afl0N iCIA
Audiometrists achieve this by applying a range of diagnostic tests and rehabilitation approaches including:
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counselling,
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the prescription and fitting of non- implantable devices and aids, for example bone conduction aids and earplugs, including custom noise, swim and musician plugs,
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FM and other remote sensing systems,
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hearing aids and hearing assistive technology and
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the provision of rehabilitation for tinnitus. Audiometrists provide a critical service to hearing impaired Australians and any reduction in their number will only have detrimental effects on the care that HCIA members can offer. Given the ageing of the Au.stralian population, the need for Audiometrists will only increase.
In 2015, 80 students Australia wide were enrolled in Audiometry. In 2016 the number is 113. Over one third of these T~FE enrolled students currently utlise VET Fee Help. In asking for this to be reconsidered, we would make the following points:
- While Audiometry is not specifically listed on the State skills need list, Audiology~ listed on the need list of all Australian States and as has been mentioned, the work of Audiometrists is in large part,
interchangeable with Audiology.
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Audiometry is taught by two TAFE colleges in Australia. TAFE Randwick (face to face classroom option} and OTEN Strathfield NSW (distance learning program with some residential schools}. There has been no recent substantial expansion of this area and no report or evidence of abuse, whatsoever.
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There is demonstrated need for these graduates as evidenced by the fact that industry requires to bring people in on 457 visas,
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There is very strong linkage of graduates with industry and high post graduation employment outcomes. While the Department of Education & Training ‘My Skills’ website doesn’t specifically detail the Diploma of Audiology from other similar courses in the medical technology area, the percentage of graduates who are employed or in further training after course completion for Medical Technology is a very high 93.5%. It is our view that this figure would be even higher for Audiometry-perhaps the highest for any TAFE course in the country.
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Once trained, a very large number of Audiometrists spend a lifetime in the profession. They are a strong and cohesive group, represented by the Hearing Aid Audiometrist Society of Australia (HAASA}, which is the longest established professional body in the hearing industry, having been founded in 1961. They are also represented by the Australian College of Audiology, the only professional body who represents both
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t!EARING CHE INDUSTkY AHOCIAflON iCIA
Audiometrists and Audiologists throughout Australia. AcAud has written to the Minister for Education and Training about his issue expressing their significant concern about the removal of the Diploma of Audiometry from the VET Fee Help Scheme.
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Fees for this course are $8,340, reasonable for and comparable to other medical technology/science based course.
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To subsidise Audiology, which is University based and not Audiometry, which is TAFE based, will lf::ad to increased costs in the hearing care industry as routine work will be of necessity increasingly if undertaken by more expensive practitioners. In an area that is already facing serious workforce constraints, this will have a negative impact on HCIA members.
Currently one in six Australians suffer from some degree of hearing loss and by 2050 this is forecast to grow to one in four Australians. The forecast increased prevalence of hearing loss is largely driven by our ageing population. The costs of hearing loss to Australia were estimated at $11.5b in 2005, which represents 1.4% of Australia’s then GDP. The largest element of this cost, at over half the total, was lost wages and productivity among people with hearing loss. The value to the nation of retaining or re-engaging people with a hearing loss in the workforce is thus significant.
Hearing assessment and support seNices are already difficult to access in regional and remote parts of Australia where there is already a greater need. For these reasons, we call on Government to reinstate Course HTL757415, a Diploma 9f Audiometry onto the VET Fee Help schedule.
Donna Staunton
Chief Executive Officer
Hearing Care Industry Association
Email: donnas@hcia.com.au Phone: (02) 9958 1593
- HCIA members include Hearing Life, Connect Hearing, Oticon Australia, National Hearing Care and Bay Audio 3