Hearing aids expected to cost less as FDA allows over-the-counter sales. What to know

Moira Ritter
·2 min read

Hearing aids may soon be more accessible to millions of people in the United States under a new rule, officials say.

The ruling, finalized by the Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 16, would create a new type of hearing aids that can be sold over the counter without a prescription, according to a news release. In addition to making hearing aids more accessible, the rule is expected to make them cheaper.

“My last pair of hearing aids cost over $4k out of pocket. I haven’t been able to get one fixed because they’re six years old and the technology is obsolete, but I can’t yet afford new ones, so I’m relying on an even older pair. This decision will literally change my life. Wow,” one person shared on Twitter in response to the ruling.

The new hearing aids would be available to people age 18 and older with mild to moderate hearing impairment, the release says. Consumers would be able to purchase aids directly from a retailer without any medical exams, prescriptions or fittings from an audiologist. Hearing aids that fall outside of this category will still require a prescription.

Over-the-counter aids could be rolled out in retailers as soon as mid-October when the rule is set to go into effect.

“Hearing loss is a critical public health issue that affects the ability of millions of Americans to effectively communicate in their daily social interactions,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf said in the release. “Establishing this new regulatory category will allow people with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss to have convenient access to an array of safe, effective and affordable hearing aids from their neighborhood store or online.”

Lawmakers have been pushing for greater access to hearing aids for years.

In 2017, Congress passed bipartisan legislation requiring the FDA to establish over-the-counter hearing aids. The legislation is just now being enforced, the FDA said.

The finalized rule was first proposed Oct. 19, 2021. Since October, the FDA received and reviewed more than 1,000 public comments about the rule. Based on the comments, the FDA has incorporated a number of changes in the finalized rule from the initial proposal.

Changes to the proposal include “lowering the maximum sound output to reduce the risk to hearing from over-amplification of sound, revising the insertion depth limit in the ear canal, requiring that all OTC hearing aids have a user-adjustable volume control, and simplifying the phrasing throughout the required device labeling to ensure it is easily understood,” according to the release. The finalized rule also has performance and design specifications for over-the-counter aids.

Hearing aids would be cheaper, much easier to get under new FDA proposal. Here’s how

Will you pay less for your prescriptions under bill just passed by Senate? What to know

Social Security benefits could get a boost next year. Here’s what to know

Pharmacist refused to give morning-after pill for religious reasons, woman’s lawsuit says

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Vietnam delays launch of new stock trading system

    Vietnam will delay the launch of the much-expected new stock trading system initially slated for next week, its State Securities Commission (SSC) said. The debut, which had been planned for May 2, has been pushed back due to regulatory roadblocks and the unreadiness to connect to the new system to provide trading services to investors from securities firms, the State Securities Commission (SSC) said in a document dated April 25. Vietnam's main Ho Chi Minh City exchange also failed to report the launch plan to the finance ministry and get needed approvals for information security, according to the document, without elaborating on a new timeframe for the launch.

  • Falcons provide an NFL draft surprise by taking Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. with No. 8 pick

    FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons provided the first major surprise of the NFL draft by selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. of Washington with the No. 8 overall pick on Thursday night. The Falcons extended their recent trend of selecting offensive skill players in the first round by drafting Penix one month after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million guaranteed. Using a draft slot normally targeted for players expected to make an immediate

  • Former KU Jayhawks star Embiid scores 50 in NBA playoffs, says he has Bell’s palsy

    Former KU star Joel Embiid says he’s dealing with Bell’s Palsy, but on Thursday he poured in 50 points to lead his 76ers past the Knicks in the NBA playoffs.

  • Q1 2024 ATN International Inc Earnings Call

    Q1 2024 ATN International Inc Earnings Call

  • Utah Republicans to select nominee for Mitt Romney's open US Senate seat

    A dozen Utah Republicans vying to replace Mitt Romney in the U.S. Senate are set to square off Saturday for the party nomination in a race expected to reveal the brand of political conservatism that most appeals to modern voters in the state. Romney has long been the face of the party's more moderate wing, and observers are closely watching whether voters select a successor whose politics align more with the retiring senator's or Utah’s other U.S. senator, conservative Mike Lee, who supports former President Donald Trump. The winner at Saturday’s state GOP convention, which tends to favor far-right candidates who appeal to the most zealous party members, may get a bump in the race.

  • NBA Playoffs: Nuggets erase double-digit deficit (again) to take 3-0 lead on Lakers (again)

    The Nuggets have won 11 straight games over the Lakers.

  • PRESS DIGEST- New York Times business news - April 26

    The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. - Southwest Airlines is ceasing operations at four airports, and reducing flights from others, in an effort to cut costs as its growth plans were also curtailed by fewer-than-expected plane deliveries from Boeing. - BHP Group, the world's largest mining company, has proposed a takeover of its rival Anglo American, in a deal valued at 31.1 billion pounds ($38.87 billion)that has the potential to shake up the industry at a time when demand for copper is soaring.

  • K-pop giant HYBE shares take another hit as dispute with NewJeans label drags on

    A South Korean music executive credited with creating popular K-pop group NewJeans denied allegations that she was trying to break her label away from HYBE, home to global sensation BTS, sending the K-pop giant's shares tumbling on Friday. The internal dispute at HYBE, South Korea's biggest music firm, has wiped over 12% off its share price since it became public and put a damper on expectations for an upturn from new releases by NewJeans, as well as the return of some BTS members from mandatory military service.

  • Morning Bid: Reading BOJ's tea leaves

    The Bank of Japan's (BOJ) decision to keep interest rates around zero didn't come as a surprise, and focus now turns to Governor Kazuo Ueda's press conference late on Friday for further clues on next steps. Markets had their eye on the central bank's bond-buying amounts, where any scaling back of its aggressive purchases would have been regarded as quantitative tightening that could offer some reprieve for the battered yen. Yet, the BOJ said it will keep buying government bonds based on guidance decided in March, even as it removed a reference to the amount of government bonds it has roughly committed to buying each month.

  • TikTok China parent firm says no plans to sell app

    The US passed a law this week to force the sale of the popular video app or be banned in America.

  • Dow Jones Futures: Microsoft, Google Jump; New Market Rally Still Must Do This

    Microsoft and Google jumped on earnings late after the market rally attempt showed resilience Wednesday amid Meta's sell-off.

  • What to watch for in NFL Draft Day 2

    Yahoo Sports’ Draft Live Crew preview the key storylines for Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft.

  • What does Taiwan get from the foreign aid bill and why is the US economy among the biggest winners?

    The sweeping foreign aid package passed by congress has drawn the ire of China, but billions of dollars will actually stay in the US

  • Poverty experts tell Labor jobseeker payments should be lifted to 90% of age pension

    The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee warn that unemployment benefits are still too low

  • Troy Fautanu idolized Troy Polamalu. Now he's following in Polamalu's footsteps in Pittsburgh

    PITTSBURGH (AP) — Troy Fautanu grew up idolizing Troy Polamalu. It wasn't just their shared Polynesian heritage. It was everything. The way the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame safety carried himself. The way he played football with a relentless passion. The way Polamau's No. 43 seemed to be in the middle of everything all the time. Fautanu grew up wearing No. 43 too until his coaches at Liberty High in Henderson, Nevada, moved him to offensive line as a sophomore. Fautanu's number changed. His

  • Q1 2024 Comcast Corp Earnings Call

    Q1 2024 Comcast Corp Earnings Call

  • Big tech: AI boosts Microsoft, Google earnings

    STORY: The AI effect is giving big tech a boost. Demand for products like ChatGPT helped Microsoft and Google-parent Alphabet to beat forecasts over the latest quarter. The Windows maker is a big backer of OpenAI, which created the popular chatbot. It saw revenue jump 17% to almost $62 billion, with earnings per share also doing better than expected. The tech giant said profits were driven by customers adopting AI services across its cloud computing products. One analyst said the numbers show Microsoft’s big bet on the tech is paying off. Shares in the firm rose over 4% in late trade. Meanwhile, Alphabet beat forecasts across sales, profits and advertising income. Revenue jumped above $80 billion. Boss Sundar Pichai said AI was already boosting results from its search engine. He said more and more people were using services driven by the technology. The robust numbers saw Alphabet declare its first ever dividend, and a big stock buyback. Its shares jumped nearly 16% in after-hours trade following the news. The only challenge for it and Microsoft appears to be the cost of building the new services. Alphabet said its capital expenditures almost doubled over a year earlier.

  • Country diary: Finally, my search for a starfish is over

    Hayling Island, Hampshire: After a year of trying to catch sight of the local population, one of them came to me, thanks to the recent stormy weather

  • The day apartheid died: South Africa’s first free elections – archive, 1994

    In April 1994, the country held its first all-race, democratic elections. See how the Guardian reported events

  • MORNING BID EUROPE-Reading BOJ's tea leaves

    The Bank of Japan's (BOJ) decision to keep interest rates around zero didn't come as a surprise, and focus now turns to Governor Kazuo Ueda's press conference late on Friday for further clues on next steps. Markets had their eye on the central bank's bond-buying amounts, where any scaling back of its aggressive purchases would have been regarded as quantitative tightening that could offer some reprieve for the battered yen. Yet, the BOJ said it will keep buying government bonds based on guidance decided in March, even as it removed a reference to the amount of government bonds it has roughly committed to buying each month.