#1

Because hearing aids are not covered by my health plan I have to pay full price for them. TruHearing (truhearing.com) offers them at a great discount if one joins. It is not insurance but rather a referral service where contacts with audiologists have to be initiated through TruHearing. Three visits are allowed for adjustments in the first year, and there are costs for visits thereafter. Aids are insured for 3 years.

Does anyone have experience or know about this company and how reliable they are? I would appreciate any comments. Thanks in advance.

My Audiogram
Hz…250…….500….1000….2000…… 4000….8000
L…….55………55….….55………45…………50……….50
R…….60………50………55……55…………60……… 60

#2

Here’s my take: You have three main choices

  1.   Independent audiologist at full price-Maximum selection of HA’s at all available quality and price points. Probably unlimited adjustments once you purchase. Maximum cost.

  2.   Independent audiologist through TruHearing-Limited selection of brands, but with all range of quality and prices within those brands. TruHearing’s 45-day trial period is often longer than the standard trial period offered by the same independent audi if you don’t go through TruHearing. Three free adjustments may not be enough. Each audiologist that TruHearing will suggest to you will have a different policy for adjustments after the third adjustment. Find out what the charge would be with each possible audi. I would think that unless you ended up needing many adjustments and the audi charged a lot for each adjustment, the cost for additional adjustments would not come close to wiping out the savings you would realize through TruHearing.

  3.   Costco-Again limited selection of brands. Some models offered by Costco differ somewhat from the top-of-the-line HA’s offered by the manufacturers through independent audis. Some Costco HA’s can only be adjusted at a Costco store. That can be good if you live in an area with many nearby Costcos, or bad if you live far away from a Costco. I think most people will probably get the best value for their money at Costco due to their rock-bottom prices. Also they have a 90-day trial period and pretty much unlimited free adjustments. That’s a big deal.

My conclusion: Unless you know for sure that you want and can afford a hearing aid that is only offered through an independent audi at full price I would limit my choices to TruHearing or Costco. If you go through TruHearing make sure you speak to the audiologist and make sure they have someone available who specializes in fitting the specific HA you’re looking for. Unless you have a very challenging hearing situation, like being out in loud bar/restaurants often, I would go with Costco for the value. As far as reliability I think TruHearing is very trustworthy. I am using them through my insurance company. Good luck.

#3

ziploc is right on the money. (Although the independent audiologist likely has a favored brand and models, so the wider selection may be more theoretical than practical.) I had planned on buying through TruHearing at an audiologist just a couple miles from my home, but went to Costco across town for comparison’s sake. All the pluses were in Costco’s favor-- evening and Saturday hours, 90 day trial, unlimited adjustments, a more thorough hearing test, and a substantial difference in price, even considering the discount of buying through TruHearing. I’m not a warehouse/membership store kind of guy, and probably won’t buy much at Costco besides the aids, batteries, and gasoline. Unless you don’t have a Costco in your area, you really should give them a shot.

#4

Thank you both, ziploc and iarooster, for such complete and good information. It is true that the audiologist carries several brands but actually pushes only one. Mine are Resound Alera 7s, and they have not worked as I would like with too much hiss and tunnel effect that my audiologist has not been able to adjust to my satisfaction. I am looking to make a change, and there are two Costcos near me, and considering the pluses you have both mentioned, I think I will try them.

#5

TruHearing/HearingPlanet/HearingRevolution/HearPO/etc aren’t a bad way to go. You can save money, but there are some drawbacks to using them:

Your provider selection is going to be limited to whoever in your area is willing to sign up with them. The top providers in your area probably won’t since they have no interest in splitting their fees with a 3rd party company. You’ll more likely get competitors with slower offices signing up who are willing to work at a reduced rate for a small increase in revenue.

The financial motivations are a little bit different too. For traditional patients providers have a financial incentive to continue to offer top-notch care after the sale because down the road they know that if you’re satisfied with their work you’re likely to come back to them for your next pair of hearing aids since they assume you value their expertise and that was part of your reason for choosing them. Not every provider is like this, but the smart ones who want to stay in business will certainly be.

With TruHearing-type programs the incentive isn’t there because the provider knows the primary reason you chose them was price. This doesn’t mean they’ll do a poor job fitting you or quit caring about you after they get paid. What it does mean is they understand that you are highly motivated by price and down the road when it’s time for your next pair that you’ll likely jump to whatever office is willing to give you the best deal rather than sticking with them based on quality service.

I think if I were a patient I’d find a provider I liked independent of these programs and then ask if there’s any kind of price break they could give me to be more competitive with program pricing. Not every provider can and even if they can’t fully match the price you’d get the benefit of receiving a discount and still maintaining a traditional relationship with that professional.

Such relationships can be handy when you find yourself laid-up in a hospital or care facility for months at a time and you need service. They’re also good when you need me to fight with a manufacturer right after a deadline or right out of warranty for any sort of complex resolution or product exchange or replacement. I know that I’d personally try to find a way to drive across town and make a special trip for one of my regular patients if it was the only way they could see me and they really needed it. Would I do the same for a program patient who I’d seen for a fitting, a couple follow-ups, and then hadn’t heard from in two years because their “free” visits were used up? Maybe, but I’d more more inclined to ask you to have a family member bring by your hearing aid, get it in workable condition and tell you to stop by the office when you’re back on your feet for more in-depth service.

#6

I am only in my 4th year with aides but I went thru a lot with my dad, You can believe what you want but you only get what you pay for and IMHO no aid is better than the person tuning it.I have found HUGE differences with the knowledge and TALENT in same office of people adjusting aids.My dad had a BTE that with my poor hearing 6 years ago I could hear whistling sitting next to him back to Costco around 20 times, finally went to audiologist around corner from his house and they played with and adjusted his Starkey 1200 Destiny so my dad was comfortable with it. When it was time for my HA’s I went to a few places before I found someone I was comfortable with; and as I learned even in that office tuning was NOT everyone’s strongest suit.

#7

Hi. I bought my hearing aids 2 years ago thru TruHearing. I was quite satisfied with my transaction. Recently I became aware of HearPO. As it turns out my audiologist has withdrawn from TruHearing and is only participating with HearPO. He sais HearPO is a better company to work with from his perspective, less paperwork. He also feels their customer service, from my perspective, is better too. I believe HearPO will sell more manufacturers products than TruHearing. HearPO will NOT work with your insurance company as TruHearing will, that is the only downside I can see. My audiologist is billing the insurance company though, so by the time the credit card bill arrives, the money should be here from Blue Cross.HearPO has a price match policy and will match TruHearing’s prices.

#8

I purchased a pair of Rexton Cobalt 12+ via a local audiologist through TruHearing. My insurance plan provided incentive to use them. The audiologist sold out. Even though the Co alts were only 2 years old, the new company could not support them. I moved across the country and visited three local audiologists recommended by TruHearing. The first guy turned the left aid into a paper weight. I went to two more. No luck, aids out of date even though under warranty.

I finally found a guy in Florida that gave me a decent trade in on a pair of Phonak Naid Q70s. I have been very happy with them.

Moral of the story? Hope your audiologist stays around long enough to support your aids until they are worn out or at least out of warranty.

Jeff

#9

Thanks for your insight here, JuJubee.

I’m trying to understand exactly what the process with HearPo is if you try to combine that with insurance that at least reimburses you for part of the costs of hearing aids. I understand with Aetna this seems pretty clear cut, you can file a separate claim with them to pay for the hearing aids, since they’re a member of HearPo. But does an insurance provider HAVE to be a member HearPo, or could I use the two separately? (HearPo to get fixed pricing, and my insurance to help pay for most of the costs of the hearing aids.)

— Updated —

Thanks for your insight here, JuJubee.

I’m trying to understand exactly what the process with HearPo is if you try to combine that with insurance that at least reimburses you for part of the costs of hearing aids. I understand with Aetna this seems pretty clear cut, you can file a separate claim with them to pay for the hearing aids, since they’re a member of HearPo. But does an insurance provider HAVE to be a member HearPo, or could I use the two separately? (HearPo to get fixed pricing, and my insurance to help pay for most of the costs of the hearing aids.)

#10

I am really glad you mentioned that last sentence - HearPO will match TruHearing’s prices. I am about to try HA’s for the first time and still confused about it all. Also shocked by the prices. How did you get HearPO to match prices? What did you have to do? I am eligible for both. My insurance has a strong incentive to use HearPO, but TruHearing’s price would save me more than $1000.

— Updated —

I am really glad you mentioned that last sentence - HearPO will match TruHearing’s prices. I am about to try HA’s for the first time and still confused about it all. Also shocked by the prices. How did you get HearPO to match prices? What did you have to do? I am eligible for both. My insurance has a strong incentive to use HearPO, but TruHearing’s price would save me more than $1000.