A heartwarming video has emerged of a three-month-old baby hearing his parents for the first time after he received hearing aids.

The footage, shot in Houston, TX, USA earlier this month, shows Cody smiling as his parents talk to him.

"Cody was born in November with a relatively rare condition called Congenital Hyperinsulinism," his mother wrote online.

"Cody's family has started a grassroots effort in Texas to make sure that Texas House Bill 490/Texas Senate Bill 552 get passed this year requiring insurance companies to cover hearing aids for children."

"[They] learned that the vast majority of insurance companies in the State of Texas (including theirs) consider hearing aids to be
elective/cosmetic and hence, not covered under health insurance plans," she added.

++CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: THIS VIDEO HAS BEEN EDITED++

This is a video of Cody hearing his parent's voice for the first time after receiving hearing aids at the age of 3 months. The bigger story behind the beautiful video is to make the public aware that only 20 states require insurance companies to provide hearing aids under a health insurance policy. Parents of hearing impaired children in Texas where Cody lives along with those in 29 other states are told that hearing aids are elective/cosmetic and are not a necessity for the growth and development of their children.

Cody's family has started a grassroots effort in Texas to make sure that Texas House Bill 490/Texas Senate Bill 552 get passed this year requiring insurance companies to cover hearing aids for children. We want to reach as many people as possible to enlist their support in making sure these bills pass. They can join our efforst by visiting www.codyscrusade.com or www.facebook.com/codyscrusade.

A little about Cody and hearing loss in children:

Cody was born in November with a relatively rare condition called Congenital Hyperinsulinism. The struggles for the family associated with his 6 weeks in the NICU and the accumulation of millions in hospital bills were only compounded when Cody was diagnosed with severe hearing loss. After extensive hearing tests and an eventual fitting for hearing aids, mom and dad learned that the vast majority of insurance companies in the State of Texas (including theirs) consider hearing aids to be
elective/cosmetic and hence, not covered under health insurance plans.
After a considerable amount of research on the subject, the family discovered that there are two bills currently in front of legislators, one in the Texas Senate and another in the Texas House of Representatives that would require health insurance providers in the State of Texas to pay for hearing aids for children.

Hearing aids for our kids are not cosmetic and are not elective. Hearing aids for our children are essential. Studies show that from birth to three years, children's brains are in a period of rapid development. Consistent sound input is critical for developing normal brain pathways for hearing,
speech and language. Early listening and speaking are vital to language development. But when first learning a language, we can't exactly "teach" it to children the way one would teach a school subject.
Instead, language is caught. Children pick up on words and spoken syntax and language structure by being exposed to language continuously. For children with hearing loss, this incidental learning will need to be supplemented by speech and language therapy that focuses on attending to this auditory input. Consistent hearing is important for children ‐ especially infants and toddlers ‐ in bonding with their parents. It builds trust and allows for the feeling of a predictable, consistent world.  Hearing provides a portal for language, whether spoken, signed, or read. It is critical to most work and recreation and allow people to interact more fully. For these reasons, hearing is a defining element of the quality of life. Early identification of hearing loss and treatment in newborns has a dramatic and positive impact on speech development, language development, and learning. Even a six‐month delay in
treatment of newborns can make the difference between a special education and a mainstream education. The annual financial cost of hearing loss in the United States alone has been estimated between
$122 billion and $186 billion, equivalent to 2‐3% of its GNP. The bulk of this impact is due to lost productivity (higher unemployment and lower wages), which accounts for 57% of all costs associated with hearing loss.  Hearing loss costs society billions of dollars each year in unrealized tax revenue and specialized health programs. In the United States, 50% of the costs of hearing loss to taxpayers could be
recovered simply by providing hearing aids. Early identification of hearing loss and treatment in newborns has a dramatic and positive
impact on speech development, language development, and learning. Even a six‐month delay in treatment of newborns can make the difference between a special education and a mainstream education. According to a 1993 study by the Marion Downs Center, children who do not require special education save a school system as much as $420,000 during a 12‐year education. The lifetime societal costs of profound hearing loss, according to the Downs study, can total as much
as $1 million. Simply, providing hearing aids to children would result in enormous savings for US taxpayers.