Hearing Aids and Insurance

When it's time to consider the cost of hearing aids, you have to think about how to pay for them. Your first thought might be whether your medical insurance will cover your hearing aids, as well as other costs related to your hearing health. Hearing aids can help many people to live happier and more fulfilling lives, so being able to afford them can be life-changing. You need to find out whether your insurance will cover your hearing aids and, if not, what alternatives there might be to make them affordable.

Will your insurance cover your hearing aids?

If you need hearing aids, the likelihood is that your medical insurance policy will not cover them. There are some private insurance companies that will help to cover the cost of hearing aids, but the majority don't include these devices under the expenses that they cover. Of course, if you're not sure whether your insurance company will help you to pay for your hearing aids, you should check your policy or get in touch with your provider to find out whether they can help.

One reason that you can struggle to take out private insurance that will cover hearing aids is that many companies see hearing aids as elective devices. However, for people who can benefit from the use of hearing aids, they are an essential tool to help them live life to the full. Hearing loss is also extremely common, especially for older people. So, it's no surprise that insurance companies are reluctant to provide coverage for something that more than half of people over age 75 might need.

Are hearing aids worth it?

You might be unsure about whether hearing aids are worth paying for if you have to purchase them without any help from your insurance company. The truth is that hearing aids are an investment in your health and your quality of life. Using hearing aids can make a huge difference in your life, allowing you to do things that you might have stopped doing since experiencing a decline in your hearing. They help you to stay social, go to work and even help to keep you safe by improving your hearing.

While hearing aids usually can't stop hearing loss, they can help to protect the auditory processing part of your brain. When you are unable to hear well for a long time, this part of the brain can be affected permanently, meaning that eventually even using hearing aids might not help you as much as it once could. If you are recommended hearing aids, it's better to get them sooner rather than later, before they might not offer as much benefit anymore.

Financing your hearing aids

There are various things that you can do to make financing your hearing aids a little easier. Firstly, you can speak to your audiologist about the financing options that they have available. Most audiologists have financing that will help to make it easier to pay for your hearing aids over time. Spreading the cost of your hearing aids makes paying for them more manageable so that you can spend more time thinking about which ones are right for you and less time thinking about how to pay for them.

If you can't pay for your hearing aids with your savings, you might want to consider some other options to fund them. Some people use credit to pay for their hearing aids, whether it's a financing plan from the audiologist who sells them, a credit card or a loan. Some people might find that their workplace benefits include a flexible spending account, which can help you to save tax-free money that you can spend on out-of-pocket medical costs. The important thing to focus on is not just the cost – but the benefits you will gain by wearing these devices – from communicating better with friends and family to being more efficient at work.

Finding the right hearing aids for your budget

Hearing aids come at a range of price points, so you can find hearing aids that suit your budget. You can work with your audiologist to find the right hearing aids for you, which both meet your needs and fall within a price range that you can afford. Take a look at some different options to get an idea of prices and what you can get for your money. Your audiologist can show you some possible hearing aids that meet your needs.

Find out more about Salyer Hearing Center by calling one of our three offices:

• Sylva: 828-586-7474
• Franklin: 828-524-5599
• Murphy: 828-835-1014