text_1: Certain OTC, Less Expensive Hearing Aids Provide Benefit Similar to Conventional Hearing Aid
text_2: This release by the Journal of the American Medical Association highlights a relatively small study that could snowball into better lives for tens of millions of people who struggle with hearing loss. The finding: Many personal sound amplification products, or PSAPs, which can be purchased over-the-counter, seem to perform nearly as well as much more expensive, medically prescribed hearing aids when it comes to understanding speech. While the release does discuss and compare costs — a frequently overlooked yet crucial issue, as we often bemoan here at HealthNewsReview.org — it whiffed on quantifying the benefits of using cheaper devices and discussing their harms. Hearing loss affects some 48 million Americans, but Medicare doesn’t cover hearing aids, which can cost thousands of dollars per ear — this despite the fact that people 65 and older are affected by hearing loss. If over-the-counter devices like PSAPs compare to the aid provided by much more expensive prescription hearing aids, then millions more people with hearing loss may be able to reap the benefits.