Your dad just came in as I'm listening to the three of you talk, and he was sure he was hearing Ashley's voice. He was so surprised to find out that Dr Rachael was actually talking. 😃
I have been wearing a hearing aid for over a year, but I hear from others who don't have one and need one that there is still a lot of stigma about hearing aids and also a lit of misconceptions. The cost is also really prohibitive and not covered by health insurance.
Your team’s discussion on OTC highlights the failure of concentrating on any instrument rather than the person! The required measurement for certain types of deafness is speech intelligibility. Certain types of deafness cannot understand speech in a normal auditorium no matter what hearing aid they wear. 25% of all aid candidates are in this category. In Australia we have free hearing aids for all children up to 26 yoa & for Veterans and pensioners! This is why our Audiological data is more accurate than in USA? I have severe congenital hearing loss and pay A$50 per year for maintenance, cleaning and check ups by qualified Audiologists with post-graduate degrees! Ask the Australian Office of Hearing Services (OHS) and do a podcast on what they do!!! Best regards, Peter.
I recently tried the Sony OTC hearing aids. I hated them they were awful. I returned them. I went to an audiologist, got a hearing test, got impressions of my ears. I’m now waiting for my Resound Omni 9 hearing aid to come from the manufacturer. I knew my hearing loss was bad, but I didn’t realize how bad until the doctor showed me my test results. My hearing loss is severe.
Yeah I tried two models of the MDhearing models, behind the ear first and it wouldnt stay put and fell on the floor at work twice before lunch, so I sent them back for the NEO in the ear model, but the one hurts, they both dont want to stay in and kind of work their way out but I'll keep them for use at certain events like meetings and the like. Im not paying $4,000 for a hearing aid
By the time that I realized that I probably had a hearing loss (when I could not understand the gorgeous weapon specialist, Cali, on CSI Miami(?)), I already needed a prescription hearing aid. I suspect that I was not alone in that regard.
I have prescription Beltone behind the ear hearing aids that use standard 675 batteries. I chose them as being registered blind I needed something easy to handle the new in the ear canal are too small for me to handle and the rechargeable lithium ion ones scare me to death.
As an employee at a Big BOX store that sells OTC’s (Bose/lexi, Sony, and other brands) have never had a customer ask about them. I do wear hearing aids but, I chose Costco as my supplier.
I think so. My father has bad hearing and a family history of dementia. His hearing alone doesn't really bother me but the dementia aspect has absolutely made me push him to get HAs.
I would like to think people are finally realizing hearing health is just as important as eye health. I am hoping the increase from now is on a consistent level resulting in helping break the stigma still out there. I actually ordered colored, beautiful Phonak hearing aids recently. I had to order from the Children's hearing aids . They need to make adult hearing aids attractive too with different colors. Regardless, taking care of your hearing is extremely important. It also stabilizes our cognition abilities. In order to retain information we hear, we need to use hearing devices. In turn, we can reduce cognitive decline in the future. A benefit to wearing hearing aids!
It just dumbfounds me that in this day and age there is still a stigma attached to HA. What's wrong with people! When I went to my AUD the first time and we talked I told him I would accept external BORG implants as long as they made me hear!.
I think why a lot of people get turn off is the bad audiologist out there. They don't program them right. I'm a retired auto worker and have watched Dr. Cliff for the last few year's and educated my self on them. A few weeks a go my 3 years was up. So I went and got tested again. I paid the extra $'1300 for the Sharkey AI 24 hearing aids have shell hearing aids. I paid out of my pocket to have the in ear programming done. When I got home I could not believe the difference. The next evening I put my self ina group of 12 people I was able to hear like the old days.😅
I believe that the pandemic played a role in people’s awareness of the importance of treating their hearing loss. There was time to read or watch television and educate ourselves on the importance of treating loss. People had a chance to notice their own hearing loss and family members had more opportunity to interact with family members who have hearing loss and talk with family members about their loss. OTC gave people to find out a suspected loss was more severe than they realized and investigate prescription hearing aids. I think the market is out there but economics still are a factor in adopting hearing aids. There’s still people who would try treatment if they weren’t just getting by with their basic needs. The medicare system was created at a time when life expectancy was shorter. The percentage of people who had Medicare did not have eye and hearing issues overall so original Medicare didn’t address these needs. As OTC awareness is a relatively new phenomenon, it is too early to have enough reliable data to determine how large a role it plays on hearing aid adoption rates. I don’t think we have enough data and we need at least 5 years of data and a larger sample size to definitively determine the factors that influence how people perceive their hearing loss and how they choose to treat it.
I think increases in hearing aid sales are related to aging baby boomers. Also, many people have Medicare Advantage plans that pay most of the price if you are a participating provider. They huge sales will slow waaaay down in 8-10 years. I can’t see any stigma to wearing them. If you want to hear, you will be wearing them. I bought a pair one week ago. I did not consider OTC nor did I consider Beltone’s $6940 price with the Advantage coverage even with an $850 coupon. I needed some education and actual experience. I can wear these for 90 days and return if I can’t be satisfied with them. I paid $3295 with insurance.
My assumption: the stock market's growth gave people a lot of disposable income; that's why we have inflation everywhere and there's no recession. IMO, the biggest competition to OTC hearing aids are high quality earbuds and bluetooth wireless audio devices. At some point, folks will cross the bridge for additional capabilities... When hearing aid technology gets commoditized, everyone will cheer!
Too little information in just a few months to make any assessment of how successful OTC hearing aids are going to be. I think they will be a boon, once people get over the issue of hearing aids being only for old people or that they are unattractive and unfashionable. Being hard of hearing is unattractive, always asking people to repeat themselves is annoying for the asker and the person being asked. Back in time, maybe 20 years ago, males (primarily) used to go around with their radios BLASTING loud (and terrible) music - I often wondered how they could hear anything when they got out of their cars. some even had enhanced speakers so that the music could be louder still. I bet they will be/should be in the market for hearing aids if their vanity isn't in control. I much prefer hearing to deafness and it is better for my overall health to hear and be able to socialize with others. OTC hearing aids will be a blessing as people discover they need them and can afford them.
Your dad just came in as I'm listening to the three of you talk, and he was sure he was hearing Ashley's voice. He was so surprised to find out that Dr Rachael was actually talking. 😃
I have been wearing a hearing aid for over a year, but I hear from others who don't have one and need one that there is still a lot of stigma about hearing aids and also a lit of misconceptions. The cost is also really prohibitive and not covered by health insurance.
Ooo ... good thing my husband told our son that I needed hearing help when my hearing loss was still mild to moderate! 😮
Your team’s discussion on OTC highlights the failure of concentrating on any instrument rather than the person! The required measurement for certain types of deafness is speech intelligibility. Certain types of deafness cannot understand speech in a normal auditorium no matter what hearing aid they wear. 25% of all aid candidates are in this category. In Australia we have free hearing aids for all children up to 26 yoa & for Veterans and pensioners! This is why our Audiological data is more accurate than in USA? I have severe congenital hearing loss and pay A$50 per year for maintenance, cleaning and check ups by qualified Audiologists with post-graduate degrees! Ask the Australian Office of Hearing Services (OHS) and do a podcast on what they do!!! Best regards, Peter.
I recently tried the Sony OTC hearing aids. I hated them they were awful. I returned them. I went to an audiologist, got a hearing test, got impressions of my ears. I’m now waiting for my Resound Omni 9 hearing aid to come from the manufacturer. I knew my hearing loss was bad, but I didn’t realize how bad until the doctor showed me my test results. My hearing loss is severe.
Yeah I tried two models of the MDhearing models, behind the ear first and it wouldnt stay put and fell on the floor at work twice before lunch, so I sent them back for the NEO in the ear model, but the one hurts, they both dont want to stay in and kind of work their way out but I'll keep them for use at certain events like meetings and the like.
Im not paying $4,000 for a hearing aid
The three of you crack me up with your "stellar" math skills. 🤣🤣🤣
Wonderful discussion today. 😁💕
By the time that I realized that I probably had a hearing loss (when I could not understand the gorgeous weapon specialist, Cali, on CSI Miami(?)), I already needed a prescription hearing aid. I suspect that I was not alone in that regard.
3 months worth of sales data is too short a time frame to assess the potential of OTC hearing aid market. Repeat this assessment a year from now.
I have prescription Beltone behind the ear hearing aids that use standard 675 batteries. I chose them as being registered blind I needed something easy to handle the new in the ear canal are too small for me to handle and the rechargeable lithium ion ones scare me to death.
As an employee at a Big BOX store that sells OTC’s (Bose/lexi, Sony, and other brands) have never had a customer ask about them. I do wear hearing aids but, I chose Costco as my supplier.
I wonder if increased interest in hearing loss/aids has been partially influenced by hearing loss and potential link to Dementia?
I think so. My father has bad hearing and a family history of dementia. His hearing alone doesn't really bother me but the dementia aspect has absolutely made me push him to get HAs.
I would like to think people are finally realizing hearing health is just as important as eye health. I am hoping the increase from now is on a consistent level resulting in helping break the stigma still out there. I actually ordered colored, beautiful Phonak hearing aids recently. I had to order from the Children's hearing aids . They need to make adult hearing aids attractive too with different colors. Regardless, taking care of your hearing is extremely important. It also stabilizes our cognition abilities. In order to retain information we hear, we need to use hearing devices. In turn, we can reduce cognitive decline in the future. A benefit to wearing hearing aids!
It just dumbfounds me that in this day and age there is still a stigma attached to HA. What's wrong with people! When I went to my AUD the first time and we talked I told him I would accept external BORG implants as long as they made me hear!.
I think why a lot of people get turn off is the bad audiologist out there. They don't program them right. I'm a retired auto worker and have watched Dr. Cliff for the last few year's and educated my self on them. A few weeks a go my 3 years was up. So I went and got tested again. I paid the extra $'1300 for the Sharkey AI 24 hearing aids have shell hearing aids. I paid out of my pocket to have the in ear programming done. When I got home I could not believe the difference. The next evening I put my self ina group of 12 people I was able to hear like the old days.😅
I believe that the pandemic played a role in people’s awareness of the importance of treating their hearing loss. There was time to read or watch television and educate ourselves on the importance of treating loss. People had a chance to notice their own hearing loss and family members had more opportunity to interact with family members who have hearing loss and talk with family members about their loss. OTC gave people to find out a suspected loss was more severe than they realized and investigate prescription hearing aids. I think the market is out there but economics still are a factor in adopting hearing aids. There’s still people who would try treatment if they weren’t just getting by with their basic needs. The medicare system was created at a time when life expectancy was shorter. The percentage of people who had Medicare did not have eye and hearing issues overall so original Medicare didn’t address these needs. As OTC awareness is a relatively new phenomenon, it is too early to have enough reliable data to determine how large a role it plays on hearing aid adoption rates. I don’t think we have enough data and we need at least 5 years of data and a larger sample size to definitively determine the factors that influence how people perceive their hearing loss and how they choose to treat it.
Hearing loss was the last thing on my mind during Covid. I agree there is not nearly enough data in 2023 for results to carry any weight with me.
I think increases in hearing aid sales are related to aging baby boomers. Also, many people have Medicare Advantage plans that pay most of the price if you are a participating provider. They huge sales will slow waaaay down in 8-10 years. I can’t see any stigma to wearing them. If you want to hear, you will be wearing them.
I bought a pair one week ago. I did not consider OTC nor did I consider Beltone’s $6940 price with the Advantage coverage even with an $850 coupon. I needed some education and actual experience. I can wear these for 90 days and return if I can’t be satisfied with them. I paid $3295 with insurance.
My assumption: the stock market's growth gave people a lot of disposable income; that's why we have inflation everywhere and there's no recession.
IMO, the biggest competition to OTC hearing aids are high quality earbuds and bluetooth wireless audio devices.
At some point, folks will cross the bridge for additional capabilities...
When hearing aid technology gets commoditized, everyone will cheer!
Too little information in just a few months to make any assessment of how successful OTC hearing aids are going to be. I think they will be a boon, once people get over the issue of hearing aids being only for old people or that they are unattractive and unfashionable. Being hard of hearing is unattractive, always asking people to repeat themselves is annoying for the asker and the person being asked. Back in time, maybe 20 years ago, males (primarily) used to go around with their radios BLASTING loud (and terrible) music - I often wondered how they could hear anything when they got out of their cars. some even had enhanced speakers so that the music could be louder still. I bet they will be/should be in the market for hearing aids if their vanity isn't in control. I much prefer hearing to deafness and it is better for my overall health to hear and be able to socialize with others. OTC hearing aids will be a blessing as people discover they need them and can afford them.
Because of the rise of sudden hearing loss caused by mysterious circumstances.
Can those women stop bobbing their heads up and down? It’s very distracting.