Can’t afford a hearing aid? In the United States, millions of people suffer from hearing loss. Not being able to hear well can have an impact on many areas of your life, including mental and physical health, memory and cognitive health, and even financial health. Here are a few reasons why better hearing can improve your quality of life. For example, studies are showing a relationship between hearing loss and cognitive decline.
Fortunately, hearing loss is treatable in many cases. However, many people avoid hearing loss treatment due to the cost of a hearing aid purchase. In this blog post, we will discuss options when hearing aids are not in your budget.
What to do
If you have hearing loss, the first step is to get a hearing test by visiting an audiologist at your local hearing clinic. Fortunately, insurance plans often cover the cost of a hearing evaluation. Medicare advantage plans don’t cover the cost of hearing aids. However, Medicare does cover a hearing test. They will be able to tell you what kind of hearing aid you need and an approximate price range for a single hearing aid or a pair of hearing aids, depending on your hearing loss and needs.
Are there any programs to help pay for hearing aids? The average cost of a hearing aid can be thousands of dollars, and many insurances don’t provide hearing aid benefits. However, there are private health insurance coverage benefits that may offset the cost of hearing care. Check with your primary or secondary health insurance provider about hearing aid coverage. Additionally, there are financing options, federal programs, or other options available for affordable hearing aids even if you can’t afford a hearing aid. Certain programs offer a free hearing aid for low-income individuals.
Can’t afford a hearing aid? Consider these options:
Try Voc Rehab
- Check with the vocational rehabilitation program in your area. State programs can offer benefits that can provided needed financial help for those with limited incomes in need of financial assistance. You may qualify for free hearing aid programs.
ASHA
- If you are looking for more information on how to finance a hearing aid, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has a great resource page that can help. They list different options for financing as well as other resources that can help with the cost of hearing aids.
VA
- Are you a veteran? The Veterans Health Administration offers hearing devices for individuals with military service. Get in touch with veteran’s associations to find out more about free government hearing aids.
Lions Club
- Another option to consider is getting in touch with your local Lions club. The Lions club is an international service organization that helps people with hearing loss. They have a program called the Lions Hearing Aid Recycling Program (LHARP) that provides low cost or free hearing aids to people in need. These are organizations that help with hearing aids. Find your local Lions Club here.
Medicaid
- Do you qualify for your state Medicaid program? If you do, hearing aids are usually covered. Medicaid is a state and federal insurance program that provides health coverage to low-income adults, children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and the elderly. Each state has different eligibility requirements for Medicaid coverage, so be sure to check with your state’s Medicaid office to see if you qualify. If you do qualify for Medicaid, you can find a clinic that works with Medicaid to get your hearing aid.
Third party through insurance
- Does your insurance partner with a third party to get reduced pricing on hearing aids? For example TruHearing partners with over 12,000 insurance companies and has helped reduce what hearing aids cost for millions of people. They offer a wide range of affordable hearing aid options that can fit any budget. Find a hearing provider that works with your insurance or third party.
Costco
- Try Costco. Costco is a popular membership-based warehouse club that offers a variety of services and products, including the latest technology hearing aids. They have a wide range of hearing aid options available at a fraction of the cost of other retailers due to their bulk sales model.
If you are suffering from hearing loss, there are options available to help you get the treatment you need even if you can’t afford a hearing aid. Social isolation doesn’t have to be a part of your daily life. With a little research, you can find options for your hearing needs. Don’t let the price tag of a hearing aid stand in your way.
Other ideas
Looking for some other communication strategies to help with understanding with or without a hearing aid?
- Visual cues are helpful to be able to lipread and pick up on nuances and expressions during a conversation. Mask use plays a big part in this. However, in situations without masks, such as in your home environment, ask your communication partner to face you and use visual cues.
- Be within five to seven feet. This will give you the best audibility. Don’t try to talk from another room!
- Use clear speech. Speech slowly and enunciate your words. Shouting does not help.
- Try a transcription app. There are free ones you can download (ie. Dictate).
Can’t afford a hearing aid? Is a hearing aid still out of your price range? There are also other assistive devices that can give you some audibility. For example, a PocketTalker is a small, portable device that can amplify sound. It comes with a headset or earbud to wear and a microphone that you point toward the sound source. These start at around $100 and can be found online or at your local hearing aid center.
If you have difficulty hearing on the phone, there are also captioned phones available that show captions of the other person’s speech on the phone’s screen in real time. CapTel is one option of a captioned phone and is available for free to people with hearing loss.
If you are suffering from hearing problems, don’t give up hope! There are options available to help you get the treatment you need. With a little research, you can find an option that works for you.
Read more about reasons to check your hearing.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this post on what to do if you can’t afford a hearing aid.
