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How to Talk About Financing Options with Your Audiologist or Hearing Care Provider
When a patient leaves the hearing aid clinic with sticker shock and never returns, nobody wins.)
Veröffentlicht am Jun 8, 2023
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Are you uncomfortable about the prospect of discussing the price of a new set of hearing aids with your provider, knowing they can cost anywhere from $1,200 to as much as $8,000? If so, you’re not alone.
Few of us enjoy haggling over the price of medical services. Especially in a clinical setting where a credentialed medical professional is sitting in front of you recommending a product or treatment path that they've just proven you need. Many of us may feel intimidated or reluctant to ask for less expensive options.
If it’s any consolation, most audiologists and hearing aid specialists don’t find it pleasurable discussing their costs either. That’s because the vast majority got into the hearing care profession to help people—and not to take part in what might be perceived as high-pressure sales pitches. And all of them are very aware hearing aids can be expensive or even unaffordable for many people.
In fact, many provide free hearing tests as a matter of course, and there’s no obligation to buy hearing aids even if you need them. But once you’re in the office with diagnosed hearing loss, you may feel some subtle pressure to take the next step.
(You may have also already had plenty of unsubtle pressure from your spouse or loved ones tired of repeating themselves. And you may have read articles about hearing loss and its links to a wide range of chronic illnesses, including dementia.)
But then you see the price tag. The average cost for a pair of hearing aids is around $4,700. You can be forgiven for experiencing sticker shock.
Unfortunately, all too often the patient’s journey to better hearing ends right there. It’s all too easy to say you need some time to think it over and beat a hasty retreat, never to return.
But there’s a better way to manage the money discussion with your provider and get the hearing assistance you need. Planning in advance for a negotiation, even if you’re heading to the clinic for a free hearing test, will help you get the conversation off on the right foot:
The days when health professionals could intimidate patients and dictate care without providing transparent information about costs and outcomes are long gone. The best hearing care providers are not only committed to giving patients the best clinical care possible but are also happy to work with patients to find solutions they can afford.
And remember, hearing healthcare is a competitive marketplace, with an ever-growing variety of products and services. If you’re not happy with the service, products, pricing, or financing options available at the first practice you visit, don’t be afraid to shop around.
There are plenty of options out there. For a review of the best ones, read HearingTracker's A Guide to Paying for Hearing Aids.
David Copithorne ist ein langjähriger Blogger zum Thema Hörverlust und regelmäßiger Mitwirkender bei Hearing Tracker. Im Jahr 2002 erlitt er eine plötzliche und schwere Hörverlust. Seitdem hat er sich der Weitergabe wertvoller Informationen gewidmet, die er auf seinem Weg gelernt hat.
