Does Health Insurance Cover Hearing Aids?

Despite their importance in changing the lives of those affected by hearing loss, hearing aids are generally not covered by insurance.

Here are a few facts we have regarding insurance cover for hearing aids:

• Hearing aids are generally not covered by insurance, and only 23 states require that insurance cover hearing aids for children.
• Only a handful of states have provisions that expect insurance to cover hearing aids for adults.
• In some states, private insurance covers the cost of tests only.
• Most companies consider hearing loss not an insurable risk because most Americans are considered likely to experience hearing loss, which means they would have too many claims for hearing aid premiums.

More than 50% of those over 75 years of age have hearing aid loss and make a claim notable. It will be best to replace your hearing aids every five or so years, implying that the insurance companies would make much less profit.

What To Expect From Insurance Cover For Hearing Aid

Medicaid may cover insurance cover for hearing aids for adults but must cover the same for children. The amount on offer for Medicaid cover may vary from state to state. Still, a patient may have a difficult time finding a provider who accepts Medicaid.

Other primary insurance care providers offer the following coverage.

Medicare has an outpatient part B wellness coverage covering an annual wellness program that includes a yearly wellness visit. Medicare’s Part B also covers hearing loss tests but does not cover the cost of purchasing hearing aids should a doctor order such or counseling about hearing aid.

Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage or Part C offers more comprehensive insurance coverage. Original Medicare covers cochlear implant that stimulates the auditory nerve, surgery and follow-up programming. Most private health insurers do not cover hearing aids. Employer-based insurers offer modest coverage.

Veterans’ administration provides auditory services that include hearing aids to veterans at little or no cost at all. To see the coverage, a veteran must qualify for hearing aid coverage.

Why You Need Insurance Cover For Hearing Loss

Your hearing aid comes with a warranty. Thus, when your hearing aid gets damaged, you can quickly get a replacement from a manufacturer. Your hearing aid’s warranty includes replacement, but it is a one-time offer. After a one-time replacement, the warranty becomes nullified.

When your warranty runs out once, you can get insurance coverage. What you pay for your insurance is based on your hearing aid age and the level of technology used to make the device. You can take out insurance for your device for replacement and repair or both. Some insurers offer comprehensive coverage for any hearing aid and may replace a lost or damaged hearing aid with a similar model.

How A Hearing Aid Improves Your Hearing

Damage to hair cells or the small sensory cells in the inner ear causes people to require a modern hearing aid that improves hearing and speech comprehension of the wearers. This hearing loss from cell damage is known as sensorineural hearing loss.

A hearing aid helps the wearer by magnifying sound vibrations as they enter the ear. The more significant vibrations are detected by surviving hair cells, turning them into neural signals that pass on to the brain. If the damage to the hair cells is excellent, the hearing loss is severe. Therefore, the hearing aid required can do a greater magnification to the sound waves. A hearing aid is ineffective if the damage to the inner ear is severe.

Types of Hearing Aids

There are different styles of hearing aids. These include the following:

• Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids consist of some hard plastic placed behind the ear and connected to another plastic earmold that fits inside the outer ear. Another BTE is an open-fit hearing aid.
• In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid is tiny and sits in the outer bowl and is convenient for people with mild-to-severe hearing loss.
• In-the-canal sits in the ear canal.

Are you experiencing any hearing loss issues and require some solutions? Call is today at (530) 392-4533 and learn more about our services at Imagine Hearing Solutions. We are proud to serve you and offer you hearing solutions that meet your needs.