Things will be clearer for millions of Americans come October when, thanks to the FDA, they will be able to buy hearing aids over the counter.
According to the FDA, about 30 million older Americans experience hearing loss. But only about 6 million seek help each year. Medicare and some other insurers cover hearing exams, but not hearing aids, which can cost $5,000. The Biden administration estimated that the average savings will be about $2,800.
Hearing loss increases isolation and contributes to cognitive decline and depression. Yet a study published by the National Institutes of Health found that people between 50 and 80 with hearing loss were more likely to take their pets to a veterinarian than to get a hearing exam.
One FDA official likened the impending change to the eyeglass market, in which some consumers get prescription lenses but others buy “readers.”
The new rule covers hearing aids, rather than small sound amplifiers. Those devices, under the rule, may not be labeled as hearing aids. And it establishes strict technical requirements for a product to be sold as a hearing aid.
Some manufacturers, anticipating the rule, have developed new devices. And in hearings leading to the rule, several manufacturers predicted that the vast new market will produce an explosion in research and new technology.
The rule is a huge step for older Americans’ health. And you won’t have to say that twice.
— The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre via TNS
