Skip to Main Content
chevron-right
chevron-left
chevron-down
chevron-up
chevron-circle-up
chevron-circle-right
chevron-circle-down
chevron-circle-left
Facebook Logo
Twitter Logo
Linkedin Logo
Youtube Logo
Instagram Logo
Google Plus Logo
Vimeo Logo
Issuu Logo
Right arrow
Left arrow
Location
Search
Phone Icon
Services
Home Care
Senior Care
Home Nursing Services
At Home Therapies
Respite Care
Home Care FAQ
Hospice
Bereavement & Grief
Hospice & Alzheimers
Hospice Costs
Hospice Pet Therapy
Special Care Programs
Your Care Team
Specialized Home Care
Patient-Centered Dementia Care
Arthritis
Congestive Heart Failure
Huntington’s Disease
Hypertension / Blood Pressure
Coronary Artery Disease
Diabetes
COPD
Joint Replacement
Mental Health and Depression
Home Care Support for Multiple Sclerosis
Palliative Care
Paraplegia and Quadriplegia
Parkinson's Disease
Pediatric Care
Traumatic Brain Injury
Ventilator Care
Wound Care
Veterans Care
Staffing
Staffing FAQ
COVID-19 Vaccination Staffing
Careers
About Us
COVID-19 Update
Our Standard of Care
Our History
Franchise Leader
Executive Team
Caring Brands International
Press Releases
Honoring Veterans
Historic Milestones
Contact Us
Education Center
Aging in Place
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Home Health Aide
8 Dietary Tips for Improving Senior Heart Health
Talking About Substance Abuse as a Caregiver
How to Take Care of Aging Hair
4 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality for Seniors
Designing Outdoor Living Areas for Seniors
Getting A Grip: How and Where to Install Bathroom Grab Bars
Keeping Active: Tips for Senior Gardening
Alzheimer's and Dementia
Calculating the Cost
Certified Senior Advisors
Consumer Health Care Education
Advisor Care Giving Guide
Care in a Residential Facility
Check Your Home Care IQ
Elder Care Communities
Consumer Alert
Medicare and Home Care
Senior Care Resources
Senior Care Scams
Consumer Rights
Signs That Care At Home is Needed
Long Term Care
Fall Prevention
Mobility in Seniors
Falls FAQ's
Home Safety Checklist
Home Safety Tips
Hidden Hazards
Medications and Fall Risk
Reduce the Risk of Falling
Risk of Falling
Visiting the Doctor and Discussing Falls
What to Do If Someone Falls
Family Caregiving
Elder Care Videos
Hiring Your Own Caregivers
Family Care Giving Facts
Information for Seniors
Long Distance Caregiving
Starting the Conversation
The Stress of Family Caregiving
Taking Care Of Yourself as a Family Caregiver
Home Care Technology
Hospice Fact or Myth
In-Home Caregivers
Senior Health
Exercise and Older Adults
Senior Nutrition
Taking Medications
Tips for Lowering Blood Pressure
Seniors and Zika Virus
Savvy Senior
Stories From Home
Transitioning from a Facility
Independent Living Assessment
Blog
Facebook
Linkedin
Twitter
Youtube
Instagram
Home
>
Education Center
>
February 2018
>
Three Ways to Cut Hearing Aid Costs
Three Ways to Cut Hearing Aid Costs
Posted: 2/1/2018 12:19 PM by
Interim HealthCare
Dear Savvy Senior,
I’ve heard that hearing aids will soon be available over-the-counter and will be much cheaper than they currently are. What can you tell me about this? My husband desperately needs hearing aids but we simply can’t afford them.
Searching Spouse
Dear Searching,
Unfortunately, for many years the high cost of hearing aids has kept millions of Americans with hearing loss from getting hearing aids because they can’t afford them.
Hearing aids – typically sold through audiologists’ offices – are expensive, usually ranging between $1,000 and $4,000 per ear, and are not typically covered by private insurance or traditional Medicare.
But there’s good news on the horizon. Last summer President Trump signed the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017 into law. This will allow people with mild to moderate hearing loss to buy hearing aids without consulting an audiologist, and the devices could sell for between $250 and $300 at drugstores and other retailers.
The only problem is that it will be a couple more years before these OTC hearing aids are available to consumers. So in the meantime, here are some tips that can help you find some affordable options.
Check Your Insurance
While most private health insurance companies do not cover hearing aids, there are some that do. For example, Aetna members can purchase aids at a discount through certain suppliers, and United Healthcare offers hearing aids to their beneficiaries through HealthInnovations for $799 to $999 each.
You should also know that some federal workers, as well as residents of Arkansas, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island can get their hearing aids covered by health insurance, as can eligible veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Or, if your husband is a Medicare recipient, about half of all Medicare Advantage plans offer at least partial coverage or discounts on hearing exams and devices. So, be sure you check your husband’s insurance coverage to see if it offers any type of hearing aid benefit.
Shop Around
To help you save money, consider shopping at Costco, which offers no-cost screenings at certain locations, as well as very competitive prices. Hearing aids there range between $500 and $1,500 each. You can also shop online at websites like
EmbraceHearing.com
and
Audicus.com
, which can save you up to $2,000 per pair. Then visit a local specialist to make any necessary adjustments.
Another option worth a look is over-the-counter personal sound amplification products (or PSAPs). Unlike hearing aids, the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate PSAPs. And PSAP manufacturers are not allowed to call these products hearing aids or claim that they help hearing. But these devices are very effective for people with mild to moderate hearing impairment, and typically cost between $350 and $450 each. To find a wide variety of PSAPs see assistive listening sites like Harris Communications (
HarrisComm.com
,
or call 866-476-9579).
Look For Assistance
If your income is low, there is a number of national, state and independent groups that can help you pay for hearing aids or offer discounts. To find them, visit the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association website at
ASHA.org/public/coverage/audfundingresources
. Or, call the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders at 800-241-1044, and ask them to mail you their list of financial resources for hearing aids.