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How to Find Help Paying for Your Hearing Aid
By Jim Miller
It’s
unfortunate, but millions of Americans with hearing loss don’t
get hearing aids because they simply can’t afford them. Hearing
aids are expensive, typically costing between $1,000 and $3,500 per
ear, and most insurance companies including traditional Medicare
don’t cover them. While there’s no one simple solution
to finding affordable hearing aids, there are a variety of options
you can look into that can help.
Check Insurance
Your first step is to check with your health insurance provider to see if it
provides any hearing aid coverage.
If you’re a Medicare beneficiary, you need to know that while original
Medicare (Part A and B) and Medicare supplemental policies do not cover hearing
aids, some Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans do. If you have an Advantage plan,
you’ll need to check with your plan administrator.
Medicaid also covers hearing aids in some states to people with very limited
means. Your county social service office can give you more information.
Or, if you’re a federal employee or retiree, hearing aid coverage may be
available through some insurance plans in the Federal Employees Health Benefits
Program. Or if you’re a veteran, the VA provides free hearing aids if you
meet certain conditions such as being compensated for any serviced-connected
disability or if your hearing loss is connected to military service. See va.gov
or call 877-222-8387 to check your eligibility.
Financial Assistance
Depending on your income level, there are various programs and foundations that
provide financial assistance for hearing aids to people in need. Start by calling
your state rehabilitation department (see www.parac.org/svrp.html for contact
information), or the nearest chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America
(hearingloss.org) to find out if there are any city, county or state programs,
or local civic organizations that could help.
There are also a number of nonprofits that offer hearing aids at deeply discounted
prices, or for free. Some good ones to check out include:
HEAR Now: Sponsored by the Starkey Hearing Foundation (starkeyhearingfoundation.org,
800-328-8602), this program provides hearing aids for people with net incomes
below $19,058 for a single or $25,743 for couples. Your only costs are a hearing
test and an application fee of $125 per hearing aid request.
Lions Affordable Hearing Aid Project: Offered through some Lions clubs throughout
the U.S., this program provides the opportunity to purchase new, digital hearing
aids manufactured by Rexton for $200 per aid, plus shipping. To be eligible,
most clubs will require your income to be somewhere below 200 percent of the
federal poverty level which is $22,340 for singles, or $30,260 for couples. Contact
your local Lions club (see lionsclubs.org for contact information) to see if
they participate in this project.
Sertoma: A civic service organization that runs a hearing aid recycling program
through its 500 clubs nationwide, refurbishes them, and distributes them to local
people in need. Call 800-593-5646 or visit sertoma.org to locate a club in your
area.
Audient: This program (audientalliance.org, 866-956-5400) helps people purchase
new, digital hearing aids at reduced prices ranging from $495 to $975 for one
hearing aid, or $990 to $1,575 for a pair. To be eligible, your income must be
below $27,075 for a single or $36,425 for couples.
For a list of more programs, visit the Better Hearing Institute website at betterhearing.org,
and click on “Hearing Loss Resources,” then on “Financial
Assistance.” Or, call the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication
Disorders at 800- 241-1044 and ask them to mail you their list of financial resources
for hearing aids.
This page and its contents ©2012
Metropolitan News Company, Inc.
