Hearing Loss/Deafness Hearing Aids & Technology Why Hearing Aids Should Be Covered by Health Insurance By Jamie Berke facebook Jamie Berke is a deafness and hard of hearing expert. Learn about our editorial process Jamie Berke Updated on February 14, 2021 Print One of the biggest complaints that both deaf and hard of hearing people share is the high cost of hearing aids. Hearing-impaired people whose hearing losses are not severe enough for cochlear implants must use hearing aids. The problem is, hearing aids are not usually covered by health insurance plans while cochlear implants are. cornaile photography / Getty Images A cochlear implant is considered a prosthesis by private insurance companies, but hearing aids are not. For example, Aetna's policy number 0013 says "Aetna considers uniaural (monaural) or binaural (bilateral) cochlear implantation a medically necessary prosthetic for adults aged 18 years and older" when meeting certain criteria for hearing loss. At the same time, their website notes that most Aetna benefit plans exlude coverage of hearing aids. Medicare also does not cover hearing aids (to view Medicare's full statement on non-coverage of routine hearing exams and hearing aids, go to Medicare.gov's Coverage Page). Why Hearing Aids Are Not Covered One reason hearing aids are not covered is because of sheer numbers. There are more hard of hearing people than deaf people who can benefit from cochlear implants. People may lose their hearing as they age and need hearing aids. Things could change because of cochlear implant technology improvements allowing hard of hearing people to use implants. Many Unable to Afford Hearing Aids The problem is that our hearing aids can be quite expensive. An array of hearing aids are available today, and the better-performing ones are the most expensive. Every now and then, someone emails me asking for help getting hearing aids for themselves or for a child. I have met parents of hard of hearing children who are bitter about the fact that cochlear implants are often covered by insurance while hearing aids are not. Senior Citizens Without Hearing Aids A 2020 SeniorLiving.org study found that more than 38 percent of older adults with hearing loss who don't use hearing aids say that cost is the biggest reason. With 17 million seniors with hearing loss not using hearing aids, that 38 percent would equate to about 6 million people. Limited Help for Hearing Aids Nonprofits and some service organizations (such as the Lions Clubs) help people, especially children, obtain hearing aids. There are also hearing aid banks for used hearing aids. Basic analog hearing aids have also become more affordable as the technology wanes, but many people whose hearing losses require the advanced technology of more expensive hearing aids can not afford them. Some people have turned to the Internet to buy new and used hearing aids at their own risk. My View on Hearing Aid Costs Deaf and hard of hearing people, as well as parents of deaf and hard of hearing children, should not have to turn to charitable organizations for a basic device that is so essential to functioning. If cochlear implants are covered by insurance, hearing aids should be, too. A cochlear implant is essentially a surgically implanted hearing aid. While a cochlear implant functions differently than a hearing aid, both cochlear implants and hearing aids serve a similar purpose—helping their users hear. Manufacturers have a right to recoup their research and development costs, but hearing aids need to be priced more reasonably. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Aetna. Cochlear Implants and Auditory Brainstem Implants. Reviewed March 10, 2020. Aetna. Hearing Aids. Reviewed November 27, 2020. Mitchell RE. How many deaf people are there in the United States? Estimates from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ. 2006;11(1):112-9. doi:10.1093/deafed/enj004 SeniorLiving.org Research. More Than Six Million Older Adults Avoid Hearing Aids Because of Cost. August 20, 2020.