Hearing aids are assistive devices that help amplify sounds for individuals with hearing loss. Insurance companies may not cover the cost of these expensive devices. Hearing aids range in cost from several hundred to a couple thousand dollars, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology---Head and Neck Surgery. Several different types of hearing aids ranging from analog to digital and over-the-ear, to devices that fit inside the ear, all vary the cost of the device. Some agencies and organizations can help defray the cost of hearing aids or provide free devices.
Apply for Medicaid for children with hearing loss. Under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment service, Medicaid pays for diagnosis and treating hearing loss in eligible individuals under the age of 22, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. This service includes covering the cost of hearing aids.
Contact individual state health service programs to check for eligibility under the State Children's Health Insurance Program. This service may pay for hearing aids in children. Benefits vary from state to state with this program. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Public Health may also have programs available to eligible children.
Research civic and service organizations in the local area for donated hearing aids. The local phone book will have contact information. Many organizations, such as Lions Club International, Rotary Clubs and Kiwanis Clubs, collect used hearing aids and accept donations to assist in providing free hearing aids for individuals who cannot afford to purchase new devices. The clubs clean and service donated hearing aids before delivering them to individuals.
Get in touch with the Department of Veterans Affairs to receive free hearing aids for service members who sustained a service related-hearing loss. These hearing aids are loans from the VA, and service members need to return them when no longer in use, according to the organization.
Contact the Miracle-Ear Children's Foundation to receive information about getting a reconditioned hearing aid for free for eligible children under the age of 17. This program focuses on children who have a family income that does not qualify for public programs or assistance, but who are still financially needy. A financial disclosure is required for this program.
Apply for assistance with Hear Now, a national nonprofit program that provides reconditioned and new hearing aids for individuals who are financially needy.
- National Institite on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
- Department of Veterans Affairs: Your VA Hearing Aid
- Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center: Hearing Aids and Other Assistive Devices: Where to Get Assistance
- Starkey Hearing Foundation: Hear Now Program
- American Academy of Otolaryngology---Head and Neck Surgery