I have worn aids for almost 50 years. Came back from Viet Nam with a hearing loss that has progressively become worse. Cannot remember the number of aids I have gone through over the years but can tell you that technology has greatly improved over that time. When I returned from Nam hearing aids were not free from the VA unless you had received a Purple Heart but that policy changed a few years ago. I now receive my aids at no cost and have tried various brands bought privately and free through the VA and found the Phonak aid to be an exceptional instrument. If you are a veteran I would recommend entering the VA Health Care system for your hearing needs and if not a veteran I would recommend Costco. They sell some the top brands available and the private label Kirkland brand is manufactured by Phonak. My wife recently bought her aids through Costco. Having used private audiologists many times I was impressed with the audiologist she worked with. If you decide to go the private route I would recommend shopping around as prices for the same instrument will vary with each audiologists. Feel free to PM me with any questions you might have.

Thank you for your service JW

I had no idea they were that pricey. Is that out of pocket cost or does most insurances cover some of that?

Just bought upper end oticon with bluetooth and television adaptor. Cost $5,150 after insurance paid $1,000. Had a pair of sharkey's for 8 years that cost about the same then. They were very durable but worn out. Hope the Oticons are as good. I go to Baylor, Scott and White Audiology. There are numerous full page ads in the newspaper, but after a bad experience I decided to go to BS&W a number of years ago. I have confidence in the audiologist as supposedly she gets paid the same no matter what I get or if I get nothing at all. As someone has said, the audiologist makes all the difference. Apparently there is huge markup and plenty of scammers out there.

About a month ago, I got a pair of bluetooth Oticons. Love them so far. I had no help from insurance. Yours must have been more advanced than mine. Got mine for just over 4,000.00

A good audiologist is an absolute must, so they can baseline and characterize the specific frequency of hearing loss for each ear. These ain't your Grandpas hearing aids of yesteryear. A certified audiologist gives you a battery of tests to determine your precise loss for each frequency. Spoken word syllables have different frequencies. Typically high frequency loss is what we vets have that worked around jet aircraft. Rock and roll folks have what is called a"Rockers curve" where they have both high and low frequency loss. The trick is to characterize YOUR hearing and to PROGRAM the hearing aids to match for each ear, right and left. That way, only your loss is compensated for. Old hearing aids were merely audio amplifiers and brought every frequency up. So it was still hard to pick out endings of some words, since they are masked by the high volume lows. These new aids have high tech audio processors that will "listen" to ambient noise and cancel some of that out. Like wind noise for example and background noise in a restaurant. So again, it is important that YOUR hearing aids are programmed specifically for you. I have the Phonaks too, they are about $2K each but well worth it to me. I would recommend getting both done at once. Buying one at a time will cost you two visits to a reputable certified audiologist. Not JimBob at a mall kiosk.

Here is an example of an audiogram for left and right ears.



In this image it can be seen neccessary to bring UP both ears in the 2000 to 8000 hz range. This will get you back to normal hearing.

I don’t know as it’s been awhile since I’ve had private insurance

Great info Bob. That audiogram looks eerily like mine due high frequency hearing loss. The new aids do as you described as compared to old volume enhancers.

I use Calvert Hearing Care. Dr Mainord. He has offices in Garland and Allen. I’ve been pleased thus far.

Thanks guys ! I appreciate the input

My 73 year old uncle went to get hearing aids. They cleaned his ears out for $25 and hears better than ever. True story.

My BCBS two years ago paid me $1000 back for my outlay of $4000 for these Phonak Audeo B models. I have Medicare now with a BCBS Gap policy. I don't know how much it will be in 3 or 4 years for me. I have time now to play around with the VA, you know, go sit for a day or two until I'm seen, fill out miles and miles of paperwork in triplicate, etc to get the VA to pay for them. I even have my outgoing hearing profile from the USAF stating the high freq loss. Interestingly too, Baylor Scott and White sold the old Garland Baylor hospital facility to the VA and they plan on opening a VA hospital there in a year or so. It is closer to me.

Your Med. Insurance may reimburse you somewhat for these hearing aids and the audiologist visit if your deductible is met.

Got mine at SAMS and pleased with the free follow ups and service. No complaints except that I don't like to wear them around people.

2k to hear, 10K too see, from the threads I've read today. I'll probably just Helen Keller it when I get old. Don't even think about protesting me bro.

I know , but its starting to affect my work. My volume will not go up anymore on my headset and all the youngs around me dont talk loud enough. I have to talk to Mexico,Warsaw and Asia Pacific people all night