You were diagnosis with a hearing loss. Your Audiologist recommends that you get fitted with hearing aids as part of your treatment. After your Audiologist provides with the price of your hearing aids, you are in shock that you can't afford the hearing aids. What are you suppose to do? Unfortunately, you are in a predicament like millions of Americans who are diagnosis with a hearing loss. You do not have means to afford hearing aids.
Based on a US department Health and Human Services and NIH (National Institute of Health) fact sheet:
- An estimated 17 million Americans have some form of hearing loss. Nearly half of all Americans over the age of 75 have a hearing loss.
- The average cost of digital hearing aids is $1500 per hearing aid. With high end models ranging in cost from $3000 to $5000 per hearing aid.
Click here for more facts: NIOD
With the rising prices of obtaining hearing aids, you may wonder if your health plan would cover the costs. Unfortunately, you may be in for a surprise. Your private insurance may have limited or no coverage for hearing aids. Some private insurance companies may cover the cost of your audiologist and partial coverage of hearing aids. Others set a limit on the dollar amount of coverage and frequency that you can get hearing aids.
You may ask what about Medicaid and Medicare. Unfortunately, you are may not have much success here either. Medicare does not cover hearing aids. Ironically, Medicare is government funded health care for individuals who are 65 or older. Recent government studies stated that nearly half of all individuals over the age of 75 has a hearing loss and a majority of them rely on Medicare for health insurance. Medicaid often does cover hearing aids for children and some of qualified adults but each state differs in coverage. Medicaid is a government funded health care for individuals and families with low income typically at the poverty level.
There are other alternatives to pay for hearing aids such as using a Health Spending Account, VA benefits which covers hearing aids for our veterans and Non-Profit organizations such as Hear Now by Starkey Hearing Foundation.
As more and more Americans each year are diagnosis with a hearing loss and the cost of obtaining hearing aids continue to rise, we need to promote awareness and advocate for better insurance coverage for hearing aids. Please reach out your state and federal representatives and voice your concerns for changes to the current policies for medicare and medicaid. Demand that states require private insurance companies to change the way they cover cost of hearing aids.
If you want to learn more about hearing aids. Check out The National Institute on Deafness and Better Hearing Institute for financial assistance.
You may ask what about Medicaid and Medicare. Unfortunately, you are may not have much success here either. Medicare does not cover hearing aids. Ironically, Medicare is government funded health care for individuals who are 65 or older. Recent government studies stated that nearly half of all individuals over the age of 75 has a hearing loss and a majority of them rely on Medicare for health insurance. Medicaid often does cover hearing aids for children and some of qualified adults but each state differs in coverage. Medicaid is a government funded health care for individuals and families with low income typically at the poverty level.
There are other alternatives to pay for hearing aids such as using a Health Spending Account, VA benefits which covers hearing aids for our veterans and Non-Profit organizations such as Hear Now by Starkey Hearing Foundation.
As more and more Americans each year are diagnosis with a hearing loss and the cost of obtaining hearing aids continue to rise, we need to promote awareness and advocate for better insurance coverage for hearing aids. Please reach out your state and federal representatives and voice your concerns for changes to the current policies for medicare and medicaid. Demand that states require private insurance companies to change the way they cover cost of hearing aids.
If you want to learn more about hearing aids. Check out The National Institute on Deafness and Better Hearing Institute for financial assistance.
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