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A4586 • 2026

Requires SHBP coverage of hearing aids and cochlear implants for covered persons.

Requires SHBP coverage of hearing aids and cochlear implants for covered persons.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Murphy, Carol A.
Last action
2026-03-10
Official status
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Requires SHBP coverage of hearing aids and cochlear implants for covered persons.

Requires SHBP coverage of hearing aids and cochlear implants for covered persons.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires SHBP coverage of hearing aids and cochlear implants for covered persons.
  • Topic: Financial Institutions and Insurance Fiscal note: This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-10 New Jersey Legislature

    Introduced, Referred to Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee

Official Summary Text

Requires SHBP coverage of hearing aids and cochlear implants for covered persons.
Topic:
Financial Institutions and Insurance
Fiscal note:
This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A4586

ASSEMBLY, No. 4586

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires SHBP coverage of hearing aids and cochlear
implants for covered persons.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning health benefits coverage for
hearing aids and cochlear implants and
amending P.L.2008, c.126.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� Section 10 of P.L.2008,
c.126 (C.52:14-17.29n) is amended to read as follows:

���� 10.� a. �The State Health
Benefits Commission shall, on or after the effective date of this act, provide
benefits for medically necessary expenses incurred in the purchase of a hearing
aid or cochlear implant for a covered person
[
21
years of age or younger
]
,
as provided in this section.

���� b.��� The benefits shall
include the purchase of a hearing aid for each ear, when medically necessary
and as prescribed or recommended by a licensed physician or audiologist.� The
commission may limit the benefit provided in this section to $2,500 per hearing
aid for each hearing-impaired ear every 60 months.

���� c.���� The benefits shall
provide coverage of the cost of treatment related to cochlear implants,
including procedures for the implantation of cochlear devices and costs for any
parts, attachments, or accessories of the device, including replacement of
obsolete external cochlear implant processors.

(cf: P.L.2023, c.275, s.9)

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect on the 90th day after the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires the State
Health Benefits Program to provide coverage for expenses incurred in the
purchase of a hearing aid or cochlear implant regardless of a covered person�s
age.

���� Specifically, the bill amends
P.L.2008, c.126, �Grace�s Law,� by removing the specification that health
benefits plans or contracts which are issued or purchased pursuant to the State
Health Benefits Program are to provide coverage for expenses incurred in the
purchase of a hearing aid or cochlear implant only for covered persons who are
21 years of age or younger.