Major Problem with Hearing Aid Insurance
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- Опубликовано: 21 мар 2024
- Major Problem with Hearing Aid Insurance
Dr. Cliff Olson, audiologist and founder of Applied Hearing Solutions in Phoenix, Arizona, talks about a new change in hearing aid coverage for people with United Healthcare Hearing insurance.
appliedhearingaz.com/
hearingup.com/
drcliffolson.com/ 
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First off, I think the hearing aid industry is screwing us on prices. As a senior I shouldn't have to pay 6 to 7 thousand dollars for hearing aids! Secondly you have internet hearing aid providers that charge on the average of 2000 dollars less than my audiologist. The industry as a whole is screwed up! Ive personally have asked for better prices from 2 audiologists and after asking received quotes of 500 to 1000 dollar less than originally quoted. Had I not asked they would have gladly charged me full price. I feel like i'm dealing with used car salesmen!
True, but nothing about America's healthcare was ever designed to benefit consumers.
Big time! Over a 1,000% markup. To the point the government needs to get involved.
True. The feeling of dealing with a used car salesman is the reason why we decided to go to Costco Hearing Center instead and dumped the private audiologist. She was often not available, or charges for every single thing. Costco was $2,800 for a pair of Resound, molds were $80.
I have no problem with my United healthcare insurance company buying me a new Phonak Paradise version Life Rechargeable battery waterproof and sweat proof hearing Aides and I only paid for 2 custom ears molds and wires and insurance protection damage to hearing Aides and I having no problems with my hearing Aides since I bought it in October 2022 and I thank you Dr.Cliff AuD For your information on Phonak hearing Aides.
I was about to get hearing aids through Costco. My Medicare Advantage PPO plan would not apply the $1,000 per ear allowance for reimbursement if I purchased through Costco. Was going to get them anyway when I figured that I might as well see what I could be prescribed that would be covered without out of pocket expense. My hearing losses are not large, wanted to be able to hear the tv without turning the volume way up and some difficulty hearing people that are low talkers. Glad that I did. So far I am happy with the basic units provided and more than happy with the services this company provides. I realize that my needs may change and require more sophisticated units, but for now I am pleased.
I have Optimum Medicare Advantage and through Hear USA I was given Rexton BiCore hearing aids to replace Widex. Honestly, my Rexton are better than Widex and I did not have to pay anything, so this was a benefit.
If it wasn't for the financial help I'm getting from my insurance company, I wouldn't have been able to order my Phonak Lifes last week. I wouldn't have been able to afford any hearing aids other than some cheap OTC aids. So I probably wouldn't have ordered anything.
I think that UHC doesn’t care one way or the other.
I just got phonak audio lumity 90 and I have UHC and they paid about 75% of the cost
Dr. Cliff not all MCR Advantage companies are bad. After watching Michael Moore’s film SICKO I decided I would not select United Health Care.
Blue Cross Blue Shield one of the biggest insurers here in Michigan hasn't had any hearing aid coverage since I was under my parents plan over 25 years ago. Most of my adult life Blue Cross Blue Shield is what was offered by the various companies I worked for.
In Wisconsin it's pretty decent coverage depending. So frustrating.
I got the new Philips 9040 hearing aid at Costco this year, here in Missouri. I had to file an appeal with United Healthcare Medicare to get them to pay for the new hearing aid from Costco as out of network provider. They finally agreed. Still I saved hundreds of dollars over what my out of pocket cost would be to me getting them from in network.
My audiologist told me this exact issue last month with UH Hearing. Thankfully, at least for now I can choose to use my regular UH benefit to get the higher level aids with a deductible and Co-insurance or I can use UH Hearing at a lower cost but get the previous aid models. I know some people’s Insurance might only have the managed care portion for hearing aids.
I admit I can only go off my experience. But I have been trying to get hearing aids for over 3 years. Most often the Audiologist would want me to pay the full price upfront which included follow ups. Even if the insurance told them I only had to pay $×. They still wanted me to pay full price then get reimbursed. 2 weeks ago through Unithed Healthcare Hearing (I have their Surest insurance) I was able to get the top tech of the current model Phonak. Granted I live in metro Atlanta so I had a greater choice of Audiologists. Too me it looks like the only ones getting screwed is the patient. But I guess It is ok for Oticon to make money but not the insurance to save it
Jon--I have UH Hearing also. How much were your Oticons?
@@gosman949 I have Surest insurance which is part of unitedhealtcare. Only had to pay $350. If you go to UnitedHaealthcare Hearing you should see a link to buy and they should show you the cost of there full price. I actually went with Phonak. But I got the top level. I think Oticon had already pulled out
I just used United Healthcare for Oticon and they paid almost all of it.
I have a UHC PPO plan in California that covered my Oticon 1's in full in January of this year, will I be a affected for my next pair in a few years? Does this affect all UHC plans including PPO's?
What’re the best top three insurance companies for hearing aid users?
My audiologist told this to me last week as am unable to order new h/a Intent. This is awful
If you live in USA you can call Zip Hearing and they will send you to an audiologist provider that works with zip hearing.
They sell prescription hearing aids like Oticon Intent at a "Discount" price.
For example:
So I brought my Phonak audeo Paradise P70 RT that costed $2,755.99 2 years ago at an audiologist that doesn't work with Zip hearing for $1,400 out of pocket, (United Healthcare paid $1,300)
If I went with Zip hearing according to their website the same brand, Model, and tech hearing aid i believe cost $1,500 per hearing aid.
So you may want to check with Zip hearing if you live in USA
Yep I had to pay 5.5K recently for Starkey Genesis thru BCBS. Just 3 years ago I got Phonaks free with Custom ear molds. The coverage has changed that much.
I mean this may be a bad thing but least it'll give most people a chance to try a brand other than the one their used to so the situation isn't all bad I suppose
I find it pretty ironic that Oticon has to change their slogan as often as I change my underwear. First it was "people first" and that obviously wasn't the case - Now it's "life-changing technology" - and yet, if it's so life-changing, why is it so difficult for me to access it? The fact "Doctor" Cliff is placing the blame on UHC and being anything but transparent about this issue should speak volumes about who butters his bread.
Insurance has literally driven healthcare into the toilet in the United States. Of course, its my fault for pointing out the obvious.
@@DrCliffAuD You just produced a 7 min video shilling for Oticon and defending the blamelesness and immunity they should be entitled to.
I think impartiality and transparency is crucial when you are bandying about aspersions regarding companies who's longterm plans you know nothing about. To say that ''all manufacturers will likely follow Oticon's lead'' - That is nothing more than rhetoric and you know it. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how Oticon's actions can be defended without referencing hearsay and the actions of companies that to date, still hasn't happened.
Is NationsHearing included on this list?
But more than 10 different brand pair hearing.
No useful .( widex, seimen, pornak,
0ticon, resound..etc
Have surgery ear..
Is not coheral. implants. 😢😅.
Leh.
Hopefully this implants will suitable me.
Thank you dr.
I went to the VA in Manila and it was a terrible experience. The Doctor didn’t know what real ear measurement is. Also, he would let me see my test results. He said they will be available on the My Health VA website. Very frustrating experience. If I got hearing aids from the VA could I bring them into you and have real ear measurements done?
Yeah, you can bet I've called them, my CEO, and the politicians who love this stuff. Wait until my wife finds out, she is the one who benefits the most from my hearing aids. "A Woman scorned" is not someone you want to be talking with on the receiving end of the phone. LOL.
And this is why people are reaching for over the counter hearing aids from places like Costco. Can't blame them. Americans are hurting right now with gas prices, food prices, high interest rate mortgages, you name it.
Costco doesn’t sell OTC hearing aides. They only sell prescription HAs.
Why ain't Oticon just keeping their stuff on the shelves? Seems like they're causing all the fuss. I couldn't afford their fancy tech, but my plan could've covered it.
If your industry in hearing care wasn’t so ridiculously ripping us off, maybe we could get insurance.
Sounds like a business opportunity! Why not open a clinic and charge at cost? Or slightly above? Should be very easy to do!
I've had UHC since I retired in 2017 and their hearing aid coverage has always sucked. I wish that was the only problem with United Healthcare. They are currently being sued for using a deeply flawed AI computer system to override doctors advice and deny needed healthcare coverage.
So change
This all happened about 20 years ago in the vision insurance industry. Insurance companies completely screwed over the lens manufacturers, the providers and the patients. Now the insurance providers are becoming the manufacturers with lower tier offerings but premium prices (if you want to try using your insurance) and everybody is suffering except the big corporations. It’s taking a few decades but we’re finally at the point where states are creating laws to limit the abusing monopolies the insurance companies are creating in favor of protecting patients attempting to get honest healthcare from providers. Hopefully these laws targeting immoral vision insurance company practices carry over to stop the hearing aid insurance world from having the same dark decades of decline of patient focused care.
Too many MBAs running around these companies looking at the population as wallets to squeeze rather than patients in need of quality care.
How much of this is simply a move by William Demant to get their flagship products name out of the third party administrator groups, while as the same time slipping in the back door with Bernafon? They're doing this to feign support for private practices while still trying to keep their hands in the game under the guise of Bernafon -- just as they did in Big Box stores like Costco by putting their Philips product their and keeping the Oticon name out of it.
William Demant can't have it both ways. Both audiologists AND insurance companies can see past these shenanigans -- as demonstrated by United Healthcare's move.
Does this mean that Oticon is giving cash payers a discount count. I think not.
So I guess Oticon
Slogan of people first just joined Dr.Cliff’s slogan of money first
They abandoned that slogan a number of years ago. They now use "life-changing technology." The people first thing hasn't been true for a very, very long time.
I never had insurance that was good enough to pay for hearing aids :( alway s paid out of pocket.
Why are you putting the blame on UHC? The price these hearing aid manufacturers charge is outrageous. They must have a high markup. UHC is trying to keep the costs inline
You Cliff and other audiologists and the hearing aid companies have been overcharging for years. Now its a big mess. You care zero about the public who need hearing aids. Save your outrage for the poor patients who need help.