The Unintended Consequences of OTC Hearing Aids

I have hearing problems in both ears. I have spent thousands of dollars on my hearing aids over the course of 30 years. OTC hearing aids can be purchased without a prescription for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. It will be available in October.

Analysts have been predicting for the past two years that OTC hearing aids will change the market in the US and make the devices cheaper and more accessible. While this new business model allows manufacturers to sell directly to consumers, it may have consequences for people with more than moderate hearing loss.

According to the National Institute on deafness and other communication disorders, 13 percent of the American population are affected by hearing loss as a result of standard hearing tests. For reasons of cost, accessibility, stigma, and preference, many people don't wear hearing aids.

This is something that has been going on for a long time. In the 1930s, physicians framed deafness as a public health problem and collaborated with organizations for the deafness and hard of hearing. Hearing aid dealers used storefront displays and direct selling to appeal to resistant consumers. Consumers could choose from a variety of models and features. The rising price of new and powerful models deterred many people from buying a hearing aid. Hearing aids are not covered by medicare.

The trend has changed. Congress created a category of OTC hearing aids for people with mild or moderate hearing loss. According to the guidelines presented in October 2021, OTC hearing aids would be available from any seller over the counter and sold at $600 per pair, instead of the average costs of $5,000 to more than $14,000 for a pair. Consumers will be able to get cheaper, accessible, and technologically sophisticated options for improving hearing once OTC hearing aids are available. The reception of OTC hearing aids may reinforce stereotypes that still stigmatize deafness.

One issue is that consumers may experience frustration with their hearing devices, if not further deterioration of hearing loss, as they will have preset or limited settings. Some startup's are trying to solve the problem by offering a phone app that mimics the experience of an audiologist. A soundproof booth is needed for a proper hearing test to be valid.

How OTC hearing aids are marketed is the biggest concern. Hearing loss can be serious, and can be associated with dementia, depression, and social isolation. Elderly people on fixed income are the focus of these campaigns. According to advertisements for OTC hearing aids, they will be invisible and will be able to reduce stigma. The marketing strategies push the deafness into a dichotomy, either they're hearing passing or they're part of the deafness culture. Both groups are expected to accept medical and technological solutions. Not all deafness sufferers want to becured and would rather accept their deafness as a spectrum of experience and identity.