Hearing health expenses are high and depending on your prescription, treatment can range from $1,000 to $6,000. Treatment will depend on the intensity and cause of your hearing loss. If, for instance, an earwax buildup causes your hearing loss, your doctor can easily reverse this by using a suction tool to remove the buildup. On the other hand, if you fail to get any relief from prescribed hearing devices, your audiologist may recommend cochlea implants instead. If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with a hearing impairment, keep reading as we explore four things that you can do to keep the costs down.
1. Alternative Therapies for Tinnitus Treatment
In some cases, the loss of hearing is often preceded by tinnitus. Although the main cause of tinnitus is not yet known, it is often characterized by a buzzing, ringing, or roaring sound in the ear that comes and goes. The fact that nearly 50 million U.S. citizens have experienced the perception of tinnitus, makes it one of the most common medical conditions in the United States.
Exposure to loud noise, a head injury, age-related hearing loss, and reaction to prescribed medication are some common causes of tinnitus. While there is no cure for tinnitus, cognitive behavioral therapy, sound masking, tinnitus therapy, hearing aids, and relaxation techniques have been found to relieve tinnitus symptoms in some tinnitus patients.With the latest technological development, hearing aids that are rechargeable for tinnitus can now reduce the loudness of tinnitus and bring the level of important sounds to a comfortable level.
Alternative therapy as a treatment for tinnitus often attracts patients who are either dissatisfied with traditional medicine or are open to trying new treatments. However, the main reason most tinnitus patients seek alternative therapies for the treatment of tinnitus is due to the low cost. Some common alternative therapies for tinnitus treatment include acupuncture, ginkgo biloba, hypnosis, vitamin B, and zinc supplements.
2. Hearing Aid Banks
Local state rehabilitation agencies that serve individuals with hearing loss might also be better placed to connect you with helpful resources, such as hearing aid banks. They may also be able to refer you to hearing health clinics that offer financial assistance programs for children with hearing impairments or other disabilities. In Kansas, for instance, the Kansas Infant/Toddler Hearing Aid Loan Bank is a temporary hearing aid loan program that provides loans on hearing aids to children below the age of three. In some cases, however, access to these loans imay be delayed by bureaucratic insurance approvals.
3. Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
To begin with, check with your insurance provider to find out if they offer any coverage for hearing health. After this, consider the following programs and inquire about your eligibility. If your child suffers from hearing loss, they may be eligible to receive free or subsidized hearing devices if their Individualized Education Program (IEP) advises that they need the assistive hearing technology to receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)––as stipulated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
4. State Rehabilitation Agencies
For college students and employed individuals, assistive hearing devices are made available through various state rehabilitation agencies. In the United States, two types of state agencies exist for people with hearing loss. One state agency is mandated to cater to those who are hard of hearing or deaf, while the second office offers rehabilitation for persons living with disabilities, including hearing loss.
The services offered vary from state to state but they offer advocacy, referrals to relevant hearing health agencies, job placements, and speech interpreting services. If you’re employed and worry you could lose your job because of your hearing impairment, you might be eligible for these services.
While these remedies have been found to offer tinnitus relief, consult your doctor before embarking on any new course of treatment.
