Gavin Newsom, in all of his fiscal brilliance, vetoed a bill in 2023 requiring private insurers to cover hearing aids for kids. Instead, he said the state would provide them.
Gavin Newsom ripped as hearing aid debacle burns millions https://t.co/BO8PCYV22o pic.twitter.com/b4YJvVwQNJ
— New York Post (@nypost) May 14, 2026
Since then, 300 kids have received hearing aids. We can all agree children need good hearing aids and it's a worthy cause. The fact each set of hearing aids cost California taxpayers over 70,000 would probably raise some eyebrows.
Child advocates and lawmakers are furious with Gov. Gavin Newsom as California’s pediatric hearing aid program has spent tens of millions of dollars on administrative fees while delivering only a few hundred hearing aids.
Nearly five years after Newsom pushed lawmakers toward a state-run alternative instead of requiring private insurers to cover pediatric hearing aids, California’s Hearing Aid Coverage for Children Program had around 300 active enrolled members despite spending almost $23 million, according to a report delivered last month to a state Senate budget committee. That works out to about $76,000 per person.
Michelle Marciniak, founder of Let California Kids Hear, told The Post that the governor’s office has dropped the ball.
Recommended
That seems pretty extravagant.
Since the plan @GavinNewsom championed began, only a few hundred hearing aids have been delivered...
— Jeremy No Longer in PDX (@randomdudepdx) May 14, 2026
In five years. https://t.co/IKv1JMmcFS
Plus, it cost a whole bundle of money.
This is crazy!! Government efficiency (or fraud) at its finest. https://t.co/npoT9zXaCW
— Michael Nyberg (@BendMichael) May 14, 2026
Is there anything @GavinNewsom has overseen that isn’t self serving, incompetent or rife with fraud, waste and abuse?
— GoldenState (@state69235) May 14, 2026
-train
-fires
-diapers
-covid
-fast food minimum wage
-homeless
-hospice https://t.co/PyZCSUzSRR
Everything Newsom touches turns to garbage.
At least we now finally have California Post on the West Coast. For some odd reason legacy media like the LA Times seldom investigates or reports on the daily crooked nonsense committed by our Governor. https://t.co/VZDubwZtW7
— RealSteveB 714 (@RealSteveBellow) May 14, 2026
They only investigate Republicans.
Everything @GavinNewsom touches, fails. https://t.co/k219ChYUTA
— D (@Dokweg) May 14, 2026
Another disaster program from Newsom
— Roger Sunderlin (@RogerSunderlin) May 14, 2026
Hard earned TAXPAYERS money going to fraud https://t.co/sFrWtIiDKA
What do you think the chances are that one of his buddies owns a hearing aid company and he channeled the state money through him?
— Simon Unleashed (@SimonSaysKnow) May 14, 2026
There has to be a reason he did this and it’s not because he believes the free market can do better than insurance companies.
That would be an excellent subject for an enterprising journalist to dig into.
High. You can smell the grift a mile away.
— Relaxing News (@RelaxingNews) May 14, 2026
Yep.
— Simon Unleashed (@SimonSaysKnow) May 14, 2026
Anytime a politician has a bill in hand and say’s “nope, I know a guy who can do it” there should be red flags up in everyone’s minds.
Particularly if Gavin Newsom is involved.