Smart step to help the hard-of-hearing

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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As Americans age, they often run into one of the frustrating realities of the current health care system — the coverage gap when it comes to helping those who are hard of hearing.

Hearing loss is a common problem with advancing years. But too often, the solution — a hearing aid — isn't covered by medical insurance.

Many enrollees in Medicare, the popular federally run program for seniors, have likely bumped into this problem. The website for "original Medicare," meaning it's not a privately administered Medicare Advantage (MA) plan, has this blunt message for those in the program: "You pay 100% of the cost for hearing aids and exams." Comprehensive coverage can be elusive for Medicaid enrollees, too.

That's a problem with the average cost of hearings ranging from $2,000 to $7,000, according to GoodRx Health. But a commendable move by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may bring much-needed pocketbook relief to those in need of these devices.

Earlier this month, the FDA announced "a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids." That bureaucratic change, expected to take effect this fall, means that adults with "perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment" will soon be able to buy a hearing aid without a prescription, an exam or the need to buy bundled fitting or adjustment services from an audiologist.

That's good news for the 28.8 million U.S. adults who, federal officials estimate, could benefit from using hearing aids. "Among adults aged 70 and older with hearing loss who could benefit from hearing aids, fewer than one in three (30 percent) has ever used them. Even fewer adults aged 20 to 69 (approximately 16 percent) who could benefit from wearing hearing aids have ever used them," according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

While the FDA made the regulatory changes a reality, it's important to note that the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress passed legislation in 2017 directing the agency to make this move. The measure had bipartisan support and is innovative policymaking.

A more direct approach would have simply mandated Medicare coverage for these devices and services. While that may be a more ideal solution because the devices still won't be cheap, a concern for seniors on fixed incomes, this measure nevertheless is an improvement that should help many people with age-related hearing loss.

"This is a good thing overall for consumer health," said Dr. Tina Huang, a neurotologist and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School. "Even if we could get to 50% of people who need hearing aids to actually have them, that would be a pretty big step."

Asked for advice for consumers, Huang offered the following considerations: