Hearing Aid Cost

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gigglebite

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How do we deaf people are able to buy the hearing aids? They are too expensive.
 
I got mine thru the state, using medi cal card. so even tho its mine it was state bought!
 
My parents have bought almost all my aids except for my first set (they were bought by the state) Luckily I just got SSI/Disabilty and with it, Mass. Health (my state's Mediaid program) and Mass. Health will pay for my aids!!! YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I got my hearing aid in 1992 and it still works today. It cost about $500... I think. I'm not sure how much they cost nowadays... :dunno:
 
Mine is FREE!!!! Do u know why? Because i never used hearing aids!
 
I got my hearing aid in 1992 and it still works today.
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Wow...mine have never lasted that long! I put a battery in my very first hearing aid the other day(got it when I was three...it's old enough to drink :beer: ) and it STILL works! However it sounds really ancient and distorted.
Nkid...I think about the only reason why oral only is pushed so strongly nowadays is b/c of the profit factor. Hearing people cannot make money off of ASL. Yet b/c healthcare is so profitiable, doctors and professionals push things like hearing aids and CIs and make us think we cannot function without them.
 
I wanted to get a new one but it's cost about $500. Who can afford that?
 
hearing aids are costing MORE now cuz of higher technology -- theyre now starting to go digital go figure

i got my hearing aids free via the state :D but go figure the new hearing aid i got thats like 5 years old broke TWICE!!!! and the old hearing aid i still have (thank god) is over 15/20 years old and still working GREAT! :roll: i think the older hearing aids are much more tougher than the today's hearing aids and i was once told by an audiologist that hearing aids are supposed to be replaced every 5 years :shock: :wtf: its ridiculous!
 
but it's cost about $500. Who can afford that?
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That's cheap actually...the one I bought last year was almost $1,000!
(analog, no annoying doodads!)
hearing aids are costing MORE now cuz of higher technology -- theyre now starting to go digital go figure
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Not everyone needs digital aids...even people with S/N loss sometimes don't see what the hype is about digital aids, and go back to analogs.
It really irritates me that hearing aids are SO DAMN expensive! I don't need anything fancy...just the volume turned up!!!
 
The VA bought both of mine, they are digital Phonaks with a remote control. They also upgrade, replace and buy all the batteries for them. Kind of takes the bite out of being deaf a little. They were $4,000.....
 
VamPyroX said:
I got my hearing aid in 1992 and it still works today. It cost about $500... I think. I'm not sure how much they cost nowadays... :dunno:
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My HAs were paid for by the state. I currently have a 16 year old pair of Oticon 380Ps that continued to work right up until the time I could no longer benefit from a HA in my nonimplanted ear. :)
 
deafdyke said:
Yet b/c healthcare is so profitiable, doctors and professionals push things like hearing aids and CIs and make us think we cannot function without them.
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Not all doctors push HAs and CIs. I have a friend who has been trying to obtain hearing aids for a mild to moderate loss, but her ENT and audiologist think her loss is "too mild" to need HAs. :( I also know people with severe-profound hearing loss who were discouraged from getting a CI because their speech discrimination scores were a few percentage points above the cut-off for CI candidacy.

In cases where people *are* encouraged to use HAs or CIs, I think that's a good thing! Sure, a person could certainly function using sign, but sometimes HAs and CIs can make all the difference between hearing and not hearing speech and/or environmental sounds. When I received my first pair of HAs for a moderately-severe loss, I was very grateful to have them because they made my ability to communicate with others *so* much easier. :)
 
The first ones I got were from my dad. He paid for them from work and then last year, I got them free via VR agency. ( VR = Vocotional Rehablition ) They are a state agency. Every 50 states has VR agencies. If you are not sure then ask at your local Deaf school which is also state owned too.
 
I paid $1500 for one a month ago. The Ontario Government pays $500 an ear for anyone who's refered by an audiologist so it cost me one grand.They are digital.

About 7 years ago I had 2 HA that were analogue & they were driving me nuts. There was a constant humming noise, something like a stereo speaker does before the song starts & I brought them back in a week. This digital HA eliminates that humming completely.

I agree that they are expensive & that is why lot of people go without!!!
 
My Insurance only pays $1000 every three years for hearing aids. I am going to be spending $4700 out of pocket for a pair of digital HAs. :eek3:

I find it sad that there are people out there who need hearing aids but can't afford them. Hearing aids are the third most expensive purchase a person can make, third after a house and car. Hearing aids should not be considered a luxury but a neccessity.

My Mom might be able to use my old digital BTE hearing aids so I am going to keep them for her. If she can't use them I am going to donate them.
 
Most offices will be able to work out a payment plan option for those who don't have a big chunk of money to spend at once. The average lifespan for a hearing aid is 5-7yrs. It's not that it can't last longer, it's just that fixing a 7yr old hearing aid can get costly thru the manufacturer. So patients are often given the option. Do you want to spend this money on a 10yr old hearing aid or do you want to take that money and look at something new. My personal opinion is, "If it ain't broke don't fix it". If you love that hearing aid and are happy with how you hear, then stick with it.
 
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