Many people in need of hearing aids are dismayed to discover hearing aids are not covered by Medicare or most health insurance plans. It has been a historical problem and efforts by many groups to change the lack of coverage through congressional legislation have so far been unsuccessful. The recent announcement by United Healthcare (UHC), the largest U.S. Insurer by revenue, to offer an online diagnostic, treatment and distribution model for hearing healthcare is not the change hoped for and has prompted growing concerns within the health community.
Hearing aids are medical devices regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and must be recommended, sold and fit by qualified health professionals. Omitting an evaluation and treatment by a licensed audiologist or hearing healthcare professional puts the patient at risk to have a missed diagnosis of a serious underlying health condition that requires medical intervention as well as subsequent hearing loss as a result of improper fitting of hearing aids. The UHC model also limits the choice of hearing aid manufacturer, model and technology.
Dr. Eric Hagberg, president of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology said “This undermines every good practice with regard to hearing healthcare as this diagnosis and delivery model is unsound, unsafe and unreliable. Without the proper diagnosis, counseling, hearing aid fitting and follow-up evaluations, successful treatment for hearing loss cannot be achieved. The purchase and use of hearing aids without a proper examination, diagnosis and counseling is a recipe for poor treatment outcomes and increased risks.”
The Academy of Doctors of Audiology, American Academy of Audiology, International Hearing Society, and Better Hearing Institute are all warning against “do-it -yourself hearing care” and urge consumers who suspect that they have hearing loss to seek treatment from a licensed audiologist or other hearing healthcare professional to ensure the proper diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss, and to identify potentially serious underlying medical conditions. Further, they remind consumers that even when hearing loss is detected through comprehensive examination, hearing aids are not always the recommended course of treatment for hearing loss.
This article by Dr. Jane Waligora, AuD, CCC-A was published in the January 2012 edition of Prime newspaper (page 8): http://issuu.com/eaglenewsonline/docs/jan_2012_prime_1-12
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