It just feels great to save money, right? Getting a good deal can be thrilling, and more rewarding the bigger the deal. So letting your coupon make your buying choices for you, always chasing after the least expensive items, is all too easy. When it comes to buying a pair of hearing aids, chasing a bargain can be a big mistake.
If you need hearing aids to treat hearing loss, choosing the “cheapest” option can have health repercussions. Avoiding the development of health problems such as depression, dementia, and the risk of a fall is the entire point of using hearing aids after all. Choosing the right hearing aid to fit your hearing needs, lifestyle, and budget is the trick.
Tips for finding affordable hearing aids
Affordable is not equivalent cheap. Affordability, as well as functionality, are what you should be keeping your eye on. This will help you stay within your budget while allowing you to get the ideal hearing aids for your personal needs and budget. These tips will help.
Tip #1: Research before you buy: Affordable hearing aids are available
Hearing aid’s reputation for being extremely expensive is not necessarily reflected in the reality of the situation. Most manufacturers sell hearing aids in a number of price points and work with financing companies to make their devices more affordable. If you’ve already decided that the most effective hearing aids are out of reach, you’re probably more inclined to search the bargain bin than look for affordable and reliable options, and that can have a long-term, harmful affect on your hearing and overall health.
Tip #2: Find out what your insurance will cover
Insurance may cover some or all of the expenses associated with getting a hearing aid. As a matter of fact, some states require that insurance cover them for both children and adults. Asking never hurts. If you’re a veteran, you may be eligible for hearing aids through government programs.
Tip #3: Your hearing loss is unique – choose hearing aids that can calibrate to your hearing needs
In some aspects, your hearing aids are a lot like prescription glasses. The frame is fairly universal (depending on your sense of style, of course), but the prescription is adjusted for your specific needs. Similarly, hearing aids may look alike cosmetically, but each hearing aid is calibrated to the individual user’s hearing loss needs.
You won’t get the same benefits by grabbing some cheap hearing device from the clearance shelf (or, in many instances, results that are even remotely helpful). These are more like amplification devices that increase the volume of all frequencies, not just the ones you’re having problems hearing. What’s the importance of this? Normally, hearing loss will only impact some frequencies while you can hear others perfectly. If you raise all frequencies, the ones you have no trouble hearing will be too loud. Simply put, it doesn’t really solve the problem and you’ll wind up not using the cheaper device.
Tip #4: Not all hearing aids have the same features
It can be tempting to believe that all of the modern technology in a quality hearing aid is just “bells and whistles”. But you will need some of that technology to hear sounds clearly. The sophisticated technology in hearing aids can be tuned in to the user’s level of hearing loss. Background sound can be filtered out with many of these modern models and some can connect with each other. Also, choosing a model that fits your lifestyle will be simpler if you take into account where (and why) you’ll be using your hearing aids.
That technology is crucial to compensate for your hearing loss in a healthy way. A little speaker that turns the volume up on everything is far from the sophistication of a modern hearing aid. Which brings us to our last tip.
Tip #5: An amplification device isn’t the same thing as a hearing aid
Alright, say this with me: a hearing amplification device is not a hearing aid. If you take nothing else away from this article, we hope it’s that. Because the makers of amplification devices have a monetary interest in convincing the consumer that their devices do what hearing aids do. But that just isn’t the case.
Let’s break it down. An amplifier:
- Takes all sounds and turns up their volume.
- Is typically cheaply made.
- Gives the user the ability to adjust the basic volume but that’s about it.
Conversely, a hearing aid:
- Can identify and amplify specific sound categories (such as the human voice).
- Can minimize background noise.
- Has the ability to adjust settings when you change locations.
- Increases the frequencies that you have a tough time hearing and leaves the frequencies you can hear alone.
- Is set up specifically to your hearing loss symptoms by a highly qualified hearing professional.
- Has batteries that are long lasting.
- Will help safeguard your hearing health.
- Can create maximum comfort by being shaped to your ear.
Your ability to hear is too important to go cheap
No matter what your budget is, that budget will determine your options depending on your general price range.
That’s why we often emphasize the affordable part of this. When it comes to hearing loss, the long term benefits of hearing loss management and hearing aids is well documented. That’s why you should work on an affordable solution. Don’t forget, cheap is less than your hearing deserves.”
