Telehealth, over-the-counter hearing aids increase health care access

A major step toward health equity came earlier this month when the Food and Drug Administration created a new class of hearing aids that can be sold over the counter.

Hearing aids have long been inaccessible to many of the over 30 million American adults with hearing difficulties. The aids typically cost $1,000 to $4,000 per ear and Medicare doesn’t cover them, nor do most insurance plans.

Getting properly fitted with a prescription hearing aid requires multiple initial visits and regular follow-up appointments for the rest of a person’s life, which can be a burden to those with disabilities or without regular transportation.

The move will hopefully allow people to resolve hearing issues earlier, said Ryan Munsey, the Central Florida regional director for Beltone Hearing Care Centers and a hearing instrument specialist for Beltone Orlando.

“We’re hoping in the industry that this starts to make people aware of hearing losses in the earlier stages,” Munsey said. “The earlier you treat hearing loss, the better off you’ll be long-term, for sure.”

Removing these requirements will also spur more companies to enter the market, likely driving up the quality and driving down the cost of hearing aids as companies compete for customers.

Just five manufacturers make over 95% of hearing aids, according to an investigation by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

Over-the-counter devices aren’t for everyone, though. They are only meant for people with mild or moderate hearing loss, which leaves about 2 million U.S. residents who still need prescription hearing aids, Munsey said.

For those patients, hearing practitioners such as Munsey are finding other ways to increase accessibility.

Beltone Hearing Aids — a national chain with several Central Florida care centers — in recent years has given patients the option of remote evaluations and follow-up appointments.

Through an app — in this case, the Beltone HearMax app — practitioners can video chat with their patients and even remotely connect to Bluetooth-compatible hearing aids to make adjustments, Munsey said.

This way, patients can get care without any extra hassle, he said.

“With telehealth, it’s a lot easier,” he said. “You can make a quick, five-minute phone call, make the adjustment, the patient doesn’t have to drive up to the office.”

Having some remote patients lightens the load on offices, as well.

“A lot of times some of these offices get so busy, they have so many patients that sometimes patients slip through the cracks,” Munsey said. “Patients, let’s say, will maybe cancel an appointment, and we don’t get them back on the schedule.”

Debra L. Tucci, director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, emphasized that treating hearing loss has indirect benefits to mental and physical health.

“Hearing loss is associated with dementia, increased risk of falling, reduced mobility, depression, social isolation, and anxiety,” Tucci said on her agency’s website.

These are just the latest in a series of actions aiming to make health care more accessible after the pandemic, which motivated many health care providers to reach out to patients through telehealth and home health care rather than making patients come to them.

Beltone has been offering telehealth for about seven to eight years, and remote adjustments for about four, but uptake skyrocketed in recent years, Munsey said.

With that being said, Munsey still recommends in-person visits rather than virtual ones, if possible.

“A personal physical experience is always going to be … a little bit more involved,” he said. “I personally would always prefer that over telehealth.”

In addition, unlike over-the-counter hearing aids, virtual appointments don’t reduce the cost.

Beltone’s website states it offers payment plans that range from six to 60 months.

Some nonprofits such as the Beltone Hearing Care Foundation or the Hearing Aid Project offer hearing aids to those who can’t afford them. The Hearing Loss Association of America offers a list of more nonprofits on its website: hearingloss.org/hearing-help/financial-assistance/

ccatherman@orlandosentinel.com; @CECatherman Twitter