NationsBenefits to Support Sam’s Club Hearing Centers, Supplanting Lucid
NationsBenefits is partnering with Sam’s Club to support hearing center operations, says a source with knowledge of the situation.)
:format(webp)){kind=logo}
NationsBenefits, which operates NationsHearing, is partnering with Sam’s Club to support the retailer’s hearing centers, a source with knowledge of the situation told HearingTracker. The arrangement could signal a significant shift away from Lucid Hearing’s longtime role in staffing and supporting Sam’s Club Hearing Centers, though Lucid products continue to appear in Sam’s Club’s consumer-facing hearing aid offerings.
Contrary to some industry rumors, Nations has not acquired Lucid Hearing, the Texas-based company that is a major manufacturer of OTC hearing aids and has operated about 450 Sam’s Club hearing centers since at least 2019.
The news sheds light after several weeks of signals and industry speculation about Lucid Hearing’s operational role at Sam’s Club. HearingTracker learned in December that Lucid would no longer manage Sam’s Club stores in China (about 60 locations). Public job postings from NationsBenefits also pointed to a possible transition in the United States, with the company hiring for full-time, onsite roles “within Sam’s Clubs across the United States,” with opportunities in multiple locations nationwide. The posting stated that clinicians would “program, fit, and verify hearing instruments, including new, premium technology from major manufacturers.”
Our source confirmed that NationsBenefits is taking over employment of hearing care providers at Sam’s Club locations, a task previously handled by Lucid. Providers are expected to include both existing Sam’s Club hearing care professionals and new hires as the partnership expands.
From a consumer-facing standpoint, little appears to have changed at this point. Lucid’s website continues to promote “Lucid Hearing Centers at Sam’s Club,” stating that consumers can visit more than 400 Sam’s Club locations for free hearing exams and for Lucid prescription and OTC hearing solutions. Likewise, the Sam’s Club website doesn’t appear to have changed its offerings, with Lucid prescription and Lexie OTC hearing aids still displayed.
:format(webp))
NationsHearing administers hearing aid and hearing services programs for health plan members, with public materials emphasizing access to a national provider network, annual hearing tests, and hearing aids from major brands. The company says its programs serve more than 12 million health plan members nationally. However, according to the source, the Sam’s Club arrangement represents a separate retail hearing-center partnership and is not related to NationsHearing’s existing managed-care benefit programs.
NationsHearing’s existing public materials emphasize access to hearing aids from major manufacturers, offering more than 1,200 makes and models through its hearing benefit and discount programs. If NationsBenefits ultimately brings a broader manufacturer-access model to Sam’s Club, that would differ from Lucid’s historical approach, which has focused only on Lucid-branded products. It would also position it more favorably against Sam’s Club’s major rival, Costco. However, the source declined to discuss product lineups, operational models, or marketing.
More details are expected to become public in the coming weeks. HearingTracker will update this story as additional information becomes available.
Karl Strom
Editor in ChiefKarl Strom is the editor-in-chief of HearingTracker. He was a founding editor of The Hearing Review and has covered the hearing aid industry for over 30 years.