Why do small hearing aids cost so much?
Question by joker: Why do small hearing aids cost so much?
A dinky peice of plastic with a speaker.2000.00 What a gimmick.
Best answer:
Answer by proffalken1975
its because there are sophisticated sound balancing computers in some…..and its a lot of electronics in a small space. If you want to wear a huge box tied to your ear you could probably get it cheaper.
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They are small and i’m gussing not that much to make it’s the company taking the advantage of the small design to get more money off us!
Call a company called Better Hearing in Brookport IL. I use to work for them, they are good and honest and they have helped many people to afford better hearing aids.
Because if you don’t have one you’re DEAF.
Imagine what YOU’D pay if you lost your ability to find male prostitutes.
There is a lot of technology that goes into the final product of a hearing instrument. The engineers start with a concept and build a device the size of a backpack. Once they have perfected the processing chip and the instrumentation in that device (which may take many months to a year that involves not only clinical testing, but using this device on individuals with hearing loss) then they have the task of miniaturizing this device to fit, not only in the ear, but to make it as small as possible. So, when you are purchasing a hearing device you are not only purchasing the instrument, but paying for the engineers that have worked on the product as well as the audiologist or hearing aid dispenser that will be programming your device and working with you and the device for the next five to seven years. When it comes down to it – if you use the device for five years you end up paying about $ 1 per day for using the device. Not a bad deal for better hearing. But beware, all hearing devices are not the same. From about one hundred hearing aid manufacturers – about 30 are good and reputable and have good products. When purchasing you have to be aware of the manufacturer and what the product can do – not an easy task for the consumer. So be sure to find a good audiologist who can help explain the differences in manufacturers and models. Good Luck
One of my patients came into my office the other day. He was wearing a dinky little crystal stuck to a hoop of metal. He is a jeweler and his diamond ring cost $ 45,000.
Actually these days the size of the hearing aid does not really affect the price. Most modern practices charge the same for the tiny ones as the large over the ear device. This is because it is no longer as difficult to make the tiny ones. New technology is invented small in the first place and then simply fitted into whatever size of aid is appropriate.
As to your question you have to look at the bigger picture. The company I work for (the largest hearing aid company in the world) just released the world’s most advanced hearing aid. It took four years and $ 40m to develop this stunning piece of technology. Clearly, they want their investment back and anyone that buys one is going to be paying their portion of that research and development cost. It’s the same with medicine. Do you really think that a pill costs $ 100? No, but the investment to invent the pill could have cost millions.
In addition to the extensive R&D costs there is also the care the patient receives. In my practice all office visits are free. So for the single investment in a hearing aid a patient gets unlimited hearing tests, check ups, service, adjustments, cleaning, and re-programming. Clearly there is a cost attached to that which must also be met by the consumer.
Modern hearing aids are incredibly advanced and contain a computer that analyses the sound processes it in real time and plays it into the patient’s ear. The difference between wearing a quality hearing aid and not is often a massive difference in quality of life to someone suffering from a hearing loss. I have often had patients tell me they would not sell their hearing aids back to me for the price they paid. A correctly fitted hearing instrument provides a significant improvement to their lives, and my patients are willing to make the investment.
The bigger question is why health insurance companies and Medicare provide no help for the millions of people who are afflicted with a hearing problem.