Hearing Challenges Still Reported by High Proportion of Older Adults With Hearing Aids

A study published in Health Affairs found a large number of older people with hearing aids, especially those in lower income brackets, still have difficulty hearing and accessing hearing care services, reports News-Medical . Analysis of 1,133 Medicare beneficiaries determined having a well-functioning hearing aid seemed to rely significantly on income level. Twenty-seven percent of low-income Medicare enrollees dually eligible for Medicaid reported having problems hearing with a hearing aid. Meanwhile, only 11 percent of those in the highest income category noted significant hearing-aid difficulties. Overall, 39 percent of the study group had used hearing care services in the previous year, while 71 percent of hearing-aid users in the lowest income cohort had not. The researchers are urging the federal government to expand Medicare and/or Medicaid coverage of hearing care services to mitigate this problem. They have further recommended the inclusion of hearing care services as a mandatory Medicaid benefit.