Frequently Asked Questions

Medicare does not cover hearing aids or hearing aid fittings.

According to the Medicare website, Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers diagnostic hearing and balance exams if your Medicare-enrolled doctor or health care provider orders them to find out if you need medical treatment.

You can also see an audiologist once every 12 months without an order from your health care provider, but only for:

You can learn how to apply for VA health care benefits as a veteran or service member at va.gov.

According to the VA website, the VA can cover the cost of hearing aids.

Many clinics in the Audibel network do repair non-Audibel brand hearing aids. However, it’s best to check with your hearing provider first.

Your first appointment at one of our Audibel network clinics will most likely be a hearing consultation. You and one of our providers will sit down to discuss everything from your hearing itself to your lifestyle and everything in between. This initial appointment is an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the current state of your hearing.

All Audibel Network hearing clinics offer hearing consultations, quarterly hearing checks, annual hearing exams, and hearing aid repairs. That way, our professionals can be with you every step of the way from diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care.

NRR stands for noise reduction rating. It is a numerical rating that represents the maximum number of decibels (dB) of a hearing protection device (HPD) for which the intensity of noise can be reduced. Higher NRR values indicate greater sound reduction when these devices are worn correctly.

Hearing loss is permanent. However, there are exceedingly rare circumstances where hearing loss is temporary due to trauma, infection, or a medical condition. Temporary hearing loss may be reversed when the underlying condition is resolved.

Over-the-counter hearing aids are a great option for individuals with mild-to-moderate self-perceived hearing loss who are perhaps not ready to commit to a formal diagnosis or prescription devices. However, OTC hearing aids are not approved for individuals with moderate, severe, or profound hearing loss.

Veterans’ Affairs may cover services that your VA primary care provider concludes you need to support your treatment (called ancillary services), like audiology (care for hearing loss).

Yes. Certain hearing aids can help relieve tinnitus symptoms, especially if those symptoms are caused by hearing loss.

Currently, there is no known cure for tinnitus: nothing has been shown to actually make the sound stop. However, there are ways to manage tinnitus and provide relief. The ATA recommends that anyone with tinnitus should see a hearing professional about tinnitus.

The exact physical cause of tinnitus is still undetermined. However, there are many things that can cause tinnitus:

Tinnitus is the medical term used to describe the perception of sound when no actual external noise is present. While many refer to it as “ringing in the ear”, tinnitus can manifest in many ways including buzzing, hissing, swooshing and clicking.

To protect your hearing from loud noises, understanding “how loud is “too loud” for your ears is essential. It’s important to note however that it’s not just about how loud a sound is, but also how long you’re exposed to it. The following table outlines how long it can take specific dBA levels to start affecting your hearing.

For the most part, hearing loss is not preventable due to the underlying causes: age (the leading cause of hearing loss), disease, genetics, and injury.

However, hearing loss caused by exposure to overly loud noises (noise-induced hearing loss [NIHL]), which is the second leading cause of hearing loss, is preventable. Adopting healthy hearing habits at an early age can help prevent NIHL.

While it’s true many people associate hearing loss and hearing aids with aging, hearing loss can occur at any age. As of 2024, approximately 15% of American adults ages 18 and over report some trouble hearing.¹ 1 in 8 people in the United States ages 12 and over has hearing loss in both ears.² Recent studies suggest that an estimated 1 billion individuals ages 12-34 years are at an increased risk of noise-induced hearing loss voluntary unsafe recreational listening practices.³

References

1. Blackwell, DL; Lucas, JW; Clarke, TC (2014): Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2012 . National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat Feb:(260):1-161.
2. Lin, FR; Niparko, JK; Ferrucci, L (2011): Hearing loss prevalence in the United States. [Letter] Arch Intern Med. Nov 14;171(20):1851-2. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.506.
3. Lauren K Dillard, Malachi Ochieng Arunda, Lucero Lopez-Perez, Ricardo X Martinez, Lucía Jiménez, Shelly Chadha – Prevalence and global estimates of unsafe listening practices in adolescents and young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis: BMJ Global Health 2022;7:e010501.

Yes. In 2022, the FDA approved the manufacturing and sale of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids for perceived hearing loss. These devices can be bought online and in-store without a formal diagnosis or prescription from a hearing specialist.

The price of hearing aids depends on several factors: model, included features, technology, etc. Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids may cost as little as a few hundred dollars, whereas prescription hearing aids may cost as much as a few thousand.

It’s important to note, however, that OTC hearing aids are cheaper for the following reasons:

While single-sided hearing aids do exist specifically for individuals diagnosed with single-sided hearing loss, more often than not you will need hearing aids for both ears. After all, two-ear hearing (binaural) is better than one. Today’s technology allows for hearing aids to connect and work together to help balance your hearing in both ears.

As with any medical device, you will need to adjust to your new hearing aids. The adjustment period is temporary, and with a little patience and practice, you will gradually adapt to your new hearing aids.

Yes. There are many different types of hearing aids designed to treat the many types of hearing loss while meeting your lifestyle needs. The two major types are: 1) over-the-ear, and 2) in-the-ear.

Over-the-ear hearing aids include:

In-the-ear hearing aids include:

“Cure” is the wrong word when it comes to hearing loss. As of right now, there is no known cure for hearing loss, except in exceedingly rare circumstances where hearing loss is temporary due to trauma, infection, or a medical condition and the underlying condition has been resolved.

However, hearing aids are the best treatment option available for hearing loss. In fact, the newest generation of hearing aids can mimic the brain’s auditory cortex to process and produce sound quality that’s true-to-life.

In the simplest terms, hearing aids work like a microphone: picking up sound input, amplifying it, and sending it to a speaker in your ear. Of course, with today’s technology, that process has been much more refined and polished for a more true-to-life sound quality in a discreet package.

Audiologists, otolaryngologists, and hearing aid specialists work in many types of settings, including:

However, the easiest way to find a hearing specialist near you is with our Find a Clinic tool.

When it comes to hearing loss, you may encounter 1 of 3 different professionals: otolaryngologists, audiologists, and hearing aid specialists.

“Cure” is the wrong word when it comes to hearing loss. As of right now, there is no known cure for hearing loss, except in exceedingly rare circumstances where hearing loss is temporary due to trauma, infection, or a medical condition. In these instances, sometimes surgery or medication may resolve the underlying condition and reverse any temporary hearing loss.

For instance, if hearing loss is caused by damage to the outer ear, reconstructive surgery may resolve hearing loss. Similarly, if hearing loss is caused by an infection and medication is prescribed for the infection, the medication may resolve the resultant hearing loss as well.

Yes. There are many different types of hearing loss, which are categorized by the cause of the hearing loss. However, there are 3 main types of hearing loss:

Many things can cause hearing loss. The most common are:

In most cases, aside from sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), hearing loss occurs gradually over time. As a result, it can be difficult to notice that you have hearing loss until it’s too late. What’s more, friends and family often learn to accommodate hearing loss, without even realizing they are doing it. But if you find the people around you tend to repeat themselves, complain that the TV volume is too loud, or you simply struggle to follow group conversations, you may want to schedule a hearing appointment.