They remove wax at the audiology practice I use, in Maryland, United States. Their go-to method is some kind of probe, though they do use water on occasion. That said, I’ve had little need for wax removal since I started squirting warm water in my ears every night, using a 90ml ear syringe I got from Amazon. I squirt two bulbfuls into each ear, and it’s rare for me to find any wax on my earmolds. Before I started doing it, I had lots of wax.
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Wish I’d seen this sooner. It really depends on the type of HL you have and whether or not it’s a straightforward HL to fit. I’m around the same type of hearing loss, but they were able to fit me with KS9’s that still work to this day. I think you’ll be okay, but it really comes down to the skill of the Audiologist doing the testing or fitting.
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My UHC reimbursement from UHC is $1500, and that’s off a pre-negotiated price of $5000 for the top-of-the-line hearing aids from any company they have, which means that I pay $3500 for the highest level of technology. And the UHC policy includes a 60-day trial period. It’s not Costco, but it’s still a very good deal.
If I ever get around to claiming my Jabra Enhance Pro 10s on insurance, it will be $800 AUD per aid. So total cost to me will be 400 Australian dollars, two hundred and something USD. I can only do that every 5 years though.
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I had my first follow up visit for my Rexton HAs. It was quick and productive. I had noticed some static in the left aid whenever I increased the volume, A change in tips seems to have corrected the issue. I’m glad I went with Costco and didn’t pay $7600 for aids from the Audi.
I’m going to start calibrating my aids myself. As I mentioned when I started this thread, the audiogram from Costco was a little different from the other two hearing tests. I’d like to see/hear the difference between them. I have the software but need to buy a NoahLink Wireless unit.
Thanks for all the help and guidance.
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My experience with Costco has been great. No complaints.
But even though my insurance with BCBSTX lists a $2500 allowance for hearing aids, I have yet to successfully get anything but denied the even though the total cost from Costco is significantly is less than the allowance. And I gotten nothing but a run-around from the insurance company as to why.
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I don’t know the specifics of your “insurance,” but many hearing aid insurance providers aren’t what they seem. Many just lock you into one seller and offer a “discount” but often are not any kind of a bargain.
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Djw, I know Costco doesn’t work with insurance companies on hearing aids; it’s up to the beneficiary to handle all the paperwork in terms of submitting claims. As MDB is indicating, some insurance plans will only cover certain aids from certain providers, which does not include Costco. If that is true for your policy, you may well come out ahead paying for Costco aids out-of-pocket and forgoing insurance coverage, rather than using the often-overpriced and subpar-quality aids you could get through insurance, if you can afford to do so.
Did you see this thread?
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I have been replacing mine on an average of every three years because of the advancements in hearing aid technology and Bluetooth connectivity. I keep the previous set as a spare and donate the older ones. If I wasn’t getting them at Costco prices, I couldn’t justify replacing them that often.
My Costco experiences have been positive. I’ve never had to wait more than two weeks for an appointment. If the situation was urgent, they found a way to fit me in within a couple of days. When my KS10s had to go in for service, they provided me with a loaner pair. On another occasion, I had receiver die while visiting my sister out of state. I went into her local Costco on a Sunday morning without an appointment and walked out 10 minutes later with a replacement receiver.
Yes, the Costco Hearing Aid Center staff are fitters not audiologists, but if they are stuck on a problem they have always been willing to reach out to the manufacturer, or regional Costco audiologist to find a resolution.
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I believe my HA coverage is administered by BCBS of Illinois, but my former employer self-insures. When our 1st submission was rejected, my wife got on the phone with BCBS to get everything right. It was a struggle, but worth it.
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Does anyone knows what’s Costco HA offering for profound hearing loss folks?
They use to have Brio-5 which was the same as Phonak Naida Paradise P90 UP, I assume since they’ve scrapped Phonak from their portfolio, that they will no longer be offering Brio-5!
I wonder what’s the replacement for Brio-5?
Thx
Great question. I don’t know if they still offer UP BTEs or not. It is not clear from their online material but they should be able to answer if you called them.
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I was there 2 days ago. They definitely say they sell at least one brand of BTEs, and probably 2 or 3 brands.
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I was there today but nobody was there (lunch break maybe?, or maybe closed Sundays for the time being) I saw some indication of a BTE from Rexton I think, but nothing clear and nothing that suggested they had an UP BTE.
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Some Costco hearing aid centers are only open 5 days a week. Mine fortunately is open Saturdays as well. Check yours to see when they’re open.
Hopefully, they will either bring Phonak Audeo/Naida back or go with Unitron Moxi/Stride.
I was thinking they might have Philips hearlink BTE PP:
I went to Costco about 4 to 5 months ago and asked about options for severe to profound loss with a BTE. They had nothing at that time. The Philips hearlink has a BTE PP but the fitting range did not go down beyond 85db if I recall. The audiologist rang their support line and confirmed this.
I posted this at the time. The only options Costco had were RICs with a UP receiver.
In the past few months I think Resound have extended their Nexia line with a BTE so maybe Jabra will be offered in a BTE.
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Ours used to be open 7 days a week. I’ll make sure to call if I need something other than batteries on a weekend.
I was at Costco today. Looking at brochures, it looked liked only Rexton offered a BTE and it was rechargeable. I asked the front desk person and she confirmed that they carry no UP BTE.
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I see the word “fitter” used a lot on this website. Technical staff at Costco hearing centers in California are termed “hearing aid dispensers” (in many states they are officially “hearing aid technicians” or “specialists”). In all cases, they have had to pass a state exam and complete a certain amount on on-the-job training.
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