I need Hearing aids ..

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

I failed the test and now I need to get hearing aids.

Sam's club is wanting me to buy the ENG 32 by Liberty for 1 single $1,398.00(4 yr. warranty) or 1 pair $2,800.00(4 yr. warranty), it's less if I go with a 1 yr. warranty $1,990.00 a pair.

Has anyone bought from Sears or Costco for a similar hearing aid?? PLease let me know. TIA

 

[cookingqueen123]

Get a second or even third opinion. My dad says everyone fails those screenings.

 

[Ranger111]

Get a second or even third opinion. My dad says everyone fails those screenings.

IF you KNOW you have significant hearing problems -- or others tell you do....then, of course you need to do something.

However, about those tests....

So true about everyone failing. I was in my early 20's when my job changed health insurance companies and they made a big deal about getting preventive check-ups.

It was some weird plan. You could only go to doctors who I might say, were on the less than good side of town.

So, I go in and they give this big screening. I had lots wrong....including my hearing and I needed hearing aids immediately.

As I remember, the screening consisted of a nurse (maybe it was a receptionist ) whispering in my ear.

Of course said hearing aids were many hundreds of dollars. Funny, co-workers who went to that doctor also had lots of things wroing with them, including hearing.

Move ahead a few decades and I still don't have hearing aids and somehow I survived even all the maladies they diagnosed.

 

[Yougotit]

Our DS has worn hearing aids since he was 2 (he's 11 now). His hearing aids have (both sets.. we replace every 5 years) come directly from the audiologist's office but Costco is highly recommended in the hearing impaired community here, and we always buy our hearing aid batteries there (GREAT value)
Good luck to you

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

I agree that you will want to get a 2nd opinion. Go to a reputable audiologist office and not a retail store and see what their results are and what they have to offer you. If you need aids you will want to be able to go to someone that is flexible with adjustments because when you first get them there will be lots and lots of tweaking to get the settings right and you will want at least a 30 day trial period to see if the pair you choose is the right pair for you.

I have seen many people say good things about Costco. I personally have never used them because my loss is a very rare type so I need an audiologist that is very specialized in setting and working with the aids to get them to work for me. I have to go through lots of trials to get a pair that I can tolerate. I basically need the aids to do the opposite of what they were designed to do so I am a challenge for the audiologist! If you have a normal hearing loss Costco may very well work for you. Make sure you can try them out though!

 

[bumbershoot]

Sam's club is wanting me to buy the ENG 32 by Liberty for 1 single $1,398.00(4 yr. warranty) or 1 pair $2,800.00(4 yr. warranty), it's less if I go with a 1 yr. warranty $1,990.00 a pair.

My question is...what does the warranty do for you?

 

[3happydancers]

I failed the test and now I need to get hearing aids.

Sam's club is wanting me to buy the ENG 32 by Liberty for 1 single $1,398.00(4 yr. warranty) or 1 pair $2,800.00(4 yr. warranty), it's less if I go with a 1 yr. warranty $1,990.00 a pair.

Has anyone bought from Sears or Costco for a similar hearing aid?? PLease let me know. TIA

My DH just got fitted for hearing aides however, we did not use Costco or Sams Club (and we are members of Costco). To be honest, we did not know Costco offered this service. DH went to an audiologist for testing and then a second who specialized in fitting. I'm not sure of the brand he has. He's only had them a week. This is what I can share:

Cost: $5400.00 for both ears (a necessity in his case).

Includes: -unlimited adjustments and batteries at no charge
-45 days to switch out if these are not comfortable or does not meet
his needs as many times as needed within this period of time.
-2 year warranty which covers accidental damage and/or loss. 4 year
was not an option.

Our insurance picked up $3000.00 of the cost and the audiologist gave us a $400.00 credit so our out of pocket expense is $2000.00. We are using Care Credit financing at zero percent for one year.

Honestly, if you can, I would get a second opinion, especially if you were not given specifics. DH went for 3 separate screenings which were compared before determining he had a 50% loss of hearing. The audiologist also explained that his loss was with high pitch sounds. The audiologist was very specific about where the loss was and the percentage.

Good Luck!

 

[fieldssu]

I also have a single hearing aid. One ear is basically normal. The other has some frequencies which are normal, and others at which I am 'profoundly deaf'. This happened overnight for me in December of 2012. I saw an ENT and audiologist at his office, and they couldn't find a reason. After nine months they agreed to sell me a hearing aid.

I got a 'mid-range' aid, and it was $2,800. They had one less and one more in this line (Phonak), but she said this was the best one for me. If it hadn't worked, I could have exchanged or even returned (re-stocking fee would have applied). I also have unlimited adjustments, and I received 80 batteries with the aid.

My hearing aid has multiple 'programs' - normal, driving, restaurants, and music. I could have had volume control instead, or purchased a remote to give me both. Basically there are lots of choices, and you should find someone you feel comfortable working with and is preferably on your insurance.

Unfortunately, non of the hearing-aid was covered by insurance, but the doctor's visits and audiologist visits were covers (as a specialist). I had a co-pay, plus about $5.00 for tests that weren't completely covered.

 

[NotUrsula]

If the test was not done in a full blind soundproof room by a licensed audiologist, don't purchase anything until you have such a test done. Without a sound booth ambient noise can interfere with proper scoring.

If your insurance will not cover some of the cost, consider using your FSA to tax-abate your cost.

 

[CTdiznymom]

My mom got her hearing aids from the audiology dept. of her local hospital.

 

[disneychrista]

I can not believe how expensive earring aids are. I have wanted to get my hearing tested but I am not even sure if my insurance covers this or not. Is this normally covered under a health plan or under a dental/vision plan or do you have to audiology coverage specifically?

 

[smidgy]

unfortunatel most insurance plans, even medicare, don't cover hearing aids. my husband has had them since he was 18., (needed them earlier)...

amazing how the prices of electronics.. ie, tvs. vcrs (oops , got so cheap they dont' exist anymore) dvd players, computers, smart phones, etc etc. have gone down so much.. .. hearing aids?? nope.

 

[smidgy]

do not just go with "miracle ear' or any other "advertised" product. make sure you check in with a liscensed audiologist, and DO!! compare prices.

In Illinois, we like Hearnig help Express(Huntley)


also, hearing aid batteries aren't cheap either!

 

[mguilford1]

Most insurance companies do not cover hearing aids unless your workplace asks for this benefit to be added! My doctor was shocked that mine covered it, he thought I was a goverment employee to have the insurance. My hearing aids were about $8000 dollars and I had a $2000 deductible for the year. I can get new ones once every 5 years. If the extra warranty covers everything including accidental damage I might get it if you can afford it, but then again $800 extra or 40% of the cost that seems high! One tip my doctor told me...never leave them on a night stand if you have animals because they like to eat them?! I make sure I put mine in the box everynight!!!

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

To answer some questions:
Yes the Doctor is a Licensed Doctor of Audiology and the test took over 30 mins. In a soundproof room.

I am 55% deaf in my Left ear and 52% in right.
I do have trouble hearing things clearly and can not hear things most of the time when someone is talking behind me. High pitches drive me crazy, and low sound are very muffled.
I have no insurance (got stuck in progresses with Obama Care).
The warranty for 4 or 1 year covers - if I do not like them and I can switch them with a different kind . Breakage, replace batteries. Or Loss.

This is very stressful time for me, and you all have helped so much, I hope you had a wonderful Easter. God Bless and THANK YOU AGAIN

 

[mom2mikel]

My Dad has worn hearing aids as long as I can remember. He just went to Costco and got a great deal (2 for about $2000) and so far, he is very pleased with the quality.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

To answer some questions:
Yes the Doctor is a Licensed Doctor of Audiology and the test took over 30 mins. In a soundproof room.

I am 55% deaf in my Left ear and 52% in right.
I do have trouble hearing things clearly and can not hear things most of the time when someone is talking behind me. High pitches drive me crazy, and low sound are very muffled.
I have no insurance (got stuck in progresses with Obama Care).
The warranty for 4 or 1 year covers - if I do not like them and I can switch them with a different kind . Breakage, replace batteries. Or Loss.

This is very stressful time for me, and you all have helped so much, I hope you had a wonderful Easter. God Bless and THANK YOU AGAIN

If your loss is the type where high pitches drive you crazy then your high frequency range is probably fine. This is where most people lose their hearing first (this is where noise damage and age will cause the loss) and where most aids are designed to pick up sound. Sounds like you have more of a "reverse slope" or a "cookie bite" loss which would be a little more like mine and more rare. I have above normal hearing in the high frequencies, a severe loss in the mid-range (where most talking is) and mid-moderate loss in the low frequency. This is a more rare type of loss and because of that there is very little research done toward this type. Hearing aids are designed to do the opposite of what I need them to do. 80% of my "hearing" comes from lip reading/body language.

If this is what you have I highly urge you to go to an actual audiologists office and not a retail store. You will need to have a good one on one relationship with a set audiologist that understands your type of loss and can work with you. You will need to be able to try out possibly many different brands of aids. In a retail store like Costco you are pretty much stuck with one brand and I don't think you will find what you need. I have had to go through several different brands and styles before I could find an aid that I could tolerate with the high frequencies. I have to go through that process every 5-8 years when I need to replace it too. Key is having a good relationship with an audiologist!

Insurance companies very rarely cover hearing aids so Obamacare has zero to do with that. I have been wearing hearing aids for 20 years (I'm 42) and I've had various insurance plans during that time and they've never been covered. My dad has worn aids since he was in his 20's as well and never had coverage either. The cost has always been around $4000-5000 for a pair for me and needed to be replaced every 5-8 years. The more wax you have could lessen the life of the aid.

Also PP mentioned never leaving them out if you have pets and that is true! They will eat them, especially if the aid is whistling! My dad has found this out the hard way! Another concern is the small batteries. If these batteries are swallowed by a pet or child they are deadly!

 

[bumbershoot]

The warranty for 4 or 1 year covers - if I do not like them and I can switch them with a different kind . Breakage, replace batteries. Or Loss.

So 3 years into the 4 year warranty you can say "I don't like this" and get a new type?

Breakage and loss makes sense for a warranty.

But including batteries sounds more like a service plan. Have you researched how often you will change batteries and how much your exact batteries will cost? I'd look at that and compare it to the extended warranty cost.

(I have no *advice* other than to really research this. Once I get up the courage to get my ears checked I'll be going this route, and these are the questions I have for myself.

A friend of mine had hearing aids, and it seemed like she got batteries every week. Batteries are a significant cost!)

 

[fieldssu]

My battery needs to be replaced about once a week. I have priced them, and they are a little less than a dollar each if I buy them in a 24 pack or so. That can definitely add up. I try to turn it off when I take it out at night or to go swimming to extend the battery life.

 

[3happydancers]

So 3 years into the 4 year warranty you can say "I don't like this" and get a new type?

Breakage and loss makes sense for a warranty.

But including batteries sounds more like a service plan. Have you researched how often you will change batteries and how much your exact batteries will cost? I'd look at that and compare it to the extended warranty cost.

(I have no *advice* other than to really research this. Once I get up the courage to get my ears checked I'll be going this route, and these are the questions I have for myself.

A friend of mine had hearing aids, and it seemed like she got batteries every week. Batteries are a significant cost!)

Bumbershoot, when you do look into hearing aids, know that you can find places that will include ALL batteries at no cost and no service charge. My DH just got his through Ear Works and I am very grateful that we will not have to pay for a single battery! (So far, yesterday marked 10 days and he is still on his first set of batteries). He makes sure he opens the battery case every night which helps to preserve the battery life.