Medical insurance often does not cover hearing aids, while some insurers do provide optional hearing/vision/dental policies that may include coverage for hearing exams and hearing aid fittings.
Other choices for paying for your hearing aids include financing through your hearing care provider, third-party credit such as CareCredit, philanthropic organizations, or family assistance. Examine all of your options to determine which is the greatest fit for your hearing needs and budget.
Coverage varies by plan
Hearing aids are not covered by most health insurance plans. Check with your individual plan to see if your health insurance covers hearing aids. On the insurance card, most plans have a toll-free number for member assistance. Even if you have it, hearing aid insurance coverage differs in how it is delivered. Here are some examples of hearing aid benefits in real life:
- A health plan may pay a set amount toward the purchase of assistive technology, such as $500 or $1,000. This amount may be applied to the total cost of a hearing aid (whether one or two are purchased), or it may be applied per ear. After a set period of time, usually 3 to 5 years, the benefit may be renewed.
- If you buy hearing aids from a contracted provider, your health plan may give you a discount. An allowance is a percentage of the total purchase price that is deducted. For example, if a pair of instruments costs $4,000 and your health plan covers $1,500, your out-of-pocket expense is $2,500. Every few years, this benefit may be renewed.
- Discounts with contracted providers may have been arranged by a health plan. This means you must buy from a provider in order to receive a discount (for example, 20%) off the retail price.
Each health plan is unique, and hearing aid coverage within a plan may fluctuate depending on where you live.
Kaiser Permanente, for example, provides a hearing aid plan with a credit per ear option every 36 months. But this benefit is only accessible in the state of Colorado; it is not offered in the states of Oregon, Washington, Ohio, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC.
They claim that there may be a benefit accessible in Hawaii and California, but customers should double-check to see what kind of coverage is available.
Approximately 23 states currently require health insurance providers to provide full or partial coverage for hearing aids for children. Adults are also required to comply in five states (Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island).
Why are hearing aids not covered under insurance?
Hearing aids are not considered a “essential medical item,” according to most insurance providers, thus they are not covered. Hearing loss, on the other hand, is a known danger, and people who suffer from it will eventually file a claim.
How much does insurance pay for hearing aids?
Up to the stated maximum coverage, the state covers 3/4 of the cost of hearing aids.
- All hearing-impaired children under the age of 11 are covered by the state.
- Furthermore, any kid between the ages of 12 and 18 who has a hearing loss of more than 25 decibels in one ear is covered.
- Students who are 19-25 years old who have a hearing loss of more than 25 decibels in at least one ear and are pursuing a diploma, certificate, or degree from a recognized university.
- All citizens over the age of 19 who have a hearing loss in their better ear of at least 35 decibels are covered.
- Hearing loss impairs the capacity to work, study, and socialize for anybody in the state.
- Hearing aid repairs and replacements
- Alarm clocks that have been customized
- Amplifiers for telephones
- Teletypewriters
How can I get a hearing aid for free?
The Miracle-Ear Foundation was created to help low-income Americans who do not have access to hearing aids through insurance, Medicaid, the Veterans Administration, or other state or federal programs. To find out if you’re eligible or to apply, go to a Miracle-Ear store.
Can seniors get free hearing aids?
Hearing aids are available for purchase through a variety of national and state-based institutions and nonprofits. It is simply a matter of contacting these foundations and filling out the relevant applications to check if you qualify for financial hearing aid assistance. It may take some time, but we believe it is worthwhile if it saves you thousands of dollars.
Visit HearingLoss.org for a list of financial aid possibilities. You may also locate an alternative on the Hearing Aid Project’s state or national list. Your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) might be able to point you in the right direction.
Why are hearing aids expensive?
The amount of research and development required to continually improve the technology that powers your hearing aid accounts for a major portion of the expense.
The hearing aid industry spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year to make your hearing aids smaller, more powerful, and more natural sounding. Electrical engineers, sound engineers, audiologists, computer engineers, programmers, and others are all involved in the R&D process.
Is hearing protection covered by insurance?
Hearing loss is not considered insurable by most insurance carriers. Hearing protection can be reimbursed with a Letter of Medical Necessity from a physician using a flexible spending account, health savings account, or health reimbursement agreement, according to the FSA Store.
How long do hearing aids typically last?
Hearing aids can endure from three to seven years, and in some cases, much longer. The quality of the instrument, how well it’s maintained, and how much wear and tear it gets from being worn in your ear for many hours a day are all factors that influence its lifespan.
How bad does your hearing have to be to get a hearing aid?
You have difficulties hearing noises quieter than 41 decibels to 55 decibels, such as a refrigerator humming or typical conversation, if you have moderate hearing loss. You may frequently request that others speak louder or repeat themselves.
By the time they reach moderate degrees of hearing loss, at least half of the people are using some type of amplification, whether it’s a hearing aid or one of the low-cost personal sound amplification products, or PSAPs.