This rant is about insurance with info about Costco, Jabra, Phonak and Audibel based on my research and experiences.
I have been a Costco HA customer since they started with Interton HAs, one person and no real booth. That WAS long ago. My Aetna MA 2024 now has a $1,250./ear/year benefit. In Nov I called and was told by an Aetna rep that I could buy my preferred Jabra Enhanced Pro 20 at Costco and submit a reimbursement form even though the doc they sent me said it was THRU Nation Hears = Audibel. So, I kept my MA policy and I set an appt at Costco since the Phonak Brio 2 and 3 I have been dealing with for the last 8 years are a POS. Nothing but trouble. Yesterday, I called Aetna just to verify and was told, and verified on a doc on their website, they MANDATE that I go to Nation Hears - listed as 2/5 on Trustpilot and Audibel does not make anybody’s top 10 list. Try to get any info on Audibel HA, description, specs, even price. I can’t even call the store - no phone listed. Obviously, this is a high pressure sales operation just based on those facts. (I am not going to personally find out.)
Today, I kept my Costco appt. and was told why they dropped Phonak – because they had 40,000+ issues with the Phonak 10 rechargeable chargers that Phonak wouldn’t fix. So, Costco dropped them. They are now told after 18 months there is a f/w update to the HA to fix it. That fits with my vision of Phonak after 8 years.
So, why does a big company like Aetna do business with the likes of a 2/5 Trustpilot company? Why do the reps not know that I can’t go anywhere else until AFTER I can’t change my MA provider?
Costco is #2 in fitters, Jabra appears #1 in most reviews, Phonak is a crap shoot, and Audibel is trouble.
Even with the $1250 allowance, I have been told an Audibel would still cost me more out of pocket than buying the Jabra straight out.
Just be careful where you plant your feet and money. And for my money, Costco is the place to go.
Fortunately, I may have a viable option with the VA. I will find out later this month if I qualify for free aids. If not, I will be back at Costco.
As a side note, Audibel is a private label Starkey. It is actually a franchise like Miracle Ear, Beltone and few others. When you buy there, only that franchise and program the aids. When I was still in practice, an Audebel user moved to town and even though I had the Starkey software I could not program the aids. I had to send them back to Starkey to be renamed “Starkey”, then I could help the patient. As a general rule, going to a franchise office will end up costing you more money because you can not compare prices. Audibel or Miracle Ear can only be programmed with their version of the software. As for the insurance companies, they cut a deal with whoever gives them the best prices. They don’t care about quality of care or product they just look at the bottom line. It is going to get worse before it get better.
UPDATE: I found out that I could get many different brands. Not sure I believe that, but I played their game for the last 4 hours and got someone who quoted me prices on the Resound Nexia 9. That HA is essentially identical to Costco’s Jabra Pro 20.
The price listed on a comparison I made changed multiple times for the Nexia 9, but the lowest was $4598./pair. Can you guess what my cost WITH my insurance ?benefit? is?..
Wait for it…$5000.
The quoted retail before benefit was $7500… The highest comparison price was $6890. SO, again, insurance is a joke.
Unfortunately your cautionary tale about US health insurance “coverage” for hearing aids has been heard before. Obviously this will depend on the insurance policy; not everyone has your experience, but many do. Paying out-of-pocket at Costco or even at the audiologist office of the patient’s choice is often a better way to go than relying on what an insurance company is willing to pay for.
I’m holding my breath, but it seems like I may be able to get them at the VA = $0.00.
Only problem may be, the VA is in another city. Hopefully they do remote tuning so I don’t have to trek back. But I am sure it won’t be as bad as my 50 or so visits for my Phonak garbage.
I have had minor changes, but to flash the firmware I needed to go in. My VA audiologist is happy to do what we can remotely. If you have a service-connected hearing disability, they will pay mileage to go to the facility, btw. Doesn’t cover the time, but it helps a little.
WH
I looked into Medicare Advantage because of HA coverage. I did not find it to be an advantage - HAs turned out to be cheaper from Costco and Ziphearing, and there were other limits to MA policies that made it a poor fit for me.
Some states are passing laws requiring health insurers to allow up to $2,500/ear every 2 years. Illinois starts that either this year or 1/1/2025, and I know at least one other state requires it or will soon. I have no idea what that will do for premiums.
Yeah, unfortunately, as with anything political, they fail to specify how that should be implemented. Aetna is $1250./ear every year. The fact that they let the “approved supplier” inflate the cost so that you end up paying the whole thing anyway doesn’t factor in. Just BS fake news for their campaigns and marketing program.
From what I see in American audiologist discussions, the insurance down there is a complete joke for them. So it’s screwing both the patient and the provider. Plus, it seems like insurance is constantly telling the patient one thing and the provider another, and pitting them against eachother.