Cost of hearing aids

This type of hearing aid sits behind your ear and range in design.¹ Traditional BTE hearing aids are the most versatile and rest behind your ear, with only a tube entering the ear. Receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aids feature two components: a sound processor sitting behind the ear and an earbud that rests inside the canal. BTE hearing aids are usually larger than in-the-ear hearing aids.

BTE hearing aids tend to have better functionality for a wider range of hearing issues. For people with profound hearing loss, the most powerful hearing aids tend to be behind-the-ear models.

Hearing aids in this category are placed entirely in your ear.² Usually, in-the-ear hearing aids must be custom-made to fit the shape of your ear, both for comfort and to ensure they stay in place. These are less noticeable to other people and less likely to interfere with glasses or hair.

There are three different types of in-the-ear²:

• Completely in canal (CIC). The smallest type of hearing aids and sometimes referred to as invisible hearing aids.
• In-the-canal (ITC). In your ear canal and partly in your outer ear.
• In-the-ear (ITE). In your outer ear. These are the biggest in the ear hearing aids and usually the easiest to handle.

Though smaller hearing aids are less visible, they’re also harder to clean and maintain, are more susceptible to earwax, tend to be less powerful and the smallest models can be awkward to handle.

Hearing loss is often a gradual process with many potential causes.¹ If you’ve noticed you’ve been having hearing issues, you should have a hearing test. Based on the results, your audiologist can tell you whether you would benefit from hearing aids or another hearing solution.

Choosing the right hearing aid comes down to a few key factors:

• Your doctor’s recommendation
• How severe your hearing loss is
• Your budget
• Your preferred style
• What hearing issues you’re trying to address
• The types of noisy environments you’ll be spending your time in; specifically, how much background noise there’s likely to be.

Depending on your eligibility, hearing tests may be covered through the Hearing Services Program. This may also cover some or all of the costs of hearing aids.

When looking at hearing aids, you’ll find most sellers have a tier system to distinguish both price ranges and levels of technology. With this in mind, the below table provides a general guide to hearing aid prices.

No, there aren’t Medicare rebates for hearing aids, but there is an Australian Government Hearing Service Program that provides eligible Australians with free or subsidised hearing care and hearing devices. The program has two components: a voucher scheme and Community Service Obligations (CSO).⁴

The voucher scheme involves a network of 300 hearing providers delivering services to 3,000 locations across the country; once issued, vouchers are valid for five years. To be eligible, you’ll need to be one of the following:⁴

• Pensioner concession cardholder
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) Gold Card
• DVA White Cardholder
• Member of the Australian Defence Force
• Referred by a Disability Employment Service.

The CSO Program is designed to provide government-subsidised hearing health services to those who are:³

• Aged under 26
• Aboriginal or Torres Straits Islander and either:
  • 50 or older
  • Take part in the Community Development Program
  • Take part in the Community Development Employment Projects Program
  • Eligible for the voucher scheme.

While the Hearing Service Program is a valuable service, there are limitations. There are a limited range of pre-approved hearing aids you can claim under the scheme, and these models are usually a couple of generations behind in what’s available through private practices.⁴ This means subsidised hearing aids might lack some of the more advanced features of newer models.

Whether health insurance covers hearing aids will depend on your health fund and your level of cover. Hearing aids can be part of your extras cover, which can help pay for new hearing aids, repairs and replacements. Usually, you’ll need top extras cover to include hearing aids, but some mid-level extras cover may include it, too.

Health funds can vary when it comes to how much of your hearing aids costs they’ll cover. How much is covered by your policy will also depend on some key factors, such as:

• Your limits and rebates
• The type of hearing aid you’re purchasing
• Whether your policy offers one-off or regular payments (some insurers will cover new devices every five years while others will not).

Depending on your policy and the type of hearing aid you choose, you may be admitted to hospital for the implantation. If this is the case, you may need to pay excess. An advantage of health insurance is you won’t be as limited in your choice of hearing aid manufacturers or products.