Many insurance companies will now often pay a limited amount for hearing aids. However, there are so many restrictions the insurance companies require that it's just as difficult, if not more so, as it's always been.
The requirements are as follows:
1. They will only pay up to certain amount for a particular brand of aids.
2. You're allowed to only see a limited particular group in the field. Which, if and when you go, they will try to steer you away from the brand the insurance company will cover, a limited amount, and to a more expensive type and brand of hearing aids.
3. When calling to set up an appointment for yourself or a love one, the automated phone options can barely be heard. Even if you have caption phone, the caption phone has difficulty hearing what's said over the phone and printing it in readable form.
It's as if the insurance companies and hearing aid facilities now operate in cahoots with one another.
The experience remains the same. It's no different than before. As if walking onto the car lot of a shady used car salesman trying to convince you to buy a lemon probably won't make it to the next block before breaking down.
Are there any really honest hearing aid facilities out there who aren't desperate for business and won't take advantage of people with hearing disorders and disabilities? Even the so-called 'non-for-profit' organizations aren't necessarily honest, and will try to charge or over charge clients.
Why can't insurance companies just allow a certain amount and allowance in voucher form where their clients can just use the voucher to as they please? Costco and even Sam's Club carry hearing aids, and Costco also has specialist available to test, supply and adjust aids to an individual's type of hearing loss. I'm not sure if Sam's Club has specialist available, however. But the insurance companies won't cover services from either.
I do admit that its like a bate and switch. We had that with an eye doctor who joined a franchise. I wear contacts but get a pair of glasses just in case. I could not get it thru the person that I only wear my glasses to get up in the morning and go to bed at night to read. She insisted I needed featherweight lenses, cost at the time was over $150. I said no, she insisted. I ended up getting what I wanted.
We're unable to drive as far out as we use to, and the children are grown and live far away in other states. So the other provider suggested was too great a distance for us to travel. Our insurance company no longer provides a transportation allowance. It's as if they have all this stuff set up for show, but don't expect the insurers to be able to take advantage of the various offers they advertise to get the insurer to sign on to their policies.
My PCP set up an appointment with one of the best ENTs in the area, but he said his office doesn't carry the brand my present insurance company will pay for and he decline to consider me for the brand his office does have. Maybe he thought I'd bail on paying for them myself on a scheduled payment plan or something.
Again thank you
We haven't set up an appt yet. Don't really like a 3rd party being involved with the appt.
she needed hearing aids fitted to the ear canal and calibrated to each ear specifically. Nothing off the shelf ever worked for her. She ended up buying the aides that cost $3500 per ear!!! Only ones that ever worked for her.
just as a post script....then she turned them off. Claimed my Dad never said anything she wanted to hear any way.