It’s taken five years, but it finally happened. People with hearing loss—approximately 48 million of them in the United States—now have access to over-the-counter hearing aids, the result of bipartisan legislation written and spearheaded by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) that passed in 2017. Signing the bill might be the only useful thing the former guy accomplished, but it took President Joe Biden to actually get it done.
It is a game-changer; most recent estimates (they’re more than a decade old) indicate that 86% of people with hearing loss don’t have hearing aids because they’ve been prescription-only and far too expensive. By far too expensive, that means from $1,000 to a jaw-dropping $14,000 per pair. Much of the cost is due to the fact that they’ve had to be prescribed by audiologists, and the testing, fitting, and calibration has all had to be done by providers. Not anymore.
Campaign Action
The Food and Drug Administration finally finished work on getting this to happen as a result of President Joe Biden’s basically forcing it with an executive order issued in 2021. The FDA’s final rule allows for adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss to buy hearing aids without a prescription, exam, or audiologist fitting. There are still going to be affordability barriers, with cost estimates ranging from $200 to $3,000 per pair, according to a White House fact sheet. Those costs could come down, depending on how technology and demand for the products develop.
Hearing loss is astoundingly common, with the Centers for Disease Control deeming it “the third most common chronic physical condition in the United States and is twice as prevalent as diabetes or cancer.” The National Institutes of Health has found that “approximately 15% of American adults (37.5 million) aged 18 and over report some trouble hearing” and “about 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from using hearing aids.”
Determining if you need one is kind of tricky, however, particularly since the brain seems to be really good at telling you you’re hearing just fine. “Standard hearing difficulties progress so gradually that your brain just says, ‘Okay, this is my new normal,’ rather than ringing any alarms, the way it would if you woke up one morning and suddenly you could barely hear at all,” Angela Shoup, past president of the American Academy of Audiology, told Wirecutter. The National Academies of Sciences did a study several years ago and found that among people who self-reported having good or excellent hearing, about one-quarter actually had measurable hearing loss.
One trick, says Lauren Dragan, senior staff writer and chief headphone tester for Wirecutter, is to use your cell phone. “A lot of smartphones have health apps that track your average audio exposure,” she says. “Find out if the average level on your headphones last year was quieter than it is this year. That’s a pretty good indication that you might need to further investigate.”
Loss of hearing can create significant health problems. A 12-year Johns Hopkins study found a profound link between hearing loss and dementia. Just mild hearing loss in study subjects doubled the risk of developing dementia, while moderate hearing loss tripled it and severe hearing impairment created a five-times greater risk of dementia.
“Brain scans show us that hearing loss may contribute to a faster rate of atrophy in the brain,” Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D. says. “Hearing loss also contributes to social isolation. You may not want to be with people as much, and when you are you may not engage in conversation as much. These factors may contribute to dementia.”
It can also cause accidents and contribute to things like falls in older people. Hearing loss “makes your brain work harder just to process sound,” Lin said. “This subconscious multitasking may interfere with some of the mental processing needed to walk safely.”
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders has a helpful website for finding out more about over-the-counter hearing aids, hearing tests, and how to proceed if you think you’re a potential customer.
So the Biden administration is getting the job done, again, for seniors and other adults—about 20% of 20- to 29-year-olds have noise-induced hearing loss, the CDC says—making health care more affordable and accessible. Meanwhile, Republicans are refining their plot to end Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid as we know it.
Republicans are retreating from key Senate races and Dems have the chance to expand their majority. Please give $3 to these three Dems running to flip GOP Senate seats from red to blue.
There are thousands of elections on the ballot this year, and Democratic campaigns all over the country need your help to get out the vote. Mobilize is your one-stop shop to get connected with campaigns anywhere in the country that need volunteers to call, text, write, and knock on doors. Click here to view GOTV opportunities near you.