Hear, Hear! Over-the-counter hearing aids hit U.S. shelves
STORY: For the first time ever - hearing aids went on sale this week at major U.S. retailers for customers without a prescription or medical exam.
It’s a move - advocates say - that could help tens of millions of Americans with mild to moderate hearing loss, and according to the White House, save consumers thousands of dollars.
That’s because these hearing aids come much cheaper than prescription brands.. and much easier too. No need to even see a specialist.
Michael Ndula is a pharmacist with Walgreens in Washington, D.C., where hearing aids are for sale for $799 a pair. He says it’s a game changer.
“Last week you needed to go see a doctor to get your hearing evaluated, you couldn’t just go into a pharmacy and purchase a product. But right now, as of today, at Walgreens you can just walk in and buy a Lexie hearing aid.”
It’s taken some time to get here...
In 2017, Congress passed legislation requiring the FDA to create a category of over-the-counter hearing aids, but it was not fully implemented.
Then last year - President Joe Biden signed a broad competition executive order to move efforts along.
The breakthrough came in August, when the Food and Drug Administration, for the first time, approved the over-the-counter hearing aids for sale.
Walgreens and WalMart have started putting them on shelves... Best Buy and CVS are soon to follow.
People with severe hearing loss - and children - should still see a doctor.
