Starting in October, Americans with mild to moderate hearing loss can purchase over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids following a ruling this week from the Food and Drug Administration.
Supporters of the ruling say that it will lower the costs of these devices. On average, the retail price for hearing aids ranges between $1000-$4000, with most hearing aids lasting for only 5 years before needing replacement. The FDA reports that around 30 million U.S. adults are hard of hearing.
Customers can purchase OTC hearing aids directly from retail stores or online sellers without a medical exam, prescription, or fitting by an audiologist. While some devices that resemble hearing aids have been widely available for years, those hearing amplifiers only work when used to raise volume for non-hearing impaired individuals, and are not regulated by the FDA nor designated as medical devices.
Despite OTC hearing aids not requiring a professional fitting, they still use the same technology as a prescription hearing aid.
The FDA’s ruling follows President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, which administration officials say will lower the costs of medical goods and services and boost market competition.