A Comprehensive Walkthrough of the Different Ways to Treat Your Hearing Loss

There are a multitude of hearing aid dispensers, all working to sell you a solution to address your hearing challenges. With the wide range of price points and special offers, it is quite natural to feel overwhelmed.

As hearing loss impacts one in eight Americans, a number the World Health Organization expects will double by 2050, you and millions of others are facing a similar dilemma: finding a solution amid a lot of confusion.

Fortunately, you have landed in the right place to get some help with how you should address your situation.

We’re dedicating this blog to helping you navigate the hearing instrument landscape so you’ll know what you’re getting and the results you can expect.

Preparing for the Search

Before you begin your search, you need to understand that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to addressing hearing challenges. The right choice is dependent upon your specific hearing diagnosis, unique circumstances, lifestyle, and budget.

Here are some questions to consider before you begin shopping:

• What type and severity of hearing loss are you experiencing?
• Do you enjoy an active lifestyle? What types of activities and environments do you frequent?
• Do you prefer a face-to-face consultation or remote support?
• Do you demand the best of the best or is a budget option more important?
• Are you looking to work with a locally owned company or are you happy working with a corporation and speaking to different people each time you call?

With an understanding of your personal preferences, you can make a better decision on which of the many options available is right for you.

A Brief Overview of Options and Price Ranges

To give you an overview of the hearing device landscape, here is a quick rundown of the various classes of devices and a range of prices you can expect to pay in each category.

• Earbuds with a cell phone app ($0-$250)
• Personal Sound Amplification Products, or PSAPs ($79-$1250)
• Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids ($800-$2500)
• Online Hearing Aids With Audiological Remote Support ($1850-$2400)
• Big-Box Retail Stores ($1250-$4000)
• Audiology Clinic ($2500-$7500)
• Hearing Loss Surgery With Electronic or Cochlear Implants ($30,000-$50,000)

Each of these solutions offers a different degree of assistance to address your hearing challenges. Keep in mind the old adage “you get what you pay for,” because it is definitely true when it comes to shopping for a solution to your hearing loss.

Earbuds With a Cell Phone App

In some instances, you may already have what you need to take advantage of this option. Using your earbuds as the receiver, your cell phone will act as both the microphone and sound amplifier when guided by certain apps.

One notable app is called “Chatable”—it’s free to download and allows you to simply increase the level of volume on all sounds that your cell phone picks up. With this app, you could set your cell phone on the table in front of you at a meeting or during dinner, allowing you to better hear the conversation taking place around you.

Unfortunately, all sound is amplified equally, so background noise might make it difficult to hear. There are no fine-tuning features to address specific challenges you might be experiencing, and you are basically on your own without much in the way of support.

You can liken this option to using a magnifying glass for a vision problem. It may help in very specific circumstances but is not a solution that will allow you to live your life comfortably or address the core challenge.

Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAPs)

You have probably seen hearing aid-type devices for sale on the internet, in advertisements on TV, or even in Walmart. In most cases, these are Personal Sound Amplification Products, or PSAPs.

These devices are similar to the earbuds and cell phone option, but specifically designed to take in sound through a small built-in microphone and then increase the volume for transmission into your ears.

They increase the volume of the conversation you’re engaged in, but background noise is equally amplified, so you may still struggle to hear what’s going on in certain environments.

With prices starting as low as $79.99 and ranging to over $1000, they provide a solution if you have a very mild hearing loss and require a “one-size-fits-all” amplification with very little room for adjustments.

This solution is equivalent to using readers to address your vision challenges—they help in certain situations but aren’t tailored to provide you with a personalized, long-term solution.

Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

OTC hearing aids were made available after FDA approval in August of 2022. Many people rushed out to purchase what they believed were prescription hearing aids that had been made available over the counter.

Although over-the-counter devices help normalize hearing loss, our biggest concern is that people with significant hearing challenges are able to self-prescribe a solution to their hearing loss without the benefit of knowing what type and degree of hearing loss they even have.

Most people tend to underestimate the degree of hearing loss they are experiencing, so they are apt to come up short when it comes to finding an adequate solution to address their hearing challenges.

Many big consumer brands have entered the market, including Bose, Sony, and Jabra, with products ranging in price from $500-1500. These products can provide adequate assistance to someone with mild to moderate hearing loss.

To continue the comparison to your vision, this is the equivalent to buying off-the-shelf readers, providing a very generic option that isn’t unique to you.

Online/Direct-to-Consumer Hearing Aids With Remote Audiological Support

Jabra Enhance or various other popular online models hope to draw you in with access to hearing technology and audiological support online.

You can order them for as low as $1850, and you receive a box with your hearing aids programmed based on your online hearing assessment, with online follow-up appointments.

Major selling points include being able to avoid a doctor’s appointment, reasonable pricing, and a process that feels very smooth.

This option will serve as a solution when matched to common gain and slope hearing loss targets, and they usually come with a cell phone app for making minor adjustments yourself, or online support with one of their audiologists.

This option can meet some basic needs. However, it would be like completing your own eye test at home, and then having a company mail you your glasses.

Big-Box Retail Stores (Costco/Sam’s Club, etc.)

Because of their easy access, a common option for purchasing professional hearing aids is to visit a Costco or Sam’s Club that features an internal hearing aid center.

If purchasing hearing technology customized to you is important to you, then this is a big step in the right direction.

Your hearing screening will provide you with an adequate measurement of the level of your hearing loss. Their own Kirkland-branded hearing aids are prescription strength from a reputable manufacturer priced in the low thousands, but no other manufacturer choices are available.

They can fit your hearing aids in-store, and the aids come with a warranty of one to three years (depending on where you purchase them).

A major drawback comes in the area of follow-up care and support, because you are working within a retail environment. It is not uncommon for people to wait weeks before receiving support, and if you lose or damage your devices, then it can be a long process that can leave you without your devices while you wait.

A Local Audiology Clinic

This is essentially the traditional approach to hearing care, in which you schedule an appointment for a comprehensive hearing assessment that evaluates not only your level of hearing loss but also your overall hearing health.

After testing, your audiologist explores your options and helps you decide which solution meets your unique needs and circumstances, offering access to all levels of the latest technology with few limitations.

After fitting, you then receive ongoing support and care for many years, including cleanings, readjustments, repairs, and upgrades, with appointments typically available within 48 hours.

The prescription devices provided typically come with extended warranties and protection, but your hearing health is the key priority throughout the process. This option also allows you to make use of health insurance or payment plans.

This option is like visiting an optometrist for a professional eye exam and then selecting the perfect glasses for your prescription, along with ongoing support with prescription changes, frame repairs, and more.

Hearing Loss Surgery (Cochlear Implants)

This is really not an option you can choose unless you qualify for it.

If you have profound hearing loss, a team of doctors can determine whether or not a surgical implant is the right solution to address your hearing loss. Candidacy requirements are specific, and an evaluation to determine candidacy is necessary before the process can begin.

The cochlear or electronic implant is surgically positioned inside your cochlea to convert sounds into electrical impulses, which are then interpreted by the brain. Essentially, the device is designed to replace or enhance the function of your cochlea.

Cochlear implants can cost between $30,000 and $50,000 on average and may be covered in part or in full by insurance, depending on each individual plan. However, there are costs associated with surgeons, facilities, and anesthesia as well as programming by an audiologist.

How to Make Up Your Mind

We hope that you found the information provided helpful. Regardless of what stage of the process of addressing your hearing challenges you’re in, it is important to recognize that your hearing health is an essential part of living a healthy, active, and independent lifestyle.