Why doesn't Medicare cover hearing aids?

Julie, Thank you for posting that article from Hearing Tracker. I do not expect a change in Medicare coverage. I do expect further changes in insurance policies to include some coverage for hearing aids.

I think it would take AARP to endorse this effort. Write them or create a letter and get lots of signatures before sending it.

2 cents. When the industry creates aids that actually work, maybe insurance will cover them. My friends with hearing aids, some in the $4000 a pair range, always say "What?" "Huh?" "Can you face me when you talk?" "I have to adjust for background noise (fiddling with wrist controller nibs)" "I have to wait for the lawn mower, truck, leaf blower to stop" "I lost a hearing aid" on top of medication schedules, many md appointments, memory issues, cell phone, car keys. One more (expensive) thing to worry about. Sorry for the rant.

Shmerdloff, There is a website, Hearing Tracker Forum, in which people can post comments about their hearing loss/hearing aids. I recommend it! Yes, sadly it is all too common that people experience great disappointment in their hearing aids, for any number of reasons. It is also true that there are many people who are satisfied, even ecstatic, with how much their hearing aids help them.

@shmerdloff I understand all about rants! Hearing loss creates the need for a lot of them. 🙂

I encourage you to go to the link posted in the original post on this topic. There is a lot of interesting information there. Lack of Medicare and/or insurance has been a huge barrier for millions of people over time.

Julieo4

@cleveland26
Thanks. Went to Forum. That's what I'm talking about.

Regarding quality of hearing aids, they do vary, and everyone is different in their hearing loss and what might best work for them. One has to be realistic that hearing aids won't restore your hearing loss to original. Once you have damaged hairs in your cochlea, they won't regenerate, yet...maybe in the future. They got some to regrow in mice but that's a long ways off for people most likely. It seems like no matter the brand, none of them do well with background noise, that seems to be one of the most common complaints. Yes, they are expensive, COSCO does sell several of the major brands under different names at half the price or more than at a private practice. Dr. Cliff's videos include good information on a wide variety of topics related to hearing aids and hearing loss. He has one video where he compares the different levels of hearing aids, from "entry" level to supposed top of the line. If I recall, while there might be a few extra bells and whistles in the top of the line he felt the mid-level one was still the better buy. Also, I always recommend and encourage people to check out the CenterForHearingAccess.org website for quality, non-biased information before getting hearing aids. No sales pitches.

To All: Here is a very new opportunity to learn more. I think you will find worth checking out.

“What Everyone Should Know About Hearing, Hearing Aids, and Healthy Aging” is a new YouTube recently produced by the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging with input and information from The Center for Hearing Access (CHA). It is moderated by Juliette Sterkens AuD and Wynn Wyman from CHA.

The YouTube shares practical information on why it’s important to pay attention to your hearing. You’ll be encouraged to learn how to speak up and advocate for technology that helps in typical situations where hearing aids just don’t work well. This is a reality with hearing aids because as well as they work in some situations, they do not correct hearing loss the way people expect them to in others. Hearing aids do help, however, they should provide access to advanced technology that abates background noise in noisy social settings. If they don't provide those options, you are not getting what you paid for and need in many cases.

You’ll learn more about why a provider who follows Best Practices is more important than the brand of hearing aids you choose.

There’s access to some excellent handouts, slides and other resources. Perhaps you’ll even be encouraged to choose to share them with others. After viewing this YouTube presentation, let us know what you think.