WTF Hearing aids are worth more than their weight in than gold!

Again it goes to cost of production, millions and millions people buying cell phones which spreads out the cost to manufacturing them comparing to how many people buy specific purpose hearing aids? Probably just few thousands that is it which push the cost of manufacturing, engineering higher.

Here is a math hope you can understand,

Cost of engineering, making tools to make hearing aid, materials for hearing aids can cost 50 million dollars, divide that say 50,000 customers that need hearing aid, cost to make it is $1,000 dollars each = limited profit.

Comparing to Cell phone, Cost to manufacturing, engineering, labor say $1,000,000,000 (hundred millions of dollars), and 25 millions of customers want it each would cost only 40 dollars each and sells for 99 dollars, nice profits there already.

So again, it is the law of supply n demand.

Frisky Feline said:
i dont get it why the cell phone costs so cheaper than HA. cellphone has many features etc while HA has less features. jeez
Click to expand...
 
coolgirlspyer90 said:
My dad told me that my HA cost about $5,000 for just my right ear before i got implanted. it's still pretty brand new! I only worn it for a few months before my right ear didn't want to cooperate with me.
Click to expand...

Sell it! If it's from the latest range for the manufacturer you get around 70% back, previous range 50% back, the range before drops to around 30%, but those are still numbers worth having. It will only continue to lose value.
 
price out a new CI processor... it will make your HA feel like a bargain.
 
Barbaro said:
Yeah, they cost an arm and a leg. I'm wearing Starkey digital hearing aids. They are worth over $2,000 just on sale. Bleh. Well, at least, you can go for analog hearings. They're affordable. I miss Siemens analog hearing aids.
Click to expand...

I have the starkey series 9 and I hate them with a passion.
I HAD resound but my dog chewed them up. I had those HAs for many, many years. I cannot hear as well with starkey, if anything my hearing seems worse with starkey. I cannot use setting 1 that blocks out background noise-or directs the mic to what noise is closer to me, when that happens it's like I'm not wearing HA's at all. I use setting 3 at all times which is really loud, no background noise filter at all. I have to or else I wouldn't be able to hear at all.

My audio was fitting everyone with these aids and I think for corporate reasons. I got them for free-through voc rehab when my husband was unemployed back in 2010 so I really cannot complain. I did ask for the resound but no, it had to be starkey. I have been seeing her since I was 9 but she's turned it appears to greed. I will not be going back, her needs above mine? Not right. Now I'm stuck with these aids forever until I can actually afford to get either resound or a C.I-maybe in both ears but I'd prefer not to. I'd prefer not to wear HA's at all and not speak. I'm Oral Deaf btw. I'd prefer to use ASL than my voice but my job and just about everything I've been raised around since being raised orally requires speech.

blah, enough ranting! Simply put, I hate starkey. I don't even know how much the Series 9 cost and do not care-it is JUNK.
 
I am sorry to hear that you are not happy with the Starkey Series 9. It may not work for everyone. I haven't tried Resound. I grew up with Siemens the most of my life until the Siemens had discontinued analog hearing aids. Early digital hearings were awful. If I raise my voice, the music feature set off to let me know I raised my voice too high. But at the same time, I had to wait for that music feature to turn off by itself, so I can hear myself to talk again. It was such a nuisance. I do have hard time hearing low frequencies more than high frequencies. I do change my private audiologists, because some of them are very biased or impatient.

My digital hearing aids currently are the Starkey Series X. They are new, and were released last year. They have three features, 1. normal, 2. less vibration, and 3. more high. I can hear a cashier around 8 feet away in the noise background. I also can hear my voice in the noise background, which surprised me. However, they're not analog sounds. It's like to listen to the digital (computer) voices. There is one thing I like about digital hearing aids is that they can control feedback. I have very severe TMJ, and they always set off feedback all the time. I have been wearing hearing aids daily since I was a toddler. My parents've had decided to opt hearing aids over CIs for me. I learned sign language when I was around 8. I like ASL more than voice.
 
I'm surprised Vocation Rehab didn't consider YOUR option when it came to getting new hearing aids. When VR bought my hearing aid, they went with what I chose/wanted, and they were fine with it. But then, I suppose each state's VR have their own guidelines/rules/etc. Hopefully you can find an audie that will work with you and consider your ideas/suggestions instead of being greedy. Every customer should be able to pick out/get what they want. I grew up wearing Phonaks. I've tried Oticon for a short while, didn't like it and went back to Phonak. Some people just cannot tolerate a different company because their products are just going to sound different and be more difficult to get used to, and would rather stick with what they know works best for them.
 
Barbaro said:
I am sorry to hear that you are not happy with the Starkey Series 9. It may not work for everyone. I haven't tried Resound. I grew up with Siemens the most of my life until the Siemens had discontinued analog hearing aids. Early digital hearings were awful. If I raise my voice, the music feature set off to let me know I raised my voice too high. But at the same time, I had to wait for that music feature to turn off by itself, so I can hear myself to talk again. It was such a nuisance. I do have hard time hearing low frequencies more than high frequencies. I do change my private audiologists, because some of them are very biased or impatient.

My digital hearing aids currently are the Starkey Series X. They are new, and were released last year. They have three features, 1. normal, 2. less vibration, and 3. more high. I can hear a cashier around 8 feet away in the noise background. I also can hear my voice in the noise background, which surprised me. However, they're not analog sounds. It's like to listen to the digital (computer) voices. There is one thing I like about digital hearing aids is that they can control feedback. I have very severe TMJ, and they always set off feedback all the time. I have been wearing hearing aids daily since I was a toddler. My parents've had decided to opt hearing aids over CIs for me. I learned sign language when I was around 8. I like ASL more than voice.
Click to expand...

same here, grew up with Siemens as a little kid and I still have my old Siemens!
 
Try finding out if u can purchase additional health insurance through your work, and what it covers.. then if can and it covers hearing aids. U pay like a.few hundred more a month for a year. Get 2 hearing aids. Molds etc. Then cancel the ins after a year and go back.to what u normally have with work plan. U will find it was cheaper than to buy the hearing aids.
 
Also with additional insurance u can get other service like acupuncture, additional teeth cleaning and depending on the plan. Make your money work for ya.
 
cdmeggers said:
I'm surprised Vocation Rehab didn't consider YOUR option when it came to getting new hearing aids. When VR bought my hearing aid, they went with what I chose/wanted, and they were fine with it. But then, I suppose each state's VR have their own guidelines/rules/etc. Hopefully you can find an audie that will work with you and consider your ideas/suggestions instead of being greedy. Every customer should be able to pick out/get what they want. I grew up wearing Phonaks. I've tried Oticon for a short while, didn't like it and went back to Phonak. Some people just cannot tolerate a different company because their products are just going to sound different and be more difficult to get used to, and would rather stick with what they know works best for them.
Click to expand...

Voc rehab told me to get what I wanted or what I thought was best for me. I picked resound but my audio(bitch) convinced me that starkey was better. I regret trusting her since I'd been with her since I was 9 years old. I will be getting resound again when I can afford to. :P
 
SilentRider said:
Try finding out if u can purchase additional health insurance through your work, and what it covers.. then if can and it covers hearing aids. U pay like a.few hundred more a month for a year. Get 2 hearing aids. Molds etc. Then cancel the ins after a year and go back.to what u normally have with work plan. U will find it was cheaper than to buy the hearing aids.
Click to expand...

I have health insurance but it doesn't cover hearing aids.
It's blue cross blue shield PPO.

I do agree-if your health insurance covers it go for it!
 
Jiro said:
I'm sorry but you've gotta be out of your mind to be plunking down $10,000 for hearing aid unless it's as powerful as CI and will last for a good 10 years along with lifetime warranty or not.

I feel sorry for whoever paid that much for hearing aid. They got scammed good. It's like paying $1,000 for a 5-minutes routine check-up by "top doctor". That's just ridiculous.

Lack of common sense, I say.
Click to expand...

It's all relative. If hearing aids allow him to perform a job that pays 70K a year and without the aids he can't do the same job, then it might be worth it to him.

If you have the skills to perform a job that pays 70K with or without HA, then maybe not.

If you don't have the skills for such a job, then almost certainly not worth it.
 
diehardbiker said:
Again it goes to cost of production, millions and millions people buying cell phones which spreads out the cost to manufacturing them comparing to how many people buy specific purpose hearing aids? Probably just few thousands that is it which push the cost of manufacturing, engineering higher.

Here is a math hope you can understand,

Cost of engineering, making tools to make hearing aid, materials for hearing aids can cost 50 million dollars, divide that say 50,000 customers that need hearing aid, cost to make it is $1,000 dollars each = limited profit.

Comparing to Cell phone, Cost to manufacturing, engineering, labor say $1,000,000,000 (hundred millions of dollars), and 25 millions of customers want it each would cost only 40 dollars each and sells for 99 dollars, nice profits there already.

So again, it is the law of supply n demand.
Click to expand...

Yes, THIS is the law of supply and demand. You should teach an economics class.
 
Small unit, cost too much
large unit, cheap..

However, if everybody are deaf and few hearing. The Hearing Aids will be frickin cheap and come with style.
 
Grayma said:
It's all relative. If hearing aids allow him to perform a job that pays 70K a year and without the aids he can't do the same job, then it might be worth it to him.

If you have the skills to perform a job that pays 70K with or without HA, then maybe not.

If you don't have the skills for such a job, then almost certainly not worth it.
Click to expand...

That is my philosophy as well.

[removed other opinions to keep the peace around here]
 
Know I mentioned this somewhere on AD before. My kids got their HA's through Missouri Medicaid and they each got 2. Total cost for each child, $4800. I did not have to pay anything at all except the cost for the batteries. I had no choice as to what kind or where I could go. Beltone only and they got OtoSonic (I think). Then, flash forward 8 years, and I went through VR and got mine through them. I got 2 and total cost for my $8000 and I did not pay for anything. Also, I had no choice on where to go and what kind to get. So, I was sent to Beltone and had to get OtoSonic. So, for the kids and I, all the batteries were the same and I had to pay for them only.

Now, kids refuse to wear them and we donated their HA's to the Deaf Service Center/Hearing Wellness Center here in WPB, FL. My HA's met an untimely demise and were smashed. Just 1 years after I lost them, I went total deaf. Now, my kids still have a need for them, but refuse to wear them. I have no problem with that as I feel they are old enough to make up their minds about it. Daughter has a mild loss, and HA's won't really make a difference for her since they don't clear up the quality of speech, only make the sounds louder. Son has a severe loss and doesn't care. He is slowly learning ASL with me. Daughter is also picking up a few signs.
 
Back
Top