Hearing aids are now available over the counter for millions of Americans with mild to moderate hearing loss, after a years-long push to adopt legislation that aimed to make the devices cheaper and more accessible.
People can now find hearing aids on shelves at stores like Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, Best Buy and Hy-Vee, many for less than $1,000, the White House announced Monday.
Congress first passed bipartisan legislation to make hearing aids available over the counter in 2017, calling on the Food and Drug Administration to create a rule to regulate the devices. But the agency didn’t act until required by an executive order from President Joe Biden last summer.
The FDA issued its final rule on the devices this summer, setting up for sales to launch in October.
More than 29 million Americans have hearing loss, according to the National Institutes of Health, including about eight million between the ages of 20 and 60.
The FDA estimates that Americans can save as much as $3,000 per pair by buying over the counter, depending on the model. The average cost of a single hearing aid is around $2,300, according to industry website Hearing Tracker.
Walgreens will sell the devices in stores and online for $799, and CVS will begin selling them online and then at pharmacies in November, the retailers said.
Walmart will start by selling them for $199 to $999 in select states including Missouri, Ohio and Texas, plus at Sam’s Club Hearing Aid Centers. They’ll also be available on Walmart.com and SamsClub.com.
And Best Buy will offer 20 types of hearing devices online, then in stores in the coming weeks, running from $200 to $3,000.
Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., worked together to pass the legislation in 2017 to make the devices available in shelves and online.
The two celebrated the beginning of sales on Monday, Warren calling it “a game-changer — cutting costs, lowering prices, saving time and money.”
Grassley wrote: “It took FDA 5 yrs 2 implement the day is finally here,” saying he was “Glad consumers can now buy safe & effective hrg aids over-the-counter.”
At a briefing in August, National Economic Council Director Brian Deese said making hearing aids broadly accessible would boost competition to drive down costs across the industry.
“The issue here was that the requirement to see a doctor or a hearing specialist was an example of what economists call a barrier to entry,” he said on a call with reporters. “The bundling of hearing aids with exams also reduced competition by making it harder for consumers to comparison shop for the best deal.”
