Posted on 06/03/2023 7:38:45 PM PDT by TNoldman
My Hearing had degraded over time. I used TVEars for a while. In 2018 I purchased an inexpensive Hearing Aid for $59.(Britzgo) I started with one end later got a second. I found that in noisy environments I had difficulty hearing - the only thing the hearing aid did was make all sounds louder.
As time went on I found one hearing aid in either ear - depending on surrounding work best but not in noisy area or when multiple people were talking.
As technology improved I get a smaller pair for $300. (Britzgo).
Result smaller buttons - harder to adjust and 10 day battery life. Same problems in noisy environments and when multiple people were talking.
Jump ahead to October 2021 and then got Listen Lively(Jabra now) hearing aids for $1300. They connect to my Smart Phone for special programming. After a 1-1/2 years I am back to my $59. Britzgo - because of clogged Ear buds, change Wax Filters,4 day battery life, changed program numerous time, receiver and wire failures and no better performance with Listen Lively Hearing Aids.
I am back to one $59. BRITZGO!!
What is your experience???
I got Audien hearing aids for $89. For my Mom. They worked great.
I’ll bet you’d see similar pricing trends in things like mobility scooters which tend to get covered by insurance.
https://www.healthyhearing.com/help/hearing-aids/va
Depending on the actual cause of your hearing loss, you might want to try some bone conduction hearing enhancers. One company is Walkers - they sell the Raptor Bone Conduction with bluetooth - you can take phone call via the Bluetooth connection, too.
I really like my Costco hearing aids. They’re coming up on four years old. Battery life about 5 days. These are one model ago, so replaceable batteries.
They are VERY compatible with my iphone.
Costco hearing center has very good equipment for characterizing your hearing loss and programming the new digital aids.
Every six or eight months one of them malfunctions. Costco fixes it for free every time.
My surgery to get the implant was that the last surgery my ENT was allowed to do before COVID. I got the magnetic Osia Baha that has a tether for my shirt collar. They have one that plugs in but more open to infections. If I had the plug in one, I know I would have worn it in the shower.
It does make a difference but it amplifies everything. They give you a choice of 2-3 accessories & I took the microphone. It plugs in & it hangs off of our TV so when my wife & I watch TV, she’s not getting blasted. I control it with an application on my iPhone.
You can get the post or magnet. The posts are susceptible to infection. I went with the magnetic as I was concerned about showering with the post ones. My magnetic one has a tether that attaches to my shirt collar in case it gets knocked off. Typically getting in/out of a vehicle.
Medicare will not pay for hearing aids.
But will they pay for an audiologist if your doctor sends you there.
That is, can you set it up so that everything is paid for except the hearing aide?
Would just going to Costco yield a similar result?
I’m going to tell this is I understand it in my experience.
Medicare will pay for you to see an ENT. But having your ENT send you to an audiologist will not get the audiologist covered. It didn’t for me. I know of a guy who gets his covered under VA because he’s on disability. Which is not the same thing of course.
The ENT told me that the audiologist at Sam’s and Costco were as good as anywhere else and you would pay a lot less for the hearing aids. Which doesn’t make them cheap. It does make them less expensive. The cost of the hearing aids will vary according to how bad your hearing is. Because you can get one with fewer adjustable frequencies if your hearing isn’t as bad. The only suggestion I can make would be to go to Sam’s and or Costco get a hearing test and see what they tell you in terms of recommendation and cost. If you don’t like it go somewhere else. The hearing tests are free and they’re pretty thorough.
The hearing aid chains, the ones that are constantly sending you flyers in the mail, have a serious reputation for the Hard Sell. I personally would not go near any of them.
The Veteran’s Administration contracts with six major hearing aid manufacturers- GN ReSound, Oticon, Phonak, Siemens (Signia), Starkey, and Widex.
These are not $10k Hearing Aids. They are like my $1300. HA from Resound(Jabra)!!!
Can anyone show evidence that the VA HA”s are up to $10k???
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