Purchasing a hearing aid: UK vs US

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kingoflondon

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Purchasing: UK vs. US

I have been deaf for many years around 90% in one ear, and I recently lost a good deal of hearing in my previously good ear. I was therefore given a hearing aid for free on my good ear (can’t use one in my bad ear) by the UK National Health Service.

The guy who fitted it for me said that it wasn’t a particularly good one, aside from the fact that the only colour they had was grey, it has no volume control, which makes it useless for me as my hearing tends to fluctuate. I found it to be uncomfortable and the sounds quality was not great – although I don’t have anything to compare it to. He said that he offered a private service where he could arrange a better one that I could pay for. I am considering this, however the recent shift in UK:US exchange rate means that the pound is pretty strong against the dollar at the moment at about 1.65, and I was wondering whether it might be cheaper to purchase in the US as a result?

I will be in Los Angeles for the next couple of weeks seeing family, and so I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on whether it would be cheaper to try and get a hearing aid in the US vs. UK bearing in mind the exchange rate. Also, would I have to pay for a consultation in the US? Or would this be free if I ended up buying a hearing aid? Does anyone know of a good place to go in the LA area?
 
I am not sure of places in the LA area but you also have to think of the amount of maintenance that goes a long with Hearing aids. If you decide to purchase it in the US make sure that you get it adjusted as much as possible with the Audi that you choose before you leave. I am sure you can find one when you get home to help you with this process as well as it usually takes a few visits to get it to your standards. I don't know if having to find an audi you trust, hearing aid, and all that stuff is worth just the few dollars you will save if any at all? Some places don't charge you for a hearing test and what not. I would use the trusty google and see what you come up with. Sorry I wasn't much help.
 
Stick to your nearby office because it's more than likely you will need to return at least once for re-adjustments and such. That's what disposable fees are for.
 
Sounds like this guy is just trying to get your custom for a private HA. Perhaps you could get your GP to refer you to another Hearing Centre. There is more than one HA available on the NHS. If the GP makes a fuss, just say you'd like to go to somewhere nearer work or something, a friend of mine tried this and it worked, he now attends a different centre. It's worth a try before you invest thousands of pounds in a service you should be getting from the NHS for free.

I've been getting HAs off the NHS for most of my life, and no one has ever tried to pressurise me into buying a private one, that's not what they are supposed to do.
 
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