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Buck_Thorn t1_isp30ed wrote

Good. There are too many scammy hearing aid specialists.

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CapeMOGuy t1_isrmutj wrote

Trump signed a bill allowing OTC hearing aids way back in 2017. It's insane and maddening that the federal govt (FDA) moves so slowly that it took until 2022 for this to finally happen. I also credit Biden for getting this across the finish line.

https://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/government-verify/law-that-passed-in-2017-paved-the-way-for-over-the-counter-hearing-aids/536-ffb3b7a0-1374-46dd-8d46-132c1ef6919d#:~:text=Yes%2C%20a%20law%20that%20passed,aids%20available%20over%20the%20counter.

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Extra-Process-9394 t1_issz247 wrote

The FDA is overloaded and underfunded unfortunately. Their focus was certainly on COVID for the past few years but I definitely hear your complaints and agree

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_Blackstar t1_ist7t83 wrote

Still hate Trump, but glad to hear he did something not sucky for a change.

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ShotgunForFun t1_isv0957 wrote

The administration did some good, the clown they had tweeting and golfing did none of that... and the jokes he appointed and then fired, and then rehired, and the ones who got arrested... that's the issue we'll have to deal with for decades. Just like the last actor President.

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SafetyMan35 t1_isqpu82 wrote

I’m mixed on this at the moment.

On the plus side, increased competition will lower costs and drive innovation which is good.

On the negative, with the players currently planning on getting into this market (Sony, Bose) I can see unnecessary features being added just to set themselves apart from the competition (add more checkboxes to the packaging). This will also add complexity (something that the elderly (including me) don’t need). All these “extra features” may add additional costs.

I am waiting to see the outcome.

EDIT: I also hope that the cheap manufacturers don’t come in and swamp the market with “as seen on tv” garbage for $19.99 at Walmart. I could see someone like my mom buying that crap and that doing long term damage.

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parachuteoverbible t1_isr4edn wrote

Big plus is for people who have low to medium hearing loss and didn’t have access to healthcare. Quality of life goes up with hearing and literally gives people their lives back.

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tossme68 t1_ist90sp wrote

even if they do have health care a lot don't include hearing aids including medicare -can you believe that medicare doesn't cover hearing? Anyway, for under $1000 it's going to help a whole lot of people.

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salgat t1_isr5lbr wrote

At least in the short term prices have plummeted, with some going for as low as $200. Keep in mind it's difficult to get insurance to cover this, even if you have legitimate hearing loss, so this is huge for many folks who were looking at paying thousands in the past.

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machinegunsyphilis t1_it3m8ii wrote

Oof, this hurts after paying around $2000 for mine lol. But I'm happy it's lower now for future people :)

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38563856 t1_isrmntk wrote

Canada here. I was quoted $6000 for a pair of hearing aids to order from an audiologist. NOPE.

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vasya349 t1_issgrsz wrote

Well now you can come here and get some for 200$!

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crazy_gambit t1_isqwh7g wrote

At least the Sony ones are already out. I'm on mobile, so you're on your own for a link though.

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SnowinMiami t1_iss8k2u wrote

And then you have my 95 year old mom. It’s taken us five years to get her to finally agree to get a hearing aid which she won’t wear. Cost her $3,000. A lot for a person on a fixed income.

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marsman t1_iss6jeo wrote

> I can see unnecessary features being added just to set themselves apart from the competition (add more checkboxes to the packaging). This will also add complexity (something that the elderly (including me) don’t need). All these “extra features” may add additional costs.

For a lot of younger people with hearing issues, things like bluetooth connectivity and app control have made a massive difference with current gen hearing aids, I'd suggest it's more likely that you simply end up seeing more choice, with devices targeted at specific markets. I seriously can't see more suppliers of hearing aids resulting in an increase in the price tbh.. Certainly not from where they are already..

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Teej92 t1_isrdglh wrote

Right? I told my mom about this news and she wants to get some. She really values my opinion on all things tech, but I have no idea which way to point her. It’s still a decent amount of money for her.

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FantasticalRose t1_issldo0 wrote

Costco probably is your best bet

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Teej92 t1_issq1kd wrote

I’m nowhere near a Costco; I’ve never been to one. I was hoping the Best Buy ones might be a good in between option when they come out.

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FantasticalRose t1_isst0aa wrote

I'm actually really interested what region do you live in that is nowhere near a Costco but has a best buy.

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Teej92 t1_issvhbo wrote

I’m in the northeast, the nearest Costco is like 4 hours away

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FantasticalRose t1_issuhhl wrote

Also she still needs to have them properly adjusted by an audiologist. If you want the best results.

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Teej92 t1_ist1hxu wrote

I think I heard Best Buy was planning on having people available to fit and adjust them properly. My mom had a pair once that was around $7k. It cost her a lot of her savings and they just stopped working. The place she got them from said something about ‘she probably messed w them and broke them’ and basically refused to honor the contract to replace them.

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Steelemagnolia t1_isrfaf5 wrote

There can and likely will be products for different price points though

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dollerhide t1_isrg06f wrote

I have to imagine that if I was a hearing aid user, finding out that Bose was going to start making them would make me pretty happy.

But yes, intuitive app design will me crucial.

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IOnlyRedditAtWorkBE t1_issxxqz wrote

>I could see someone like my mom buying that crap and that doing long term damage.

That is the big problem here. Without proper implementation, the chance these will do damage is very high. And there won't be anyone in costco or wallmart giving proper instructions to users.

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moijo t1_isp0cj5 wrote

Find them just next to the bullets at supermarket

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shamefulthoughts1993 t1_isqncpm wrote

This doesn't make me happy. It enrages me that something like hearing aids are being used to financially drain people.

Fuck American healthcare. Selfish, greedy pieces of shit.

I'm agnostic, but I hope to God that hell exists so that the people who had a hand in making these decisions can fucking fry for eternity bc of shit like this.

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FawksyBoxes t1_isqxd8j wrote

... I mean I bet they are cheaper than prescription ones. Which will force the price down.

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skeptivore t1_ispfouo wrote

Great! Now do eyeglasses.

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kmo9e t1_ispkwee wrote

You have been able to buy glasses otc for a long time if you’re not picky about how accurate they are.

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Plantas666 t1_isq34h3 wrote

I thought they only sold reading glasses without a prescription? That's all I've ever seen. Nothing for people with myopia.

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Skyblacker t1_isrbod4 wrote

You can buy prescription glasses online.

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Plantas666 t1_isrbsiv wrote

You defenitely need a prescription to buy them online. Even for the cheap ass places

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Skyblacker t1_isrc0ut wrote

And an eye exam is, what, forty bucks?

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Plantas666 t1_isrdz2p wrote

Yeah if you see a doctor and get a prescription it's literally not OTC is what I'm saying. Idk what your going on about

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achillymoose t1_isrjk35 wrote

Zennis are accurate and cheap as dirt. I haven't gotten glasses anywhere else since I stopped buying from optical shops

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tinyverbose t1_isr9cyy wrote

I fully support easier access to glasses, but prescriptions ensure that people get the proper correction for their visual needs, which needs to be done on a custom basis. There’s an argument to be made for having prescriptions last longer, but eye exams also provide valuable insight into the health of a persons eyes beyond their need for glasses. IMO the problem here (as with many healthcare issues in the US) is a lack of access and coverage for important healthcare services.

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Skyblacker t1_isrbxik wrote

I think the above comment refers to websites like Zenni. The glasses are a fraction of the price, but you still need a prescription from an in person eye exam that's like $40.

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tinyverbose t1_isrgkjp wrote

yes, the prescription is what allows the lenses to be custom to your vision

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ScientistNo906 t1_isrm1fu wrote

Didn't have a good experience with Zenni, lens distorted my vision. Sent them back, they sent me another pair with same distortion. Tossed them.

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tinyverbose t1_isrq54a wrote

this is basically the gamble anyone takes when ordering from zenni/other online retailers - the measurements and adjustments that the opticians make at the eye doctors office create a custom fit for your glasses. When you order a pair online, a lot of this process can’t be performed to the same standard. For most people with low/relatively normal prescriptions, this doesn’t really make much of a difference. But for those with larger amounts of refractive error, small adjustments can make a big difference and it can be hard to get that right online.

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Cranberry_Glade t1_issxn4x wrote

Agreed. There's no way I could just walk in and get OTC glasses, with my screwy prescription. Glasses have been, somewhat least, more affordable and better covered by insurance than hearing aids have been. You can't just skimp in and buy something off the rack and hope you'd be able to see.

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InGenAche t1_iss5148 wrote

Are glasses expensive where you are? Here in the UK, not usually covered by the NHS, glasses are relatively cheap, the test and two 'fashionable' pairs around £300.

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mason240 t1_isu6bsd wrote

Buying eyeglasses in the US is nothing like hearing aids. You can get them online cheap as you can tolerate - I have a backup pair that was $50.

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kadinshino t1_isrkywb wrote

this is really cool but at the same time Im kinda conflicted on this. On one hand this is amazing for people that need access to hearing aids. But on the other hand....if you don't get hearing aids that are properly adjusted and maintained, you can actually end up with worse hearing damage.

Happened to my dad. He started off with budget hearing aids from Costco. They cost around 600$ with a test from an audiologist in 2016 "I believe this is still different than what is being offered now with the new plan"

it turns out there was a frequency that he couldn't quite pick up but was constantly hammering his eardrums causing an eventual tear and further deterioration of his eardrum. he couldn't hear the damage per se, but he could feel it over time.

After a few years of use and worsening hearing damage, he finally went to a top-end 2018 audiologist and got "those 6000$" pair. "though that includes 1 free replacement and yearly adjustments + hardware updates if need"

IRC i last looked and i think the same pair was roughly 4000$ in today's money "still horribly expensive" but at some point you have to think, is it better to spend more for something that can greatly affect your life?

there's some insane technology and testing that goes into making sure they are just perfect for the wearer.

Well fast-forward to 2022 and his natural hearing has improved by almost 20%. This was because the "I'm not an ear doctor" parts were healing inside his ear and nerve regrowth started to happen. "which causes a new issue but that's a different subject" and this was mostly due to the wide adjustment range the more expensive models had. And being able to program out entirely some sound frequencies that were painfull or damaging the most.

So while it's amazing that more Americans have great access to more hearing support. should there be concern about those same people maybe experiencing worsening conditions?

My big concern is if they become truly over the counter, Lots of people that could potentially skip out on finding better help might be coerced into getting lesser help and maybe even making their hearing loss worse. And this could just come from not understanding audiology and the way the ear works and how things needs to be maintained with such hearing support devices.

I know everyone hearing situation and loss of hearing is different. but the danger still is there.

It's kind of interesting they dropped bose, sony along with bestbuy. but this seems more of a marketing move to give privet companies "medical grade or FDA" accepted hearing support? I'm not sure if there's laws regarding what a headphone manufacture can label as hearing aids..

Some things that come with improper hearing devices and deteriorated hearing.

Virtego

Dissyness

Alhzimers

spacial awareness.

Super interesting but some concern follows. then again that could be said about everything.

Maybe the better route is to force health insurancers to support more audiology equipment. donno

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classic123456 t1_iss1e4y wrote

Everything is correctly spelt except all the symptoms wth?

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kadinshino t1_istmge5 wrote

Dyslexic. Not words I commonly use to get auto corrected.

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tripleyothreat t1_it09ih7 wrote

Virtigo

Dizziness

Alzheimers

Spatial awareness

Feel free to copy paste it in

You can always Google a word to confirm its spelling

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nothxshadow t1_iss1pto wrote

what? A hearing aid does not tear your ear drums.

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kadinshino t1_istmahw wrote

I kindly will say your incorrect. If the venting of the hearing aid is not correct, it can cause back pressure on the drum causing it to rupture under certain frequency’s. Remember unlike headphones you wear these nearly 24/7

There’s multiple factors on why this can happen. My dad had proliferation of the ear drum so with the cheaper hearing aids it was causing worsening damage.

This is why it’s important not to skip the audiologist part of getting hearing aids. Also why low quality and cheep ones can be problematic

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nothxshadow t1_istpb38 wrote

> if the venting is not correct

Bruh did it get suctioned into his ear or what?

Sounds like the biggest pile of horseshit.

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VictoriousStalemate t1_isrlt5r wrote

It's ridiculous that hearing aids could not be purchased over the counter. Finally, those without adequate medical coverage or cash have an alternative.

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frealfr t1_isq5t6b wrote

This same story came out like 2 months ago

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For_Never_Dreams t1_isrb2rg wrote

Great news! Now Nana doesn't have to watch Tucker Carlson at full volume anymore!

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ryan45i t1_isrmdu6 wrote

Now when my two year old properly uses a curse word my mother will hear it clearly. How am I supposed to play it off!

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Cranberry_Glade t1_issyreb wrote

I think it's great. I think my hearing loss is more in the moderate to severe range, so I don't know if it would be an option for me (I already have a hearing aid, so at least I'm not without), but I am glad they are making them more widely available.

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moremango t1_iu7vjck wrote

Please do contacts after this. Or at least make it so prescriptions are valid forever.

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Yoguls t1_isp845a wrote

Pardon?

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Markylardy t1_ispkv6i wrote

Its only matter of time before AIDS can see us!

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DulcetTone t1_isr1t6i wrote

Seems a lot of people play dull-ass games.

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sexmountain t1_isric90 wrote

Thank you Elizabeth Warren!

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