Hearing aids with no insurance

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RonJaxon

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Note: I tried to change the title of this post. It's not a matter of not having insurance. It's a matter of insurance not covering HA's.

As some of you may have read in some of my other posts. I'm getting my CI surgery done next week. But this post is about someone else close to me. My mother.

It's kind of funny that with my mother having a son who's deaf and a daughter who is HOH. That she would be one of those people who have a hard time coming to terms with her own hearing loss. I guess it's different when it comes from a result of old age. :)

Over the past could of years her hearing has decreased. Our family see the effects it's having on her such as her having the volume of the TV high. Her not knowing when someone is talking to her and so forth. She's been using one of those store bought hearing aids to help hear the TV.

Anyway, when she went with me to one of my appointments to prepare for getting my CI. I made a break through with her about her hearing loss and pretty much made her want to get hearing aids now. But here's the problem. She's retired and her insurance won't cover hearing aids. They'll cover all the tests and such but not the hearing aids itself.

I'm wondering what options she might have. Is there anything we can look into? I remember being at a VFW once and they had a box there for people to donate old hearing aids so I'm guessing that there are some resources out there. Maybe they take old HA's and adjust them to someones needs or something. I'm just trying to find out how I can help my mother. My parents just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary a couple of months ago so I really hope to find a way to help her get hearing aids.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Ron
 
Most insurances don't cover HAs. In fact, I don't know of a single one that does cover them. Which is funny, considering they cover CIs. I'm not sure what kind of resources are available out there. I know medicaid/medicare covers glasses, but HAs???
 
Lion's Club. Some states have programs, but I don't know your mother's state.
 
Eve said:
wow! That is encouraging news, but still only a handful of states that are doing it. I don't think 30% of the states is good enough (especially when MY state is not on the list lol)
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It is also mostly restricted to deaf children. Deaf children grow up to be deaf adults, who usually earn less than the hearing parents who are getting this assistance.

How is that fair?
 
Bottesini said:
It is also mostly restricted to deaf children. Deaf children grow up to be deaf adults, who usually earn less than the hearing parents who are getting this assistance.

How is that fair?
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I think it is an outrage!
 
Eve said:
wow! That is encouraging news, but still only a handful of states that are doing it. I don't think 30% of the states is good enough (especially when MY state is not on the list lol)
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Secondly, it comes down to asking/checking your insurance to see if they do pay for hearing aids.
 
Well, that could be a double-edged sword, too. Too many in government (Feds & States) think that by forcing insurance companies to pay for hearing aids and cochlear implants, especially for the young, that the social problems and the monetary drain spent on deaf ed, SSI, how hearing employers see deafness, etc, etc will evaporate. Fat chance!
 
There are special credit card for hearing aids with a very low rate. The audiologist should be able to provide information. My audiologist said that it's hard for anyone to get one and that now the person must own a house. It's not a good solution when a person has to take one more debt to get HAs. It might be a last resort, though.
 
Bottesini said:
Lion's Club. Some states have programs, but I don't know your mother's state.
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I was going to say the same thing. I believe my Mom got financial help from her state for her hearing aids. When she died we donated her aids and batteries to the Lions Club.
 
RonJaxon said:
Note:
I remember being at a VFW once and they had a box there for people to donate old hearing aids so I'm guessing that there are some resources out there. Maybe they take old HA's and adjust them to someones needs or something.

Ron
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I have several pair of hearing aids I can no longer use if anyone knows a link where I can mail them. I've used Costco hearing services and found them to be very well priced and excellent service.
 
Eileenutah said:
I have several pair of hearing aids I can no longer use if anyone knows a link where I can mail them. I've used Costco hearing services and found them to be very well priced and excellent service.
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2

Mail your used hearing aid to Hear Now, at 6700 Washington Avenue South, Eden Prairie, MN 55344. Hear Now is the nonprofit partner of the Starkey Hearing Foundation (see Resources). It forwards collected used hearing aids to Starkey, a hearing aid manufacturer who refurbishes them and contributes them to low-income hearing impaired children and adults around the world.

How To Donate Hearing Aids | eHow.com
 
Thanks everyone.

I don't see my state on the list of states that do have HA coverage? I'm in Michigan. Any idea where I should find info on my state for this? When I had hearing aids growing up insurance always covered it when I needed a new one or an upgraded one.

Thanks again. I'm going to look around my area for information of course. Right now I'm more concentrating on my own CI surgery next week but this is still something I hope to find a way to help my mother with.

Ron
 
RonJaxon said:
Note: I tried to change the title of this post. It's not a matter of not having insurance. It's a matter of insurance not covering HA's.

As some of you may have read in some of my other posts. I'm getting my CI surgery done next week. But this post is about someone else close to me. My mother.

It's kind of funny that with my mother having a son who's deaf and a daughter who is HOH. That she would be one of those people who have a hard time coming to terms with her own hearing loss. I guess it's different when it comes from a result of old age. :)

Over the past could of years her hearing has decreased. Our family see the effects it's having on her such as her having the volume of the TV high. Her not knowing when someone is talking to her and so forth. She's been using one of those store bought hearing aids to help hear the TV.

Anyway, when she went with me to one of my appointments to prepare for getting my CI. I made a break through with her about her hearing loss and pretty much made her want to get hearing aids now. But here's the problem. She's retired and her insurance won't cover hearing aids. They'll cover all the tests and such but not the hearing aids itself.

I'm wondering what options she might have. Is there anything we can look into? I remember being at a VFW once and they had a box there for people to donate old hearing aids so I'm guessing that there are some resources out there. Maybe they take old HA's and adjust them to someones needs or something. I'm just trying to find out how I can help my mother. My parents just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary a couple of months ago so I really hope to find a way to help her get hearing aids.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Ron
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How about council on aging , maybe they can help with the cost of the HA or find some agencies that will help with the cost of a HA. COA help me with the cost of a mouthpiece for my TMJ. and brought me a new A/C .
 
Good news. My mother has an appointment next week to get the mold for her HA. My father just Emailed me to let me know about it. I'm not sure the details about insurance and all that yet. I'll let you know how they are doing it when I find out in case anyone here is looking for ways. But I think it's great that she'll be able to get one.

Ron
 
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