A valuable tool for some Americans’ well-being that once required multiple steps to obtain is now available over the counter.

On Monday, some types of hearing aids became available to buy over the counter, and some audiologists are celebrating the change that is the result of an executive order by President Joe Biden and a final order by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Food and Drug Administration.

Walgreens and some Walmart locations began selling over-the-counter hearing aids on Monday, with CVS selling the devices online and slated to be in stores in November, according to a news release from the White House.

“It’s very positive for both the public and the audiologists, in my opinion,” said Dr. Kristin Davis, president of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology, a national group of audiology practitioners.

The change is expected to lower the cost of obtaining a pair by as much as $3,000 for a person with mild to moderate hearing loss, according to the FDA.

An estimated 28.8 million Americans could benefit from using hearing aids, according to the U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Roughly 15% of Americans over the age of 18, about 37.5 million people, have some form of difficulty hearing, according to the 2012 National Health Interview Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I think (the change is) going to open up access to have more people come into the hearing aid world,” said Zach Grohler of the six Beltone Hearing Aid Centers in eastern Virginia and two other centers in North Carolina.

One in eight Americans 12 or older has hearing loss in both ears, according to a 2011 study by Johns Hopkins and National Institute on Aging researchers.

“I think hearing we often think of people who are not hearing certain things, but that doesn’t necessarily take in people who have tinnitus or ringing in their ears, which could be symptoms of hearing loss or people who have audio processing issues,” said Alicia Spour, chair of the advocacy and public policy committee of the ADA.

Though the public can now buy hearing aids, audiologists still have a role to play in making sure people have the right tools to make an educated decision on what form of hearing aid they need, the audiologists said. For example, some people may just have a large amount of wax build up in their ears; therefore, buying a hearing aid will not actually fix their hearing loss, Grohler said.

Davis and Spour also said hearing aids are not a silver bullet for all hearing issues, which can also affect balance as balance is linked to hearing, according to the ENT Institute. Additionally, recent research has found links between noise exposure to diabetes, cognitive decline, cardiac health issues and even kidney disease, Spour and Davis said.

“There’s so many ways it’s going to be important for audiologists to be a resources for their communities to access their resources to maximize the benefit of over the counter or prescription hearing aids,” Davis said.

Spour, Davis and Grohler still recommend those interested to at least have an assessment before buying over-the-counter aids, the prices of which are expected to range from $300-$600, according to the American Academy of Audiology.

One area where the ADA is pushing for reform to expand access to hearing care is Medicare coverage, Spour and Davis said.

A bill backed by the ADA would expand Medicaid coverage for some audiologist services, such as diagnostic or treatments, without a referral. Many other forms of insurance, including Medicaid in various states, provide coverage for these direct visits.

Davis said the discussion sparked by the newly available hearing aids over the counter may help in the advocacy of expanding the Medicare coverage.

“We’re hoping this will bring that conversation forward and get Medicare patients access to care they need,” Davis said.

Ian Munro, ian.munro@virginiamedia.com