The hearing aids will be available in traditional drug and retail stores as soon as mid-October.
People will be able to buy hearing aids without a prescription later this fall, according to a new rule announced by the Food and Drug Administration.
The rule establishes a new category of over-the-counter hearing aids, allowing people with mild to moderate hearing impairment to purchase them directly from stores or online retailers without the need for a medical exam, prescription or a fitting adjustment by an audiologist.
Devices that are intended for severe hearing impairment or users younger than 18 will remain prescription devices. According to the FDA, close to 30 million adults in the U.S. could benefit from hearing aid use though only about one-fifth of the people with hearing problems currently use the devices.
costs for traditional hearing aids can run more than $5,000 and insurance coverage is limited while Medicare pays for diagnostic testing but not hearing aids.
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