Thank you to everyone who took time to complete the recent ALDA membership survey! Over 100 ALDA members and friends completed the survey. ALDA will use your responses to better serve ALDA members and friends. ~ Ken Arcia, ALDA Board … Read More
Who are the appropriate users of OTC aids and how do you know?
Part one of this series was a discussion of the “unintended users” of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids and how they should be anticipated and accounted for. But who are the appropriate users, and why might they benefit from OTC aids? Cost is generally thought to be the factor that prevents people with hearing loss from using hearing aids. However, hearing aid use is…
OTC Hearing Aids: Who Needs Them? (Hint: Maybe You!)
You may have heard that President Biden recently signed an Executive Order regarding “Over the Counter (OTC) hearing aids”. Why was this necessary? Don’t we already have OTC hearing aids? This is the first of two articles that will discuss this confusing issue. Unregulated amplifiers have been sold for many years. True hearing aids are classified as medical devices, regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and provided/adjusted by licensed professionals. Unregulated amplifiers must be labeled “Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAPs)”, and the quality varies greatly. Some are essentially like turning…
Hearing Aid Affordability
Hearing aids are expensive, and in most cases, the cost burden falls entirely on the consumer – Medicare does not cover hearing-aids, nor do most private insurance plans. This leads to the irony that the out-of-pocket cost for hearing aids … Read More
Health Insurers May Be Required to Pay for Hearing Aids
The Affordable Care Act, a/k/a Obamacare, says that health insurers may not discriminate on the basis of disability. But virtually every health-insurance plan excludes coverage for hearing aids and related services, although they do cover cochlear implants. How can those two … Read More