Beginning Monday, those who use hearing aids will be able to buy them directly off the shelves, potentially saving thousands of dollars on the devices.
The new category of hearing aids will be available in retail stores and online for a few hunded dollars, compared to some available only from audiologists that could cost upwards of $4,000.
Hearing aids for more severe hearing loss or for users younger than 18 years old remain prescription devices.
The fact that they are now available over the counter is a result of a 2017 federal law that has gone into effect. They will be sold in pharmacies and other retailers such as Walmart and Best Buy.
The aids are targeted for adults who have mild to moderate hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).
The program begins five years after the Food and Drug Administration Reauthorization Act of 2017 directed the FDA to create a category of OTC hearing aids for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss.
The FDA formally proposed a rule to establish the new OTC hearing aids category in 2021 and finalized it in August.
Walmart said it will offer an assortment of the hearing aids from $199 to $999 per pair. Initially, the devices will be available at Walmart stores in Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.
Best Buy will be selling nearly 20 devices, ranging from $200-$3,000 per pair.
Walgreens will be offering Lexie Lumen hearing aids at stores and Walgreens.com nationwide for $799.
The NIDCD says adults may have moderate hearing loss and may need the hearing aids if:
· Speech or other sounds seem muffled.
· You have trouble hearing when you’re in a group, in a noisy area, on the phone, or when you can’t see who is talking.
· You have to ask others to speak more slowly or clearly, to talk louder, or to repeat what they said.
· You turn up the volume higher than other people prefer when watching TV or listening to the radio or music.
The aids cost less, according to the NIDCD, partly because they do not bundle the services of an audiologist for a hearing evaluation, fitting and fine-tuning the device.
Consumers will set up their own over-the-counter devices, though they can get help online or on the phone.
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