The US Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday of changing the long-awaited rule enabling the availability of cheaper and better hearing aids.
People with mild to moderate hearing loss will be able to purchase the hearing aids directly online or from a store. Thereby eliminates the complexity of getting a prescription, visiting a hearing health professional, and having a proper fitting aid.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said, “This move will make hearing aids much more widely available across the country.”
Approximately a quarter of people 65 to 74 have hearing loss, which goes up to 50% around age 75. A study revealed that one in eight people in the US from the ages of 12 years and higher, have hearing loss in both ears and the rate increases with age.
However, it is noticed that only 16% use a hearing aid from the millions of people with hearing loss.
Dr. Robert mentioned, “The new devices won’t be free, but the FDA estimates that the new rule could mean savings of about $2,800 a pair. And people could see over-the-counter hearing aids on the market as early as October.”
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