Last month, in response to an executive order issued by President Biden, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule to lower the cost of hearing aids for the nearly 30 million Americans who have hearing loss.
The new rule allows adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss to buy hearing aids at a store or online without a prescription, exam, or audiologist fitting. The FDA estimates this could lower average costs by as much as $3,000 per pair. Eliminating the need for these additional steps to obtain hearing aids will also reduce not just cost, but barriers for those who may not have access to an audiologist. Retailers across the country, including CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and others, are now selling over-the-counter hearing aids. For more on the options available, see this fact sheet.
