Prescription hearing aids are a significant investment in your health, but what should you expect to pay for the technology you need? We’ll address some of the questions you may have in this blog.

If you’re in the market for new prescription hearing aids, you’ve likely realized there are a wide range of choices, depending on your hearing loss, lifestyle needs and budget.

But first, what goes into the cost of prescription hearing aids?

The main factor influencing prescription hearing aid price is the device’s technology. After all, hearing aids are powered by tiny processors that have continued to become more and more sophisticated, producing sound as natural as possible. As technology has advanced, product prices have stabilized, likely due to the inclusion of these latest developments.

For example, today’s more advanced hearing aids often include:

• Bluetooth technology, allowing users to connect their prescription hearing aids to their phones and other devices.
• Artificial intelligence, a feature that can automatically cancel background noise while increasing the sound of your conversation partner’s voice.
• Rechargeable prescription hearing aids, an option that’s becoming more convenient to use because they can hold a charge longer than ever, and portable chargers are now available.
• Directional microphones, an option that can improve hearing by allowing the user to pinpoint the direction the sound is coming from, front, back, right or left.

When you think about it, it’s amazing that all of these features can be packed into a tiny device that fits neatly in or behind the ear, and is often worn 12 hours a day or more in an environment filled with heat, humidity and earwax.

Adding to the dollar cost of prescription hearing aids can be factors such as fitting and programming the device for the person’s specific hearing loss, as well as follow-up appointments, which may be included for adjustments.

Typically, prescription hearing aids also come with a warranty period, which covers repairs and replacements during the warranty time frame.

The cost also includes the professional services of the doctoral-level audiologist who evaluates, fits, programs and repairs the hearing aids being sold.

What should the consumer expect to pay for a pair of prescription hearing aids?

Prices vary widely depending on the practice where you are seen, the brands of hearing aids sold, and the services included in the cost.

That said, in a professional practice, the private-pay cost of prescription hearing aids can range anywhere from $750 per ear to $3,200 per ear. In most cases, you can take that figure times two because most patients need two hearing aids to hear their best.

While this may seem like a significant expense, remember that prescription hearing aids are worn daily, sometimes for 12-plus hours a day. And, if these hearing aids are well taken care of, they may last five to seven years, or even longer, before they need to be replaced.

If your healthcare insurance does not help cover the cost of hearing aids, financing options are often available. Most of these services offer convenient monthly payment options and there are no annual fees, prepayment penalties, or up-front costs. You can choose from a longer-term plan with a fixed interest rate or a short-term plan with no interest, depending on your financial needs.

Aside from the dollar cost of prescription hearing aids, it’s important to take into consideration the cost of not being able to hear your best. Research shows individuals with untreated hearing loss have lower earning power, poorer health, a higher risk of falling, of dementia, of depression, and of cognitive decline.

So, when you’re looking at the true cost of hearing aids, take all costs into consideration, both financial and personal/health. A doctoral-level audiologist should be able to recommend technology that effectively treats your hearing loss, while meeting your budget and lifestyle needs.

Schedule an appointment with a doctoral-level audiologist today.