Cheaper hearing aids hit stores today, available over the counter for first time
Enlarge / In this photo illustration, a Lexie Lumen hearing aid rests on a pharmacy counter at a Walgreens store on October 17 in Los Angeles. Walgreens is making Lexie Lumen hearing aids available for sale over the counter for adults beginning today following an FDA ruling allowing over-the-counter sales for hearing devices. (credit: Getty | Mario Tama)
Today, Americans can buy cheaper hearing aids for mild-to-moderate hearing loss from a range of common retailers, including Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart, without a prescription-finally making the critical health devices more affordable and accessible to the estimated 28.8 million adults who could benefit from them.
The US Food and Drug Administration estimates the change could lower the average cost of obtaining a hearing aid by as much as $3,000. As of today, Walgreens is selling an over-the-counter model similar to hearing aids that range from $2,000 to $8,000 per pair at specialty retailers for just $799 per pair on its shelves, the White House said Monday. Likewise, Walmart said that, as of today, it is selling over-the-counter hearing aids ranging from $199 to $999 per pair, which are comparable to prescription hearing aids priced at $4,400 to $5,500 per pair.
The move is years in the making. In 2017, Congress passed a bipartisan proposal directing the FDA to set rules for selling over-the-counter devices. But the rules were slow to come. In July 2021, President Biden signed an executive order spurring the FDA to produce the rules, which the agency finalized in August of this year.