Habilitation is a process that allows specialists to help people acquire specific skills and abilities which are necessary for their full functioning and without which they cannot consider themselves normal. In speech-language pathology (SLP), this service most often concerns children whose speech abilities are not developed to the level they usually form at that age (Hudson & DeRuiter, 2021). More recently, habilitation has received more attention due to the health reform passed in 2012, which names the main categories of services provided by doctors, including habilitation and rehabilitation. Although this process is quite effective and helpful, it has several struggles in SLP, which means that government needs to focus on it more.
Even though habilitation was announced as an essential health benefit, people who desire to get this service face difficulties. Habilitation is quite expensive, and many parents of children with specific speech problems still cannot get the appropriate coverage. Although 37 states have passed the law, under which it is necessary to “cover at least some level of habilitative treatment,” most states have not entirely implemented it (George Washington University, 2013, para. 4). For instance, almost any seventh child has particular problems with speech, and nearly half of their parents cannot afford the visit to a specialist because they have no coverage (George Washington University, 2013). Therefore, the disability to get coverage leaves thousands of children without an opportunity to heal and improve their speech.
The government strives to find possible solutions to this problem. Despite the thought that “habilitation faces an uncertain future under the Affordable Care Act,” this Act strives to provide the same sum for habilitative services as for rehabilitative ones (George Washington University, 2013, para.1). In addition, the authorities understand the importance of habilitation and pass the laws supporting it. The fact that 37 states have such laws is the best evidence, but they need to control their enforcement. To solve this problem, the government can create a separate department that will deal only with patients who need habilitative services but have financial difficulties and want to get coverage. Thus, although habilitative services are pretty effective, the government needs to develop more ways for people to access them.
References
George Washington University (2013). Habilitative services under health reform face uncertainty, new analysis says. News Wise. Web.
Hasselkus, A. (2012). Habilitation: What it is and why it matters to you. The ASHA Leader. Web.
Hudson, M. W., & DeRuiter, M. (2021). Professional issues in speech-language pathology and audiology (5th ed.). Plural Publishing, Inc.