Need help paying for that hearing aid?

Editor: The cost of hearing aids is one of the main reasons so many people who need them don't have them. Fortunately there are organizations that help people acquire the hearing aids they need. This article provides information on a wonderful resource from the Better Hearing Institute (BHI), and Cheryl Heppner chimes in with a similar resource from NVRC.

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January 2010

(ARA) - "No one should go without a needed hearing aid because of an inability to pay," says Dr. Sergei Kochkin, executive director of the Better Hearing Institute (BHI).

That's why BHI has just published Your Guide to Financial Assistance for Hearing Aids - the first comprehensive guide on how people can obtain financial assistance to purchase hearing aids. (NVRC Note: This guide is available only in PDF format for download. To order it you will need to provide your name, address, and email address. NVRC also has a free six-page fact sheet on Financial Assistance for Hearing Aids that you can download at http://tinyurl.com/yhu62zn).

According to BHI, two out of three adults with hearing loss do not use hearing aids because of financial constraints.

"Of the thousands of annual inquires we receive, the most frequent topic concerns financial assistance for hearing aid purchases," Kochkin says.

For the free hearing guide, go to www.betterhearing.org and click on "Request Hearing Loss Guides." It will help you quickly and easily identify charitable foundations, private organizations, insurance plans, corporate benefits and government programs that can help you get the hearing healthcare you need.

Of the more than 34 million Americans with hearing loss, at least 95 percent could benefit from hearing aids.

When left untreated, hearing loss reduces earning power, disrupts relationships, causes a wide array of psychological problems, cognitive functioning and even has negative health effects. Those who have difficulty hearing can experience such distorted and incomplete communication that it seriously impacts their professional and personal lives, at times leading to isolation and withdrawal. Hearing loss is one of the most commonly unaddressed health conditions in America today. And six out of 10 Americans with hearing loss are below retirement age.

Untreated hearing loss is linked to a wide range of physical and emotional conditions. Advances in digital technology have dramatically improved hearing aids in recent years, making them smaller with better sound quality. Designs are modern, sleek and discreet. Clarity, greater directionality, better speech audibility in a variety of environments, better cell phone compatibility, less whistling and feedback than hearing aids of the past and greater ruggedness for active lifestyles are common features.

"Many Americans of all ages with unaddressed hearing loss can benefit from the use of hearing aids," says Kochkin. "We hope that this financial guide will help people get the hearing aids they need to appropriately address their hearing loss and improve their lives."

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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