Medicare Has Never Paid for a Hearing Aid.
Many Retirees Need One by Their Mid-70s, and a Pair Runs $4,600
Quick Read – Medicare has excluded hearing aids since 1965, yet one in three adults aged 65 to 74 has hearing loss and a pair costs $4,600. – Medigap supplements cannot fill the hearing aid gap because they only cover costs Medicare itself already covers. – OTC devices, Medicare Advantage hearing allowances, and tax-free HSA withdrawals are the only realistic ways to reduce the out-of-pocket cost. – A 74-year-old walks out of her audiologist’s office with a quote for a pair of mid-range hearing aids: $4,600. She assumed Medicare would cover most of it. It will cover none of it.
The exam solely for fitting the devices? Not covered. The fitting?