hearing aids

[AreWeThereYet0]

So my father, 86 years old, needs hearing aids. Last time we went through this the doctor said that they would cost 5K and he got them and he said that they were uncomfortable and did not work well. I know that there are tons of companies online that offer hearing amplifiers with money back guarantees. I am a little hesitant to try any without someone telling me about a positive experience that that have had with a company. I know that he should get the expensive pair from a doctor but he is stubborn and that is just not going to happen. I need to make the best of this situation. His shouting when we spend time together literally gives me migraines. Some companies online offer generous return policies that they may or may not stand behind. Has anyone been through this before and have any recommendations of companies or specific products that I should consider and companies or products that I should avoid? I believe that the budget would be limited to around 1K or less. Any input at all would be greatly appreciated. If this is not the right forum for this please feel free to relocate it.
Thanks.

 

[braumeister]

Many people here have been very satisfied with Costco. Have you checked them out?

 

[Spock]

Stay away from Miracle-Ear. They "loaned" Dad a pair to try but it was really a $7000 credit app to purchase with a 30 day return policy. Now Dad should have known better that nobody is going to let you just walk out the door with a $6000 pair of hearing aids, but I looked over the paperwork and it violates Truth in Lending Act notification to clearly disclose the credit terms (and he would have paid cash if he knew he was buying them).

Otherwise, he's currently using a pair from Sam's Club... I can't judge the quality but he gets great walk-in service to get them cleaned/adjusted.


He's asked me to check into prices at Costco as he has deteriorated and wants to replace the current pair. I'll see if I can get a set with bluetooth to link directly to his phone and TV.

 

[AreWeThereYet0]

He is not very mobile or patient so I was hoping for something that I could mail order however you have provided me with some good ideas. Thank you.

 

[mystang52]

I have a pair of Costco hearing aids. I did my research, at the time I first needed them 2+ years ago and based on that joined Costco. I have been very happy with them, AND the service at Costco (e.g., free follow-up visits to re-test hearing, free adjustments to hearing aids, and low cost for battery replacements). The pair cost me 2500 or so.

 

[Teacher Terry]

My friend used Costco and is very satisfied. I think he paid 1600 for 2.

 

[6miths]

Costco definitely. Free testing. Very good hearing aids. Low cost. Great return and replacement policy. DW and I both have used Costco.

 

[googily]

Costco. I've worn hearing aids for 20 years and have had to deal with ultra-expensive audiologists, but when my then 83-year-old father needed hearing aids I sent him right to Costco and it worked great for him.

(I was ready to make the break myself with my next pair, but Phonak has just now announced the impending arrival of a new line of HAs that finally work with Android phones/Bluetooth, without any intermediate devices. No way I'm waiting the extra year or 18 months for Costco to get a version of them. Which means I'll soon be posting about them in the Blow That Dough! thread. )

 

[TwoByFour]

I recently got hearing aids and looked into Costco. The aids they had did not do what I wanted so I got them elsewhere. I paid more for them but hearing aids are not really a commodity like buying a pair of shoes. One thing I wanted is for them to work well with my iPhone and Costco ones didn't. I want the hearing aids to be speakers to my iPhone for everything I do on it, especially talking on the phone. I also wanted to be able to adjust volume of the aids with my iPhone. I got all this with the pair I bought elsewhere.

As it turns out it was the right thing to do - my ear canals have an odd shape to them and stock ear buds would not fit in without soon getting painful, which I did not find out until I wore them for a while. The place I got them, they worked with the manufacturer to make custom earbuds for me, at no cost. I doubt Costco would have built custom ear buds for me.

 

[donheff]

DW and I just bought hearing aids at Costco on Friday. I paid $2500 for Resound aids that better match my hearing loss. But many people will be fine with the Kirkland Signature aids (Rexton) for about $1600. Check his Medigap plan to see if hearing aids are covered. My health plan paid the entire cost. Both my Resounds and the Signature Rextons have good iPhone apps. I was walking around in the store testing mine when a phone call came in and almost made me jump out of my shoes.

 

[DatumPoint5]

This may or may not be a viable option, but, I just recently downloaded a "free app" for my iPhone that is entitled simply "Hearing Amp". Just install it as an app, point the "bottom" of your iPhone into the room, or, at the TV. It will try to automatically adjust itself for the ambient noise. Works great for me instead of using "TV Ears" because I can use it in any room and not just where my TV is...........

 

[bizlady]

This may or may not be a viable option, but, I just recently downloaded a "free app" for my iPhone that is entitled simply "Hearing Amp". Just install it as an app, point the "bottom" of your iPhone into the room, or, at the TV. It will try to automatically adjust itself for the ambient noise. Works great for me instead of using "TV Ears" because I can use it in any room and not just where my TV is...........

DH can't hear on TV's well, so thanks for this tip!

 

[misshathaway]

I got the Resound from Costco a year ago. Bought the cheapest Costco membership to do it, which I will let expire since I haven't found much in a year that, for me, justifies continued membership. I got the aids cleaned for free recently, but they really don't need much maintenance.

I got the Resound Forte for the iPhone integration, which has been seamless. When a phone call comes in, it switches to the aids. In the car the car bluetooth gets the audio. In a waiting room, no extra headphones needed for podcasts - just redirect the audio to the aids.

If you are an audiophile and your hearing correction is mostly for speech (higher freq) you might not be thrilled by the audio quality when playing media from the phone. There are ways you can adjust it in the ReSound app. I have gotten used to it, but I only listen to spoken word, not music. This is a problem, to some extent, with most hearing aids.

 

[gerntz]

For DW, Costco was 40% of cost vs. elsewhere.

 

[timo2]

I bought mine at Costco. They had a two year warranty (now expired). During the warranty period the microphones quit working (I mistakenly wore them while moving furniture and sweating profusely). They replaced them promptly. Plus the service has been great. I recommend them.

 

[ChrisC]

DW and I just bought hearing aids at Costco on Friday. I paid $2500 for Resound aids that better match my hearing loss. But many people will be fine with the Kirkland Signature aids (Rexton) for about $1600. Check his Medigap plan to see if hearing aids are covered. My health plan paid the entire cost. Both my Resounds and the Signature Rextons have good iPhone apps. I was walking around in the store testing mine when a phone call came in and almost made me jump out of my shoes.

I'm looking to navigate off my GEHA-HDHP plan this upcoming FEHB open season, and I probably need hearing aids. What plan do you have?

 

[friar1610]

Is your Dad a veteran? I understand a lot of vets get them free from the VA. I don't know any details on how the system works for this but just thought I'd mention it as one potential source.

 

[donheff]

I'm looking to navigate off my GEHA-HDHP plan this upcoming FEHB open season, and I probably need hearing aids. What plan do you have?

i have GEHA standard. It covers $2500 every 3 years. BCBS covers more but costs more.

 

[tessaduncan]

Costco!
Got my Phonaks 3 years ago, both for $2500. Six month money-back trial period with a 3 year warranty, cleaning, reprogramming and all supplies (but batteries) included. Just took them in for a ‘tune-up’ before warranty expired (Actually I goofed and was two months late but they ignored that) and they replaced everything but the outside case at no cost. They’re almost completely new and I expect another 3 years or more from these.

 

[Hermit]

I got Costco hearing aids a couple of years ago. They have not been that good. The right one screeches and makes it unpleasant to use them. My kids say I can hear better. I only wear them when I have guests or when I go to town. After many attempts at correcting the issue, Costco sent the right one in, but the screeching still is there. One of the problems is that I have to make an appointment for service. That means a special trip to town and that takes an entire day. I lost the left one and Costco replaced it at no cost. They told me if I lost the right one, I would get another for free too. I might try another Costco set in a couple more years. They would have to connect to blue tooth directly first. I won't go to an expensive hearing aid place. I watched my Dad go through that cost and agony too many times.

 

[wolf]

I got the Resound from Costco a year ago. Bought the cheapest Costco membership to do it, which I will let expire since I haven't found much in a year

FYI. You don't have to be a member. In our case, Mother needed hearing aid.

Long as family member has Costco membership, You can purchase hearing aid

and have adjustments as long as you want.

Costco has great service.

 

[Lawrencewendall]

Is your Dad a veteran? I understand a lot of vets get them free from the VA. I don't know any details on how the system works for this but just thought I'd mention it as one potential source.

I'll let you know. Just found out that VA covers them and TriCare does not. I did not know it but there is a VA outpatient clinic less than a mile away. I have my new patient appointment the first week of December and my audiology appointment 2 weeks later. The lady on the phone said VA covers them because military service is almost always subject to various harsh/loud sounds/noises. I guess getting yelled at all the time will do that.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Minnesota is the home of several hearing aid manufacturers. There is a relatively new company here, Intricon, that is shaking up the industry by offering lower cost hearing aids. They even endorsed a plan for hearing aids to be sold over the counter, direct to consumers.

Hearing-aid makers have differing takes on OTC sales option - StarTribune.com

Intricon is positioning themselves as the leader in value based hearing aids. I believe for people with little or moderate hearing loss the future will be low cost hearing aids that you buy over the counter or online. This is what has happened to eyeglasses in the past ten to fifteen years. I haven't bought a pair of eyeglasses from a brick and mortar shop since 2006. I haven't paid more than $69 for glasses since then, and this includes progressive lenses.

Decades ago I was a repair technician at Starkey Labs (the largest US based hearing aid manufacturer) and I was astounded at the relative unsophistication of the circuitry inside the aids. Yet, because people need these devices to hear they can be charged thousands of dollars. I have a good friend that worked at Phonak for decades (just retired in March) and he says there might be $5 worth of circuitry in today's hearing aids. The rest of the cost comes from R&D, the dealer visit, custom fitting in the ear, warranties, and the exorbitant profit markups.

It just astounds me that you can buy a 50" 4K HDTV with a remote control for $399 but a set of hearing aids that has less technology than what's inside the TV's remote cost $5,000!

This is going to change and I believe Intricon is leading that change. I wish I could help the OP with the search for hearing aids but I thought I'd throw this out there for discussion. Maybe try to find a dealer that sells Intricon devices?

Disclosure: I own 100 shares of Intricon stock.

 

[jpeter1093]

This may or may not be a viable option, but, I just recently downloaded a "free app" for my iPhone that is entitled simply "Hearing Amp". Just install it as an app, point the "bottom" of your iPhone into the room, or, at the TV. It will try to automatically adjust itself for the ambient noise. Works great for me instead of using "TV Ears" because I can use it in any room and not just where my TV is...........

Could you please check the app name? I don't find an app in the store just called "Hearing Amp". Thanks!

 

[Chuckanut]

I don't know if this company has been mentioned. Prices start at around $500 per ear. I have not used this company and have no idea how good or bad they are.

https://www.ihearmedical.com/