Over-the-counter tech - much like reading glasses for vision - won't address severe hearing loss or specific needs. Meanwhile, many people with hearing loss require more sophisticated hearing aids, experts note. Changes under the draft rule seek to clarify the difference between a PSAP and over the counter hearing aid products. They cost up to about $500, and the FDA prohibits retailers from marketing them as hearing aids. These so-called PSAPs are marketed to people with unimpaired hearing as sound amplifiers in noisy settings like restaurants, according to the Hearing Industries Association, an industry group. Like reading glasses for visionĬonsumers shouldn't confuse devices called personal sound-amplification products, available from various retailers, with hearing aids. "We believe that when they become more accessible over time, over the generations, they certainly will," he said. "You don't look at someone who's wearing glasses or readers the same way you might with a hearing aid," he said, but believes hearing aids will soon shake that stigma. Maguire and others point to reading glasses as an example of a similar shift. Pandemic's impact on kids in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community 04:46 And 14% of adults would be pushed below the federal poverty level if they spent the money, according to one estimate.
Costco, through its Kirkland brand, sells hearing aids for about $1,400.Īt about a $2,500 out-of-pocket cost on average - high-end devices can run over $8,000 - most adults can't afford hearing aids. "Even though some of our most major manufacturers are out there doing extremely amazing jobs with hearing technologies, we still don't necessarily have that stamp from some of the bigger players that some people might find to be a little bit more attractive," she said. Hope Lanter, the head audiologist at healthcare services provider, even when it seems like everyone these days has a device in their ears compared to even a decade ago.Īdding "the flashy, sex-appeal version of some of the companies that will put their stamp on these things" will help, Lanter said. Completely-in-Canal (CIC) Invisible-in-Canal (IIC) Extended-Wear Hearing Aids Common Hearing Aid Features Sources Show more About 48 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss. Fewer than 30% of people who need hearing aids actually wear them, said Dr. Some people are too embarrassed to wear what's historically been a clunky design. Yet most insurance - including most forms of Medicaid and traditional Medicare - doesn't cover hearing aids, which require a prescription. That can also lead to other problems, including depression, social isolation and even dementia, researchers have found. Nearly 40 million American adults suffer from some form of hearing loss, according to the National Institutes of Health.
0 kommentar(er)
