Ideas for alleviating the cost of Hearing Aids

S

schweisshund

Guest
Ok ... I know. Hearing Aids are ridiculously expensive and many HoH people are at a disadvantage as a result of the stupid high numbers retailers come up with.

Want that new car and have 6 grand saved up? Hearing aids break and your f#cked.

Some of us are fortunate enough to have hearing aids by Voc Rehab ... but they only allow this freebie once in your life. Some of us get SSI (I don't) and others have insurance (mine doesn't cover hearing aids).

So I am REALLY at a disadvantage. The cost of repair is also ridiculously expensive. $500 is the "cheapest" quote I have found.

I have been fortunate enough to have been given (one) anonymous donation.

I have also had the free HA by Voc Rehab (they were stolen when I went to Germany ... yes, really).

I also got a free pair by using Yahoo's "Freecycle" but that was a one time thing.

So .... if anyone out there has some input on alleviating the cost of getting hearing aids .... I am all ears (no pun intended).
 
Seriously...no joke man, I am with you.....I don't ever want to buy hearing aid ever again. I mean Im sure I will but dang, I've heard craps as far as audi s telling me its so high price because HOH/deafies don't "purchase" enough to meet the manufactures demands of quota for net income earnings......whatever :pissed:! I just say, dont tell me that....I'll spend the money on a nice handgun to put to my brain and shoot next time.
 
Google for build your own. Mother earth news once showed how. Not pretty though. Like old fashion body aid.
 
Make your boyfriend/girlfriend pay for it.

He paid for mine (well, most of it), then asked me to pay him back...I never did. We're engaged, and he doesn't bother me about it. Now I am bilateral CI user. Go figure. It's all about giving and taking.

ANOTHER thing that you can try...if you have friends that used to wear HAs, but now CI users, they may be more than willing to part with their HAs. When my old one broke, I used a friend's HA because she has CI, and doesn't use it anymore.

You know...every CI user should pool their HAs, and donate it.
 
LadySekhmet said:
Make your boyfriend/girlfriend pay for it.

He paid for mine (well, most of it), then asked me to pay him back...I never did. We're engaged, and he doesn't bother me about it. Now I am bilateral CI user. Go figure. It's all about giving and taking.

ANOTHER thing that you can try...if you have friends that used to wear HAs, but now CI users, they may be more than willing to part with their HAs. When my old one broke, I used a friend's HA because she has CI, and doesn't use it anymore.

You know...every CI user should pool their HAs, and donate it.
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That is a very thoughful I dea - perhaps we can set up a HA pool, here?
 
I think insurance Co and Medicaid/Medicare should be pressured to pay for HAs across the board. Medicaid pays for them in some states, but not all. Others states pay for HAs for children, while others won't pay for them AT ALL.

I think it's criminal that they can get away with that, but they do. :pissed:
 
Bottesini said:
Google for build your own. Mother earth news once showed how. Not pretty though. Like old fashion body aid.
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This is the main problem, right here.

Making a hearing aid isn't all that hard. Making one that is TINY is the hard part. It takes very specialized machinery to make circuits that small.

Everything else can be made 'in house'. Even programming could be done in house. But the equipment to make the physical circuits and chips, is very expensive and exclusive... so companies have to defray the cost of running those machines for what is a 'limited production', in comparison to something like computers and cell phones which are produced in larger quantities.

I think if HA's could use less proprietary parts, like standardized series of compatible multipurpose circuits (circuits that can be used for many different hearing aids) and the main difference between them would be maybe a chip or programming (which could be done through a certain kind of interface, writing directly to the chip), then they would probably cost less because that would hep take out the exclusivity of making customized circuits.

You can trace a circuit board in your house, without problem (it does involve some chemicals to etch out your traced circuit design..) but making micro circuits its much MUCH harder.
 
A friend suggested a model that South Carolina (or was it North Carolina?) has. They've a very small tax on wireless communications (any wireless service that provides wireless accessibility like cell phones, pagers, et al) to feed a hearing aid fund.

It's a very attractive idea that requires sweat for lobbying.
 
Wokamuka said:
A friend suggested a model that South Carolina (or was it North Carolina?) has. They've a very small tax on wireless communications (any wireless service that provides wireless accessibility like cell phones, pagers, et al) to feed a hearing aid fund.

It's a very attractive idea that requires sweat for lobbying.
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Yeah, I find this to be a good idea.
There will be complaints from people who feel they are 'forced to pay for something they will never use' or that their money is being 'stolen' from them by the government.

Some <insert adnoun> just don't care about other people. Have had discussions with some... especially those who don't agree with any kind of social health care. The figure if someone gets sick and can't afford it, it's their problem. They should have been more prepared (this is just an excuse to openly be a jerk, in my opinion).
 
LadySekhmet said:
Make your boyfriend/girlfriend pay for it.

He paid for mine (well, most of it), then asked me to pay him back...I never did. We're engaged, and he doesn't bother me about it. Now I am bilateral CI user. Go figure. It's all about giving and taking.

ANOTHER thing that you can try...if you have friends that used to wear HAs, but now CI users, they may be more than willing to part with their HAs. When my old one broke, I used a friend's HA because she has CI, and doesn't use it anymore.

You know...every CI user should pool their HAs, and donate it.
Click to expand...

I really like this idea. I would definately be the one to donate my HA (if I haven't lost it like I did). We should try and form some sort of organization where CI users just donate their HA that they no longer use or for old HA for those who updated their old HA and it's still usable.
 
In addition, maybe specify that insurances and Medicare should ONLY cover BTEs. BTEs are larger yes.........but marketers make BTEs sound like those ugly BWA or ear horns.
Basicly the only reason why dinky aids even exist is b/c of vanity.
Dinky aids really can't get enough power for more then a mild loss. They are also the most popular.
Also, maybe if insurance companies covered HA, there might be LESS (ambigious) people getting implanted (and less "CI clinic shopping")
Which in turn would mean more people would wear HA!
 
I wonder if one of the issues of why health insurance won't pay for hearing aids is because they're pretty more disposable than CIs. CI requires surgery, so it has to be covered (by only certain companies, and far fewer for Bilateral). Who is to say that someone who is a HA user will keep changing their hearing aids all the time? CI users cannot change their implants. And even if we upgrade our processors, we can trade them in, but then we would still have to pay out of our own pocket for the new processors. So, same concept for HAs.

Funny because HAs to insurance companies are considered "cosmetic".

All I can say, is we're getting there. 20 years ago, insurance companies wouldn't even look at paying CI's, or hearing aids. Captioning wasn't widely available. ADA law wasn't in effect. So yeah...we've come a long way.
 
LadySekhmet said:
All I can say, is we're getting there. 20 years ago, insurance companies wouldn't even look at paying CI's, or hearing aids. Captioning wasn't widely available. ADA law wasn't in effect. So yeah...we've come a long way.
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I agree. Imagine what would happen in the next 20 years. Who knows, insurance might pay for some of the hearing aids cost by then. We won't know until then.
 
I agree. It's painful for many of us that have a disability.

I just found out that new ear molds are now $70 each. *groans*
 
What about some kind of exchange/buy-resell program?

hello,:wave:

I am actually new here, joined because I need some advice on the cost of hearing aids. I have been *very* lucky and have not had to buy hearing aids myself (who knows if my parents did once or twice) but now I am in the "real world" and thus need to start preparing to buy. Just so you know, I have a "severe" hearing loss due to complications at birth in both ears. I'm 24 and live in the US.

I do have an older set of hearing aids w/ fm system that still somewhat work, just not as well as the newer Phonak set that I have and now want to look at "upgrading".

I think there should be some kind of set up where members could post what they have and if it's free or how much and then an exchange could be set up. Problems with this though are:
Unscrupulous people buying/getting free then selling on ebay for tons more
Having to get them reprogramed, cleaned, new molds
Not knowing how well they actually work
I think it might be illegal to do without being through an established business?

Oh well, if anyone has ideas, pass them on!

Also, does anyone know how to get a new digital, programable FM/BTE bilateral unit for under $5-6k?? Oh, and new ear mold prices do vary..I paid $65 for one in UT and am about to pay $75 for one in CO! I also think it's VERY BAD that insurances refuse to pay for them...we can't function without them so it should be an ADA rule... :mad:

Cheers everyone!:mrgreen:
 
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