Hearing Aids

[Par4thecourse]

Do they have to be so expensive? $1,900 for one ear? How much do they cost to manufacture? I'm sure the technology is far better now than even 10 years ago, but almost 2 grand for one seems way too much to me, especially since insurance doesn't cover them most of the time. I have shopped around and that seems to be the going rate. Isn't anyone offering them for much less with comparable quality?
I like to be able to hear and my left ear has moderate to severe damage in the mid-range and higher tones, but I can still hear, you know? Getting old ain't a lot of fun.

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[TheEarDoc]

Do they have to be so expensive? $1,900 for one ear? How much do they cost to manufacture? I'm sure the technology is far better now than even 10 years ago, but almost 2 grand for one seems way too much to me, especially since insurance doesn't cover them most of the time. I have shopped around and that seems to be the going rate. Isn't anyone offering them for much less with comparable quality?
I like to be able to hear and my left ear has moderate to severe damage in the mid-range and higher tones, but I can still hear, you know? Getting old ain't a lot of fun.

The answer is yes they do.

Why? Research and development. The hearing aids on market today were a laptop computer in a backpack 7-10 years ago. Also all hearing aids are monitored and controlled by the FDA as they are medical devices. The cost and time to bring a product through FDA to the market is insane! On top of the cost of the devices to get approved for market and the research to produce said product, you also have to pay the person dispensing the product to you because you are paying for their expertise. Those are the reasons that they are so expensive.

 

[Par4thecourse]

Thanks for responding. Are less expensive models any good? I'm not going to the symphony every day, so I just wonder if I can find something suitable for less that just boosts the volume, you know?