OTC hearing aids are far short of what is needed.

Medicare doesn't cover hearing aids or exams. Why not?

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I probably needed hearing aids long before I went to an audiologist and got tested.

I was still teaching and because my teaching style and subject matter had me moving around and mainly talking one to one, I didn’t notice my hearing loss.

I did notice that in meetings and in the staff lounge I missed a lot of what was being said.

It was really bad in social situations where there was a lot of ambient noise.

When I finally went to an audiologist he suggested waiting until retirement. My life-style would change, he said, and so would my hearing needs.

In retrospect I think that was probably bad advice.

But I followed it. A year after retirement I bought my first pair of hearing aids for $4000 at Costco.

The next pair were blue tooth connected to my phone. They cost nearly $6000. Both were paid for out of pocket.

Medicare does not cover hearing aids or exams.

At the time neither did my Medicare Advantage teacher retirement insurance.

Currently Illinois law requires insurance companies to offer hearing aid coverage.

But the law is very limited and coverage varies widely.

Meanwhile, yesterday the federal government lifted the restriction on over the counter hearing aids.

You can walk into some Walgreens, CVS or Walmart and for any where from $200 to $2000 you can buy a pair of hearing aids without a prescription or a doctor’s evaluation.

It’s not quite like buying OTC reading glasses for ten bucks.

OTC hearing aids are a good thing because it lowers the price for many who can’t otherwise afford them.

To me, it is far short of what is needed.

Hearing, vision and dental services should be covered by Medicare. And they are not.

These are pressing healthcare needs that the elderly require, but often can’t afford.

Even $200 bucks for a retired person living on their Social Security check is way beyond their means.