Hearing Aids

Has Medicare help with the cost of your hearing aids?

I recently switched from six year old Resounds to new Beltone's, both at a cost of around $4,800.00. The new Beltones supposedly sample at a higher rate making them "better". I had a lengthy discussion with the audiologist about the lack of control (consumer adjustments), with the aids. The answer I got, that is what we're paid to do.

Another audiologist explained that while the extensive test they do allows them to shape the response curve to the hearing loss, the ear canal can and does change the curve, and they have no way of measuring that.

It seems most give hearing aids provide a low/mid/high tone control. When I tried to find out what frequencies these are centered at, no one knew or it is "top secrete classified information". 

My take is this. The difference between the six year old Resounds and the new Beltones, minimal. Definitely not worth the price tag. Until hearing aid companies provide a multi-band parametric adjustment, users are pretty much stuck with less than ultimate improvements. I understand that to the layperson, this would be a means of messing the sound all up, but how hard is it to add a "return to home" button. 

I wear them when I listen to music (and they do provide a huge improvement), or when am around people, but I find the lack of being able to fine tune them to my liking to be very frustrating, and I would image others feel the same way.

The low/mid/high 'EQ' on my Jabras works fine for me; I usually don't need to touch them when listening on the 'music' program, but if I'm watching telly and want to hear the dialogue better, I just turn up the mids and highs a bit and that works great. 

"Interesting discussion and much appreciated. I’ve used Signia hearing aids for almost two years now and while they do an excellent job where speech is concerned and an acceptable job with tinnitus, they just don’t work with music. They do have a music setting but after numerous efforts by the audiologist they still make music shrill, edgy, often thin. I’ve resorted to listening to my system with no aids and just let my brain make its adjustments"

I have hearing loss in the upper mids to hi frequencies. I have some phonak aids which are ok, however I dont use them a great deal.

I purchased a schitt Lokius EQ as an experiment - it has made a great difference. I boost the mid and upper frequencies and the sound stage widens and deepens and of course there is more ’air’ and treble detail. Does not impinge on sound quality at all. Well worth a try.

@rjinaz86323 No, Medicare does not cover hearing aids. They may pay for a hearing test. Check their website.