Need for better Hearing Aid (HA) and Provider Selection Information

Thank you Tony! It's confusing and it's constantly changing with acquisitions, etc. It's a shame that hearing aids are sold like consumer products. Not a lot different than buying a car or a washing machine! The consumer, who us way to often unaware, is the one who has to do research in advance.

Some providers are on commission, some are not.

People 'in the know' have been advocating for hearing aid insurance coverage for decades. It's no wonder that the insurance industry has been hesitant to provide it. Unfortunately.

@julieo4 So true about insurance coverage. Sadly, statistics from other countries that have insurance coverage, the acceptance rate is not much better than in the US. I think its because hearing aids do not solve the real problem, especially in background noise situations when we need to hear as best as possible. Also, unlike a typical electronic device where the price comes down after the engineering costs are recovered, we are not usually offered the older technology. In my mind, this is another criminal act that most audiologists perform. We are typically not offered an unbundled package either.
Tony in Michigan

I agree selecting a hearing aid(s) can be confusing. Sometimes I get the impression that your local audiologist recommends whatever is the “flavor of the month” i.e. whatever ever company is promoting the heaviest and making it the most worthwhile for them ($$). Maybe that is cynical but I have noted (after using aids for the past 7 years) that the recommendation they give - and I am talking more than one retailer- varies over time. I have had phonak, starkey, widex. Now I am being told that oticon is the hottest thing because it has some new revolutionary chip that filters out all background noise and amplifies only voices. Who knows? The only way to find out is to try a pair for a few weeks and find which works best for you. Most states mandate a statutory period you can try with a guaranteed refund policy. I know in Florida it is 30 days. Check your state. Like all tech gadgets there are constant changes and improvements. I have also been told by audiologists when I ask the price and mention to them that I am considering going to Costco ( good aids for<$2000) that the reason they are so much less expensive is that the chips in them do not have all the advanced features of the name brands and the chips are not as good. Who knows??

@chud2 To answer your question about the Oticon technology, they are calling it Deep Neural Networking. It sounds impressive but from what I heard from an audiologists panel discussion that was conducted via Zoom, it's just hype. It does not work as well as their salesmen want everyone to believe. Try it though. Let us know your experience.
Regarding the Costco products, yes, some features are not available as you would get from the original manufacturer. I don't remember the features that are not available but if you can live without them, then its a great way to save money. If you go to Costco, ask about the features that are not included. Hopefully, they'll be able to tell you.
Tony in Michigan

Thank you for the informative reply. Will keep it in mind.

Don't forget Costco. They do real ear measurements. Their Kirkland brand is currently made by Phonak. Of course, service quality varies from store-to-store, but I know people happy with their purchase and the price can't be beat.

I have long-term Meniere's (30 years). In the last few years my hearing in both has declined both for low and high frequencies . I recently got fitted for new hearing aids and during the fitting I had an episode of vertigo and nausea. I have read in these chats that audiologists need to be aware of the challenges of fitting someone with Meniere's. The hearing aids were Philip's Hearlink. Afterwards, I tried wearing them and was not getting the needed amplification and found that I frequent adjusting makes me dizzy. They are going back.

So my questions:
Are there some hearing aid brands that have been found to be useful for hearing loss from meniere's?
How do I assess if the audiologist is knowledgeable re: meniere's and can make informed recommendations?

Thank you

My AuD is excellent and a "Hearing Up" physician member, which I require. These docs are very knowledgeable, committed to "best practices", do real ear measurements at fittings and at all adjustment appointments. I have a difficult "cookie bit" loss & using Phonak Audeo Lumity Life, P90's. These have several customizable profiles which are automated based upon surrounding conditions. Also, they allow the doc to create custom profiles you can totally control in a more "fixed" way via the app and not use the automatic features.

I’ve used Costco HA for 5 years. All were Phonak, except last time I got Costco brand. The tech who has helped me has been good and mostly honest I think. I’ve recently switched to a differ provider, a doc of audiology. I’m much impressed. I switched because I wanted to try Lyric. The Phonak in the ear canal HA. LOVE them, though takes getting used to.

I wouldn't go back to Costco. The products they offer seem cheaper, but don't be deceived. You'll pay a high price for its lack of follow-up service, which is a critical part of any hearing-device package.

Never forget that Costco is a massive warehouse chain, not a healthcare practice. You are always their customer, but never their client. So they are great if you are shopping for jeans or bed linens or baked goods, and they are very happy to sell you their merchandise. Their mindset is, sell and move on.

Whereas a practitioner is obligated to deliver ongoing support after the sale of the device, which sooner or later will need to be serviced. To maintain their license, audiologists have to have some degree of accountability if things don't go well with your device. At my local Costco, however, that follow-up was simply not available. They have no incentive or apparent interest in forming a continuous relationship with you, a person disabled by hearing loss and dependent on their device for your daily functioning.

So for example, you have a problem with your Costco hearing aids? I found I couldn't set an appointment to discuss my issues, as appointments were reserved for the customers who were testing and purchasing devices. So when you have a hearing aid issue, you might leave a voicemail. Maybe someone will call you back during the week (never on a weekend)--or maybe not. So you need to trek out there in person, without an appointment, during workday hours, 9-5. Maybe there's one technician on duty, and they are in the booth, testing a customer for a fitting, so you stand by for 45 minutes until they are done. Maybe there's a line of people waiting, so it's like standing in the returns line at the grocery store. You just wait there in the warehouse for some undetermined length of time, trying to talk to the person behind the counter about your hearing aid problem when they get a minute. Is that what you want to depend on for your hearing health?

Also, in my experience, the hearing aids and their accessories were inferior. I didn't have such terrible hearing loss at the time (~9 years ago), so didn't need a very advanced product, although I bought the top of the line at the time. But I got these big clunky things that tended toward feedback all the time, and they didn't switch functions smoothly. Plus the bluetooth feature never worked, even though I paid extra for it. I'd hate to imagine relying on a pair of Costco hearing aids now, when my loss is far greater.

Maybe services are better at some Costcos than others, but the basic setup and assumptions are the same. Do you want to put your hearing health in the care of a warehouse store? I mean, if it were another kind of healthcare, would you want to sign up with Costco?

If it's just a matter of the dollar cost, it seems to me there are better options. You can get a credit card with 0% APR for 18 months, put a small amount down and pay it off in small monthly payments without interest. AARP teams with Hear USA to get hearing aid discounts--I got 50% off the last time I used it, with a year to pay it off interest-free. Also, Hear.com is a hearing-aid distribution network modeled on a German distribution system. It has a network of audiologists, and a responsive call center that gets you in to an audiologist quickly to address your hearing aid service issues. All of the hearing aids they prescribe are prescription devices made by the major manufacturers. https://www.hear.com/ Or you can join a health network like Kaiser and get discounts on hearing aids because they negotiate a special price with the manufacturers. Medicaid also provides hearing aids.

Of course, in some communities it's possible that Costco is the only supplier within reasonable distance--but in general I think Costco should be a last resort as a hearing aid supplier. I strongly suggest that you check your options. There may well be a better path.