Two senators introduced a bill Friday to speed up regulation that would allow consumers to buy Over-the-counter hearing aids, after a nearly five-year delay. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced a bill that would give the FDA 30 days. bill Pass legislation to allow hearing aids to be purchased off the shelf rather than by prescription.
“I keep hearing from Iowa that hearing aids cost a lot — sometimes as much as $10,000. These prices are often shocking for seniors with regular incomes,” Senator Grassley said in a statement. Press Releases. “Our bipartisan proposal would build on the important work we’ve already done to ensure that the 38 million Americans with hearing loss have access to high-quality, affordable hearing aids,” Grassley said.
Proposed OTC regulations would allow adults with mild to moderate hearing loss to obtain self-installing hearing aids without a prescription.with hearing aids Average cost of $2,500FDA’s Rules proposed in October This is good news for the millions of people with hearing loss. But the agency has yet to follow up on specific guidelines so companies and consumers can start taking advantage.
The idea of over-the-counter hearing aids has been brewing for years.Back in 2015, a Report of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology It is recommended to create a class of over-the-counter hearing aids, noting that only a small percentage of older adults with hearing loss use them. Two years later, Congress passed the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act, creating such devices.
“About five years ago, Senator Chuck Grassley and I passed our bipartisan bill to allow over-the-counter sales of hearing aids, but the FDA has not yet finalized the rules for implementation,” Senator Warren said in the release. “This rule is long overdue, and the FDA needs to act urgently—rather than succumbing to pressure from entrenched corporate interests—to finalize a strong rule that will increase competition, reduce costs for consumers and ensure that people can ultimately Buying hearing aids directly off the shelves.”
Under the bill, only one in five Americans could benefit from hearing aids because they can’t afford them.
“The high cost of hearing aids, often not covered by private health insurance plans or traditional health insurance, makes them prohibitively expensive for many people in the U.S. and limits their use,” he said. The Act stipulates.
Additional reporting by Elise Reuter and Nancy M. Williams.
