Finally!!!

That is awesome article. I has a CI for 5 years. How about you have CI or consider for CI? Just wondering.
 
C-NICE said:
Borderline last evaluation.
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My audiologist said that the hybrid will open up the qualifying for this implant for those that may not qualify for a strict CI so maybe you will be a candidate now. Their clinic was part of the trial.
 
deafdyke said:
Cool... but again, will insurance cover it?
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Yes. Insurance can cover for CI surgery. My Medicare covered for CI surgery in 80%. And I paid for 20% with bill payment to paid off. That is not bad. You know any insurances can cover for CI surgery.
 
PinkBlackZebra00 said:
Yes. Insurance can cover for CI surgery. My Medicare covered for CI surgery in 80%. And I paid for 20% with bill payment to paid off. That is not bad. You know any insurances can cover for CI surgery.
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Not all insurance companies will cover CI's. There are a few that will not cover them, or make it extremely difficult for the candidates to get the coverage.
 
deafdyke said:
Cool... but again, will insurance cover it?
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Generally the qualification is FDA approval, so likely, yes.

cdmeggers said:
Not all insurance companies will cover CI's. There are a few that will not cover them, or make it extremely difficult for the candidates to get the coverage.
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Just a clarification--insurance companies don't determine eligibility==whom ever bought the policy does--so likely your employer. I have yet to see an insurance company that doesn't have the option to include cochlear implants in a policy, but I've seen employers disallow that coverage in their plans to try to save money.
 
deafdyke said:
Cool... but again, will insurance cover it?
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I was jut thinking this too, I wonder if make a difference how old a person is . What if someone is 70 yo and want this will the insurance company think it a waste of $$$ ? I had a 91 yo client have his meds cut back b/c his insurance did not want to pay for it any more.
 
This is interesting. As my loss is mixed i was a candidate for both CI and baha. i chose baha as it was lessinvasive. i know a baha reciepent who was79 at the time of insurance approval. most insurances will cover if you hound them. mine took 6 appeals and almost daily phone calls. using a relay service seemed to help as they dont seem to like the delay in speaking
 
PinkBlackZebra00 said:
Yes. Insurance can cover for CI surgery. My Medicare covered for CI surgery in 80%. And I paid for 20% with bill payment to paid off. That is not bad. You know any insurances can cover for CI surgery.
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Yes, but this is a hybrid implant.....Also health care costs are WICKED high....I doubt that insurances will be covering it any time soon....Well maybe the really generous ones will.......
 
Why does everyone keep saying "insurances" as "insurance" is both singular and plural when writing English? I have seen this in many threads and finally decided to ask where the "s" is coming from.
 
Jane B. said:
Why does everyone keep saying "insurances" as "insurance" is both singular and plural when writing English? I have seen this in many threads and finally decided to ask where the "s" is coming from.
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Interesting, you learn someting new every day! The English dictionary says there is no plural of insurance. However in translation dictionaries it does list insurances......
 
My insurance covered 100% of my cochlear implant despite having a written policy that states that they don't cover CIs.
Turns out that they do, no appeal needed.
I paid $35 for the MRI co-pay and $150 for surgery+12 hour post-op observation.
 
deafdyke said:
Yes, but this is a hybrid implant.....Also health care costs are WICKED high....I doubt that insurances will be covering it any time soon....Well maybe the really generous ones will.......
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I think you will find that you are wrong...it will still be seen as an implantable device and covered like a CI would be, at least in the US--not sure about other counties.
 
I am a CI newbie ( :wave: ), and have an appointment next month for an evaluation for CI. I plan to request a simultaneous COCHLEAR Company Nucleus CI implant in both ears

I get the impression from the comments in this thread that the implanted part of the Nucleus Hybrid CI (i.e. the electrode, magnet, and/or coil-electronics) are unique and specific only to the Hybrid CI, and would not be compatible with the "ordinary" Nucleus (5 and/or 6) external processors. Is this correct, or am I miss-reading things?

Also, while reading the FDA report, I was shocked that 44% of implantees developed profound or total low frequency hearing loss! :shock: I already have profound low frequency loss, and if I lose any more of it it would not be worth getting the Nucleus Hybrid CIs!

Thanks,

IYAM
 
Hi, it's me again! I continued to research things after posting my question above, and found out what's different about the Hybrid CI implants.

:applause:

Basically, if you plan on using the Hybrid approach, they implant shorter than normal electrodes to try to avoid damaging your existing low frequency hearing. The longer the electrode, the more likely damage is to occur, and this damage will likely be in the lower frequency ranges.

And they prefer Hybrid patients to have "severe" (and not "profound") hearing loss at low frequencies (1500hz and below). (makes sense, doesn't it?)

Iyam
 
YEah, hybrid implants won't use a standard length electrode array so you will also not qualify if you have progressive hearing loss (because if your low frequency hearing declines, you won't be able to use the hearing aid portion and the electrode won't cover the low frequency area of the cochlea).

Ideally, to use a hybrid implant, one would have profound hearing loss above 2000hZ and ~70-80dB hearing loss with good resolution in the low frequencies.
So, a small but significant portion of people will be able to use them, many won't.
This won't loosen the qualifications for a traditional CI because if you benefit from hearing aids, trust me, you want to keep any natural hearing you have.

My natural hearing was totally destroyed but I only had a few decibels to begin with. If you have thresholds in the 60-90 range, and do well with hearing aids, hold off on trying to get a CI. 1. 60-90dB isn't in candidate territory and 2. if you do well with hearing aids, why destroy what you have?

The CI has been amazing for me but my definition of "doing well" with UP hearing aids was "I can still understand 6% of the words in sentences at 110dB! that is AWESOME! and with my hearing aids, I can almost hear something that is 70dB!"
That is not "doing well"
 
I guess I disagree with wanting to keep your natural hearing--sure it's nice if it happens but as someone that had quite a bit of residual hearing and almost normal hearing in the low frequencies, what I've gained from the CI's far outstrips the need for preserving residual hearing. Technically I still have some, but it's really not usable hearing. I have near perfect hearing with my CI's, including low tone hearing.

From what I've been told, the hybrid actually expands the the candidacy for implants because it does more than a traditional CI--this from people on the team that developed the hybrid and were in the FDA testing process.
 
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