![]() Should I get a hearing test just in case? Ī. Yes. CVS, Hy-Vee and Walgreens are among other retailers selling the devices. Models sold at Best Buy carry a similar starting price but climb to around $3,000 a pair. Walmart says it is selling OTC hearing aids that range from $199 to $999 a pair. How much will these new hearing aids cost? Ī. Makers we interviewed estimated their models may sell for $200 to $1,000 a pair, but some could cost more. Severe loss. You can’t hear a conversation in a quiet room or loud sounds such as power equipment or trucks.Or you may have difficulty understanding what people say if you can’t see their lips moving. Mild to moderate loss. You have trouble hearing a conversation in a noisy restaurant, ask people frequently to repeat what they said or turn up shows or music to levels that are uncomfortable for others in the room.They’re not meant to be worn 12 to 14 hours a day, as you would for moderate to moderate/severe hearing loss.” “Most first-time wearers with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss will have a need sometimes but not all the time. ![]() “Our products are for situational use,” says John Luna, CEO of Nuheara, maker of OTC hearing aid earbuds called HP Hearing Pro. Rechargeable earbuds. They look like conventional Bluetooth wireless earbuds for your phone or listening to music and are best for part-time use for a few hours at a time, such as when you’re dining in a noisy restaurant. But that could change with competition driving innovations in the months and years ahead.ģ. Their small size has traditionally meant less power and fewer features, Reed and Lin note in their book. In-the-ear and “invisible” in-the-ear-canal models. These small hearing aids are more difficult to see - a cosmetic advantage.Ĭompletely in-the-canal models may be best for mild hearing loss. Traditionally, these devices’ larger size means more power and more features than smaller hearing aids can deliver.Ģ. These don’t fit tightly in your ear, so natural sound can also enter. Sound is delivered into your ear canal via a thin, hollow tube or via a wire and speaker bud that tucks into your ear canal. Behind-the-ear (BTE) models. The device tucks in behind your ear. hearing aid brands to answer your most pressing questions.ġ. What is the price that consumers are willing to pay?” He predicted that prices would drop, perhaps to the cost of wireless earbuds.Īs manufacturers raced to get their products to market, we talked with audiologists, consumer advocates, industry experts and the makers of major U.S. “Everybody is figuring out how to price them, how to market them,” said Lin, speaking at an AARP virtual event. “Right now, the prices we are seeing, $200 to $1,500, are all over the map. “It’s going to be the wild, wild west for a couple of years” because OTC hearing aids are a whole new category of help for people who are hearing-impaired, said Frank Lin, M.D., director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Dummies coauthor. Premium aids can cost as much as $6,000 per ear. This should mean far lower costs for most consumers since traditional hearing aids can run $2,000 to $4,000 a pair, according to Kate Carr, president of the Hearing Industries Association trade group in Washington, D.C. Not only do these long-anticipated devices let millions of adults with mild to moderate hearing loss purchase hearing aids without a prescription, they also don’t require an exam or consultation with an audiologist or doctor. But shopping for these hearing aids, which are also sold online, may not be quite as simple as going to the drugstore to buy aspirin or even reading glasses. Pharmacies and other retailers began to stock OTC hearing aids in mid-October.
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