As people age, hearing loss becomes more common. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, around 15% of all adults have some trouble hearing, but this number increases to one in three between the ages of 65 and 74 and is close to half of all adults over the age of 75.
Since many people who having hearing loss are 65 and over, a logical question is: does Medicare pay for hearing aids? Let’s take a look at what your coverage includes.
Original Medicare and Hearing Aids
Original Medicare does not cover the costs associated with hearing aids, which includes the exams for fittings. You are responsible for 100% of these costs.
However, Medicare does pay for some of the cost of hearing implants, as these are prosthetic devices. Part B covers 80% of the costs of the evaluations and surgery, although you may still have out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and copays.
Prosthetic hearing devices replace the function of the auditory nerve, cochlea, or middle ear. They include osseointegrated auditory devices (OADs) like bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA) and auditory brainstem implant (ABI) devices. Since these replicate sound in the ear rather than amplifying noise, they are just for people with severe to complete hearing loss.
How Much Do Hearing Aids Cost?
Hearing aids vary widely in price. The cheapest are over-the-counter hearing aids (suitable for mild to moderate hearing loss), which start at around $900 for a pair. Prescription-grade hearing aids cost up to $8,000. The most expensive often have extra features like tinnitus masking and Bluetooth wireless connectivity.
Hearing and Balance Exams
What Original Medicare does cover is hearing and balance exams. Part B covers these when a healthcare provider orders them to determine if you need further medical treatment.
Original Medicare also entitles you to a visit with an audiologist once in a 12-month period without the need for an order from your doctor. You may use this for a visit for non-acute hearing conditions, such as gradual hearing loss over a period of several years or for a diagnosis of hearing loss where treatment will be a surgically-implanted device.
Since Part B covers these exams, you’ll first need to meet your deductible, at which point you’ll pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. If you receive the tests in a hospital outpatient setting, you’ll also incur a copayment.
Other Hearing Services
Although Original Medicare doesn’t cover any other hearing services (or more frequent visits with an audiologist), your doctor may still recommend that you receive such services. Since you’ll need to pay for a portion — or perhaps all — of the costs, it’s important to ask why your healthcare provider is recommending the service.
Medicare Advantage and Hearing Services
Some Medicare Advantage plans (also called Medicare Part C) have additional benefits that include hearing services like audiology exams, hearing aid prescriptions, fittings, device repairs, follow ups, and education on how to use hearing aids. These benefits may cover all or just some of the costs.
If you have Medicare Advantage, you should contact your plan for details of what it covers. Bear in mind, some plans provide a set amount toward hearing aids, whereas others cover a percentage of the costs. There may also be limits to the amount and number of exams you may receive for hearing care in a year. If you need hearing aids, it may be worth changing to a Medicare Advantage plan that covers them at the next open enrollment.
Why Treatment for Hearing Loss Matters
Of course, you could decide to forgo hearing aids due to the expense — but this will have a number of negative consequences, including:
- Dementia — A study published in JAMA Neurology found cases of dementia to be twice as high in people with mild hearing loss, three times as high in those with moderate hearing loss, and five times as high in those with severe hearing loss.
- Falls — Hearing loss is associated with poor balance, which increases the risk of falls.
- Depression — There is a strong correlation between untreated hearing loss and depression due to factors like social isolation.
For these reasons, it’s worth finding a way to pay for hearing aids. This could be through Medicare Advantage or something else, such as a subscription plan to pay for the costs over a period of months, reaching out to a charity for assistance, or using another type of health coverage, like Medigap or Medicaid.
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