Hello, I am new to the forum and am hoping to get some opinions on hearing aids for me. I have humana but they only pay for true hearing’s aids. They are junk! I want to pay the extra so I can get a better pair. I cannot hear someone if they are near me, far away from me and really I only hear bits and pieces. It is very frustrating for me and for whom ever I am talking to. Sometimes they just say forget it and that hurts. I know it shouldn’t but it does. I always use close caption on the tv cause I would never hear any of the movies or anything else. I hope that gives you enough info that u could recommend a good pair. I do have a hearing aid doc and he did an intensive hearing test but he never really told me what I have actually. I was thinking phonak lumity or infinio or rebound or xceed. I just want the best for me. Thank you so much for the help.
I feel your issues. As others have said, if you have a Costco nearby, join, and visit the Hearing aid department. They have free hearing tests and they do have 3 or 4 different brands of HA . They are where I went for my first one 5 years ago, but I have to get a crossover, since the one is totally deaf. Or find another ENT/Audiologist to help.
Good luck, truly…
Welcome to the forum and I hope you will find here what you are looking for.
As comment above, Costco is a good starting point.
If you could add your latest audiogram to your profile, that will tremendously help, and people on this forum will understand your hearing loss and then give you better advice.
Goodluck
I also recommend you check out Costco. The hearing aids they sell are made by the top manufactures but with brand names made primarily for Costco. Costco sells only the premium version of the aids. If, however, you want the Phonak Infinio, you will need to go elsewhere and as I just posted in another thread, check the website for ZipHearing for prices lower than normal audiologists and from an audiologist in your area.
You are right, you deserve the best! Like a Red Corvette!
I don’t understand what you mean when you say that your AuD did a hearing test, but did not give you results? Could you better clarify that for us?
I would ask for an email or print out of the audiogram he did.
Explain that a friend or family member ( choose one ) is very technical, and could explain it to you.
You could fold over your name and so it is not showing and take a cell phone shot and upload it via the UP arrow in your message box on this forum.
What is best for you… depends greatly on your hearing, for which we need to see the audiogram.
IF you want to save money, and I can be certain that you will repeatedly go to Costco insisting that they make more tweaks to help you in instances that you document over a two week period, between visits, then I think you could be greatly improved.
MY worry is that you may not get someone who goes deep into getting the most from your hearing aids. And that would not be good.
IF you went to an AuD, (an audiologist) that cared, and that was patient and took time… it might be better. The problem is that without experience dealing with those places, it would be hard for you to judge how they are treating you.
I wonder if you might know persons who have seriously bad (I am trying not to use the term profound because that is a term used clinically which refers to specific audiogram levels and you could not judge that in your friend), but if you can find honest friends that you know well enough to let them demonstrate how unable they are to understand you without their instruments (hearing aids), and then contrast that with how well they hear you with the HAs, or if you might have a friend or family member who is extremely pro active in asking questions and digging deep - then I would say you should have that person go with you to each of your hearing aid sessions.
That person could help explain the problems you are having between sessions… if you would enjoy complaining to them as they might enjoy hearing your complaints.
Your current hearing aids, probably have a lot fewer options and interactive potential then the better units available. Certainly you want more than plain amplification, you want speech processing, and also wireless connectivity to Bluetooth devices, like your phone, TV, and computer.
IF You read your way all to the end here, then I would guess you could be very interested in enjoying using a better hearing aid, and might care enough to cut through any lesser skilled/caring practitioners you encounter along the way.
Do you have any friends who wear hearing aids? Maybe find out where they go and why they like to go there. I was preparing to go get hearing aids and talked to an audiologist for an hour on the phone. She ended by telling me I owed it to myself to ask the VA about a service connected disability before I invested with my money with her. Independent audiologist that three of my friends use. Gave me a very high level of trust. Still not sure whether I’d have gone with Costco or this lady I never met in person. We never got to the point of discussing prices, but I’m sure Costco would be less.
WH
I’ve heard good things about Costco for hearing aids. However, I suggest you try going to a Hearing Instrument Specialist (HIS) in your area that offers a wider variety of hearing aid brands and types than Costco. That way, you can compare hearing aids to discover what works best for you.
Thanks everyone for your reply. I can’t go to costco because they don’t take humana. I will ask for my hearing test. He put me in a piece of equipment where I sat inside and he played letters etc and I had to say what they were. I didn’t even think to ask him for my report. He also wears hearing aids. I think I might try another aud because I have only been to one. As soon as I get my test I will post it. I appreciate all of you taking time to reply. Thank you!
Seems as if you can stick with TruHearing, but it’s odd that they won’t let you upgrade to name-brand HAs or out of pocket at Costco, which will be a similar cost to an upgrade through TruHearing.
Are HAs free from Humana? Most of these insurance deals leave you still owing thousands of dollars. Costco quite often comes out ahead. Worth it to at least compare.
WH
After wearing 2 sets of hearing aids over a 6 year period, It was time to replace my hearing aids. I was isolated from the world. I could not engage in conversation without saying “could you repeat that” multiple times. Conversations with my 9 year old grandson were impossible. My first set were paid with United Heath Care Medicare advantage insurance. The provider was a state licensed hearing aid salesperson. My insurance for the second set of HAs was Humana Medicare Advantage insurance. The provider was a state licensed hearing aid salesperson. I personally paid for my hearing aids. The decision to purchase the new hearing aids was not entered into lightly.
Let’s face it the current life span of hearing aids is from 3 to 5 years. This is due to:
- Technology changes
- Cerumen
- Does the aid had an adequate wax guards?
- Do the aids have sealed rechargeable batteries?
I listened to all the audio samples (no hearing aids, and with hearing aids (tuned)) that had a soundgrade of A, and many with a soundgrade of B (these can be heard at Best Hearing Aids by Sound Performance in 2025). My criteria was:
- Do I receive sufficient value for the amount that I am required to pay for this hearing aid improve the quality of speech, while reducing listening effort?
- Is the AI robust enough to last a 3 year period?
- Is the price for a pair of hearings aids low enough to replace the pair every year?
I currently have Aetna Medicare Advantage insurance. The provider for my third set of hearing aids was mail order. The service was better than my first two experiences. I received my audiogram. I received an explanation concerning their recommendations. I was offered a phone conference with their audiologist several times. I did not use the insurance benefit.
The day after I received my new hearing aids, I went to a Japanese steak house. I turned on restaurant mode on my hearing aids. The vociferous neighboring table disappeared!. All but complete silence, that only a hearing challenged person can appreciate - reduction of noise with the clear and understandable voices from my table coming through! These hearing aids surpass the 3 year old $3000/pair of hearing aids that left me out of most conversations. In my humble opinion, The hearing aids were priced at ~$400/pair… Amortizing $133 a year is infinitely preferable to amortizing $1,000 a year for supposedly “top brand” hearing aids. I am delighted with my decision to purchase Elehear Beyond.
I do plan on using my Medicare insurance to see a local Doctor of Audiology once a year. This, I believe is a far better value than the supposed hearing-aid benefit in the Medicare plans that I have used. I would recommend this strategy to all that can use it.
If you are a senior, ask for a discount. I did and received 15% off the total price as long as I was an AARP member.
Are you a vet? If so, use the VA.
How much does insurance pay towards hearing aids? Depends on how much you want to pay out of pocket or can afford.
If money is an issue, Costco might be worthwhile as they have set prices and a great 6-month trial period, which no one else can match.
I started with Starkey and then went to Phonak due to BT issues with Starkey. My insurance is superb, so I had to pay a little out-of-pocket cost. My Infinio Spheres were half the cost of what Costco would have been. That’s just because I have the superb insurance plus 15% off. Take away the 15% and I would have gone to Costco.
I wish you the best.
Out of pocket cost is the only price metric that makes sense. Premium HAs at Costco are $1500-$1600 for a pair of RIC aids. What will HAs that you need cost via Humana?
It’s said - and I believe - that the skill of the ‘fitter’ - the person who sets up your HAs - makes a gigantic difference in how well the aids will work for you. I’ve seen that with the Costco audiologist and HISes. Some make my HAs much better, some don’t.
The trouble is that the cost of the HAs has little correlation with the skill of the fitter, so IMO your best bet is to make cost only one of many selection criteria.
To use Costco, you have to pay the membership fee, but that entitles you to a hearing test at no extra cost. They’ve always given me a copy of the results, so I’ve always been able to take the test to someone else for their review and recommendations.
It’s hard to say exactly which hearing aid would be the best fit without knowing your hearing loss level. I think Phonak always has a lot of great features and is a great all-around option if your loss isn’t quite as severe. It offers excellent speech clarity, even in noise, and great streaming features. If you’re planning to pay extra out of pocket anyway, it’s definitely worth getting something that actually improves your day-to-day life.
The more experience I have with doctors, the stronger my skepticism and doubts grow that they can be trusted to care.
This week I finally visited one of the most respected ENTs in the area.
He has been respected for decades, and knows me both as a prior patient and as a client of mine. He wears hearing aids. His main assistant wears them too.
Neither could at times hear me(!)
And he wears the most open of domes -
But I do know that decades ago, he would have an AuD in his office.
And she SOLD a heck of a lot of hearing aids.
My ancient recollection, was that after the audiogram… she was all sales.
Back then, I did not wear hearing aids. but kept them in a drawer somewhere.