In May 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new initiative to support California families with newborns. While this is a commendable effort, it highlights a glaring disparity: thousands of families with deaf and hard of hearing children continue to struggle for access to sound.
The ability to hear is fundamental, yet many children in California are denied this basic need. Parents of deaf and hard of hearing children are fighting to ensure their babies can hear “I love you”listen to bedtime stories, and develop language during the critical early years of brain development.
California’s history of leadership and current shortcomings
California was once a leader in addressing hearing loss. In 1998, the state pioneered newborn hearing screeningrecognizing the critical importance of early identification. However, twenty-eight years later, California trails behind 35 other states that provide some form of coverage for children’s hearing aids. Families are often told by insurance companies that hearing aids are “elective”.
Nearly 95% of deaf and hard of hearing children are born to hearing parents, who suddenly find themselves navigating a complex world of hearing loss. Some babies begin life in the NICU, where hearing loss rates are significantly higher, and more than 30% also have additional medical or developmental conditions.
The critical window of brain development
Experts emphasize the urgency of early intervention. Dr. Daniela Carvalho of Rady Children’s Hospital has warned that “we do a beautiful job screening babies and fail miserably when it comes to treating them.” Dr. Dylan Chan of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital has called the lack of timely access to hearing aids for children “a developmental emergency” that is “not only devastating for families, but costly to society.”
Research shows that children who receive access to sound early in life can develop at the same rate as their hearing peers. By failing to provide early intervention, health plans shift an estimated $1.9 million+ lifetime societal cost per child onto education, healthcare, and society.
The cost of inaction and the path forward
The cost to solve this problem is remarkably small. For one dime per member per month, California could help ensure children receive timely access to hearing aids during early brain development. Despite bipartisan support in the Legislature, Governor Newsom has repeatedly blocked or vetoed proposals to require coverage for children’s hearing aids.
California pursued a federal pathway to add hearing aids, but new rules made that pathway financially unviable. Instead, the state created an alternative program that has cost taxpayers more than $30 million while delivering fewer than 300 hearing aids to children since 2026.
As Governor Newsom prepares his final budget, families are waiting to see whether California will finally align its actions with its values. Michelle Marciniak, founder of Let California Kids Hear, asks a heartbreaking question: “Gov. Newsom, after all these years, why aren’t deaf and hard of hearing kids included in California for all?”
California led the nation in identifying hearing loss in newborns. It should not become known as the state that identified children early—and then left families to fend for themselves. After 28 years of newborn hearing screening, every child in this state deserves timely access to sound—and the opportunity to hear the world around them.
