Less Expensive Hearing Aids Coming

Many people put up with poor hearing because obtaining hearing aids is too expensive and difficult. That’s largely because of regulations. As this article points out, that’s about to change. (Subscription might be required.) Congress directed the Food and Drug Administration to rewrite its regulations so that people can obtain hearing aids without a prescription for mild and moderate hearing loss. That should bring more competition and innovation into the market and make better hearing available to more people.

Current rules require a prescription for hearing aids, and one result is that many of the more than 30 million Americans with some impairment don’t use the devices. Medicare and most private insurance plans don’t cover the cost, which runs $2,400 on average and often includes fees for adjustment and later evaluations. A patient’s only alternative is to buy a cheap amplifier intended for hearing birds or hunting.

Last year the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine recommended that FDA create a new class of devices that consumers could buy directly, and the bill follows this expert recommendation. The bill repeals an old regulation requiring a medical evaluation before purchasing an aid. FDA will develop standards for safety and quality, as the agency does for all medical devices.