Affordable or Cheap Hearing Aids – What’s The Difference?

Display of over the counter hearing aids at a pharmacy.

Finding a bargain just feels good, right? It can be exhilarating when you’ve received a great deal on something, and the larger discount, the more pleased you are. So letting your coupon make your shopping decisions for you, always chasing after the least expensive products, is all too easy. But going after a bargain when it comes to buying hearing aids can be a big oversight.

Health consequences can result from going for the cheapest option if you require hearing aids to treat hearing loss. After all, the entire point of using hearing aids is to be able to hear well and to prevent health issues related to hearing loss including cognitive decline, depression, and an increased chance of falls. Finding the correct hearing aid to fit your hearing needs, lifestyle, and budget is the key.

Tips for picking affordable hearing aids

Cheap and affordable aren’t always the same thing. Keep an eye on affordability and functionality. That will help you find the best hearing aid possible for your personal budget. These tips will help.

Tip #1: Research before you buy: You can find affordable hearing aids.

Hearing aids have a reputation for putting a dent in your wallet, a reputation, however, is not always reflected by reality. Most manufacturers sell hearing aids in a broad range of price points and work with financing companies to make their devices more budget friendly. If you’ve already made the decision that the most reliable hearing aids are too expensive, you’re probably more inclined to search the bargain bin than seek out affordable and effective options, and that can have a lasting, negative impact on your hearing and overall health.

Tip #2: Ask what’s covered

Insurance may cover some or all of the expenses related to getting a hearing aid. As a matter of fact, some states require that insurance cover them for both children and adults. Asking never hurts. If you’re a veteran, you might be eligible for hearing aids through government programs.

Tip #3: Your hearing loss is unique – choose hearing aids that can calibrate to your hearing situation

In some aspects, your hearing aids are a lot like prescription glasses. Depending on your sense of style, the frame comes in a few options, but the exact prescription differs significantly from person to person. Similarly, hearing aids may look the same cosmetically, but each hearing aid is tuned to the individual user’s hearing loss needs.

Buying a cheap hearing device from the clearance shelf won’t give you the same results (or any useful results at all in many instances). These are more like amplification devices that raise the volume of all frequencies, not just the ones you’re having difficulty hearing. Why is this so important? Usually, hearing loss will only affect some frequencies while you can hear others perfectly fine. If you raise all frequencies, the ones you have no problem hearing will be too loud. Simply put, it doesn’t actually solve the problem and you’ll end up not using the cheaper device.

Tip #4: Different hearing aids have different capabilities

It can be tempting to believe that all of the modern technology in a quality hearing aid is simply “bells and whistles”. But you will need some of that technology to hear sounds properly. Hearing aids have specialized technologies calibrated specifically for people who have hearing loss. Background sound can be blocked out with many of these modern designs and some can connect with each other. Also, choosing a model that fits your lifestyle will be simpler if you consider where (and why) you’ll be using your hearing aids.

It’s essential, in order to compensate for your hearing loss in an efficient way, that you have some of this technology. A little speaker that cranks the volume up on everything is far from the sophistication of a modern hearing aid. And that brings us to our last tip.

Tip #5: A hearing amplification device is not a hearing aid

Alright, repeat after me: a hearing amplification device is not a hearing aid. If you get nothing else from this article, we hope it’s that. Because hearing amplification devices try really hard to make you believe they do the same thing as a hearing aid for a fraction of the price. But that simply isn’t true.

Let’s break it down. An amplifier:

  • Is often cheaply made.
  • Provides the user with little more than simple volume controls (if that).
  • Turns the volume up on all sounds.

On the other hand, a hearing aid:

  • Has the capability to change settings when you change locations.
  • Will help safeguard your hearing health.
  • Increases the frequencies that you have a hard time hearing and leaves the frequencies you can hear alone.
  • Can pick out and amplify specific sound categories (like the human voice).
  • Is adjusted specifically to your hearing loss symptoms by a highly skilled hearing professional.
  • Can limit background noise.
  • Has batteries that are long lasting.
  • Can achieve maximum comfort by being shaped to your ear.

Your ability to hear is too important to go cheap

Everyone has a budget, and that budget is going to limit your hearing aid options regardless of what price range you’re looking in.

That’s why we often emphasize the affordable part of this. When it comes to hearing loss, the long term benefits of hearing loss treatment and hearing aids is well documented. That’s why you should concentrate on an affordable solution. Don’t forget, cheap is less than your hearing deserves.”

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.

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