MADISON, Wis. -- More than 100 people signed up to testify at a public hearing before the state Assembly Insurance Committee on Wednesday to urge lawmakers to pass Assembly Bill 133.

That bill would require insurance companies in Wisconsin to cover the cost of hearing aids and cochlear implants for children under the age of 11. The devices can run into the thousands of dollars and insurance companies are not required to pay for them.

"They're worried about statistics and financial costs and the burden going from this person to that person, well what about the financial burden it costs us as parents? We've had to pay out of pocket over $12,000 in (our daughter's) 10 years of wearing hearing aids because our insurance did not cover anything," said Laurie Nelson, parent of a hearing-impaired child.

But R.J. Pirlot, director of legislative relations at Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, said the bill would increase insurance costs.

"There are a lot of studies out there that indicate that whenever the state adds on a new health care insurance mandate, that these new mandated benefits add on to the cost of group health care insurance and individual health care insurance," Pirlot said.

The bill passed unanimously in the state Senate. The Assembly could vote on it on Tuesday before the current session ends.