Why won’t medicare pay for hearing aids for the elderly?

I am all for it. The state-of-the-art aids run into thousands of dollars. Right now I am an aging, retired senior paying through the nose. I have 6 more years before I can even be eligible for Medicare.

Hearing aid manufacturers don’t have enough lobbyists.

There are a lot of things that medicare doesn’t pay for, such as prescriptions. They don’t pay for dental care, eye glasses, batteries for those motorized wheel chairs. They have to stop somewhere.

I guess they don’t feel that seniors need to hear anything. They also don’t pay for dental or eyeglasses.

I need hearing aids but they cost around $4000.00 which to me is very expensive. Maybe a miracle will occur and my hearing will be restored. Poppy

HA! Wait and see after Obama gets his “free” health care for everyone passed. He has already said Medicare & Medicaid benefits will be slashed.

or dental, or glasses, or mental health

I live in the UK and got a free digital hearing aid, courtesy of the National Health Service - a wonderful institution.

I don`t know why but they sure should. I went for a long time starting when I was young. Do they know what it is like going through life saying Huh, what did you say and them not telling you then or even later?
You do not need to buy the most expensive ones with all the bells and whistles that eat up batteries. I have tried 7 different kinds and went back to the more common type.
To hear a little is better then hearing nothing.
To be able to see is the most important factor.

They don’t want you to hear what Obama wants to do to Medicare and Seniors he thinks are too old for medical procedures.

Medicare is an expensive program to keep going and so it can’t cover everything…it does not cover general vision (unless it’s cataract surgery), does not cover dental (unless it requires surgery), and does not cover hearing aids (unless the person needs an operation). I always hear on tv about the scooter store that says “if Medicare refuses your application for a wheel chair then we will provide one to you for free” so I’m assuming that Medicare doesn’t pay for all wheel chairs either.

Sure those things are expensive but what you need is supplemental insurance.

I agree with you, they should pay all or part when one needs a hearing aid, but the list of non coverages is growing by leaps & bounds. So many things are no longer being covered anymore & people can’t afford the out of pocket expenses themselves, so they go without. They no longer pay for eye exams/glasses, unless the patient has diabetes or they’re specifically checking for macular degeneration and/or glaucoma. An Optometrist will tell his patients to get yearly eye exams after the age of 40 but when a person is on Medicare, how can they, since it’s out of pocket expense. (few exceptions) No wonder many feel shut out from the world as they get older.

I can’t answer your, but I agree with your statement.

I thought Medicare payed for a percentage of the hearing aids.

It’s almost impossible to get a motorized wheelchair thru Medicare now. My doctor said too many peple took advantage of it before, and Medicare has cut back drastically on them. The TV commercials make it look like they are easy to get.

The President said he is going to cut back on Medicare. It isn’t that great to begin with. He said there is alot of unnecessary testing going on, and the results just sit on a shelf. There are doctors that abuse the system, and it is going to hurt us all in the long run.

The President has doctors for advisors, but I don’t think they know what they are talking about. He should check it out for himself, talk to the people on Medicare.

The OUTRAGEOUS price of hearing aids - have created this problem.

They could make them for the price they charge for iPods.

One thing I do know - every hard of hearing senior I know - refuses to use them once they get one. Waste of a whole lot of money - when they won’t wear them.

It is almost impossible to hold a conversation with them but they refuse to wear them.

$4,000 dollars is nothing to sneeze at.

DeeJay.

They are extremely expensive. With National Health Care just around the corner and millions of baby boomers entering the system, I don’t see hearing aids being paid for anytime soon.

As an audiologist this is a very very frustrating topic as we see our patients suffer first hand and when they can’t afford hearing aids it is heart breaking.

There is no direct answer as to why but according to the Medicare website hearing aids are not covered because “they are statutorily excluded from coverage” Here is a link to some info on Medicare’s website as to why they do not cover hearing aids:

Until Medicare decides to pay for hearing aids, private pay insurance companies won’t either. Hearing aids are expensive and are a reoccurring expense since they don’t last forever. It is sad that they are not since studies have shown they not only improving hearing abilities but by improving hearing abilities you directly improve quality of life, earning power on the job and improve safety for those with hearing loss.

There are some promising legislation is happening across the US where at least 14 states have mandated hearing aid insurance coverage for children and that number will be 16 states come Jan. 2010.

Currently there is legislation moving through the House and Senate (part of the health care reform) that would create a tax credit when hearing aids are purchased. I encourage you to read more about it and contact your legislators to support this as it is better than nothing:.

For persons who can’t afford hearing aids, Healthy Hearing - an online consumer resource on hearing loss and hearing aids, offers a FREE comprehensive funding guide for funding sources for hearing aids. You can find it at:.