HEARING AID INSURANCE DOES EXIST AND IS AFFORDABLE
“Hearing Aids: Available, Affordable, Accessible” in the Summer 2009 issue goes a long way in describing the coverage and cost concerns for hearing aids, as well as the range of options. One critical program not included is the EPIC Hearing Service PlanTM (HSP), the fi rst and only fully insured, and state departments of insurance-approved, program for hearing care and hearing aids. EPIC HSP is the only insured hearing aid and related services product in the specialty care or benefits arena. EPIC offers options in the four tiers – from employee, to employee plus family – indemnified to pay the full benefit amount. Underwritten by Fidelity Security Life Insurance Company, this plan is approved and offered in 46 states to date. It provides coverage at various levels for hearing exams, hearing aids or both. Another program, SoundCareTM, is a charge-based plan underwritten by Ameritas Group Life Insurance Company. The SoundCare plan is approved in 46 states and provides coverage for exams, hearing aids and an annual maintenance allowance that can be used for batteries or accessories.
While discount plans and programs have been around for some time, it is EPIC Hearing Healthcare that is placing hearing and hearing care on the same value plane as vision, dental and other specialty healthcare concerns. The market can see true affordability and hearing care can achieve the same acceptance and demand status as other life senses in the health benefits marketplace.
Brad H. Volkmer, President/CEO
EPIC Hearing Healthcare
OP-ED
WHAT HEARING AIDS AND POWER TOOLS DO NOT HAVE IN COMMON
So you think you may need hearing aids. You see “deals” every day in the paper advertising hearing aids. Maybe you have been checking prices on the Internet. And then there are these mail-order devices that promise to work “miracles.” All your life you have been very careful with major decisions, always shopping for the best value. So what do you do now?
The best advice I can give, after more than 30 years in practice, is to forget about the hardware and concentrate on the software. In other words, getting the best hearing correction is much less about getting the right product than it is about getting the best individual help from experts who know how to make the most skillful use of these products. Nobody really wants a ¼-inch drill when they buy a power tool; what they really want is a ¼-inch hole. Similarly, no one really wants hearing aids. What they want is to hear better.
First, one very important question needs to be answered: Are hearing aids the most appropriate solution to your situation? The only way to correctly answer that question is with a thorough diagnostic hearing evaluation. And it is not just about getting some test results – it is the medical history, a personal interview and even input from significant others that must be considered. In some cases, earwax just needs to be removed. Occasionally symptoms and history point to a potentially serious medical condition. Your audiologist can provide this evaluation and point you in the right direction. Clinical audiologists possess the Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) degree (if they are recent graduates), or
they may possess a master’s degree or a Ph.D. if they graduated from their professional
programs some time ago.
If you are a candidate for hearing aids, you need a thorough assessment of communication needs and lifestyle requirements. In tandem with an audiologist, you will develop a list of realistic communication goals and adjust your expectations of what amplification can and cannot do. If you have cosmetic or financial concerns, an audiologist can help you to sort out which solutions will best address these concerns and will also explain the tradeoffs certain choices might require.
When the time comes for your hearing aid fitting, the best results will come from having your hearing aids programmed using real-ear measurements. This may be done with recorded or live speech, or with special acoustic signals that are measured in the ear canal after it has been amplified by the hearing aid. Real-ear measurements ensure that sounds will have just the right amount of audibility to make understanding speech as easy as possible. Because of large individual differences, just using a prescription based on entering test data into a computer will fall short of the best correction in most
cases. As evidence of this, the July 2009 Consumer Reports named finding a provider who uses real-ear tests as a critical factor in getting good results with hearing aids. All audiologists are trained in the administration and interpretation of real-ear measurement.
At the fitting appointment a great deal of time should also be devoted to orientation in the proper use of hearing aids, and in training you to learn the new skills required to hear well. After the initial fi tting, one or more follow-up visits within the first month or so will help to iron out any wrinkles, resolve problems that come up and reinforce the information and training provided at the fitting. Maintenance, such as deep-cleaning and servicing hearing aids, generally needs to be done at least twice a year for best results. Lastly, annual or biannual hearing checks can monitor changes that could require a modification in the hearing aid prescription, or other necessary action.
When shopping for hearing aids, it is most important to consider the whole picture – the process – of hearing correction. Don’t be lured by promises of low prices that don’t take into account adequate evaluation, follow-up and ongoing maintenance services. You may not come out ahead with that “cheap” hearing aid after all! And in this way, shopping for hearing aids is really not like shopping for power tools. With that drill there is no evaluation, follow-up, ongoing service or consultation required to successfully get that ¼-inch hole. With hearing aids, it is the services surrounding the product that make the difference between a great result and a mediocre result or downright failure.
The best strategy for better hearing is to shop for the best provider – the professional who can help you get the most value out of the equipment you purchase.
David A. Berkey, Au.D.
Past President of the Academy of
Doctors of Audiology
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