That’s the Unitron facility in Kitchener Ontario.
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I will add that this forum is the greatest in learning about what everyone has gone through in order to hear better thanks to Abram, there is a lot of opinions that are hard not to voice, as natural it may be, here in Quebec there are no deals from the likes of Costco, so we pay, but the Audi’s are certified, so we seem to get better programing results. 20 years for me and the results are always for my best benefit.
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Economists on both sides of the political aisle agree that tariffs hurt consumers. Here we are.
On tariffs and hearing aids: I think we need to wait until further detail in the US Customs and Border Protection Notice of Implementation, which is expected to be published in the next week.
One thing is clear: Lobbying groups like AdvaMed and the American Hospital Association had lobbied (unsuccessfully) for medical devices and critical health supplies to be excluded alongside pharmaceuticals. Lobbyists did win exceptions for some pharmaceuticals, medical-grade raw materials like copper and certain critical minerals, semiconductors, lumber, and energy products. Hearing aids aren’t on the list.
The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States is still serves as the official list of tariff classifications, but the 0% baseline for hearing aids will now be at least 10% unless they are explicitly exempt. There will likely be add ons to that. I strongly suspect that hearing aids go up in price (at least here in the U.S.) one way or another.
Companies like Cochlear in Australia aren’t clear if the Harmonized Tariff schedule exemption still applies and are waiting to find out more. I’m sure they have access to the smartest experts on that matter. They are waiting to find out more.
Here in the US, the talk about hearing aid pricing is a red herring and a distraction from the larger issue of a broken health care system. Eyes, Ears, and Teeth are optional (and expensive) add ons for health insurance companies. Nevermind the growing evidence that hearing loss and gingivitis are directly implicated in disease like Alzheimers.
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It’s called getting rid of the old (dying early) to cut costs, same here in Quebec, total disaster in healthcare.
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Very strange that pharmaceuticals are exempt (as I learned today is the case for Swiss Pharma) but not HAs. But then again I have long ago stopped to try and make any sense out of what that “very stable genius” is doing to the US and the rest of the world.
So for you Americans it looks like it suddenly becomes very relevant to know where your HAs are made. Below is a listing of what I found on the web. Seems that only Starkeys are made in Trumpland:
Major hearing aid manufacturers and their primary production sites include Sonova (Phonak, Unitron, Advanced Bionics) with facilities in Switzerland, China, and Vietnam; WS Audiology (Signia, Widex) with sites in Denmark, Singapore, China, Mexico, Poland, and the Philippines; and Starkey, an American-owned manufacturer.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Major Hearing Aid Manufacturers and Their Production Sites:
- Sonova (Phonak, Unitron, Advanced Bionics, Lyric):
- Headquarters: Stäfa, Switzerland
- Manufacturing: Switzerland, China, Vietnam
- Research Facilities: Switzerland, Canada, and the US
- New Americas Facility: Mexicali, Mexico
- WS Audiology (Signia, Widex):
- Headquarters: Lynge, Denmark
- Production Sites: Denmark, Singapore, China, Mexico, Poland, and the Philippines
- R&D Centers: Denmark, Germany, and Singapore
- Americas Manufacturing and Distribution Center (AMDC): Tijuana, Mexico
- Starkey:
- Headquarters: Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA
- Manufacturing: USA
- GN Store Nord (GN ReSound, GN Hearing, Jabra, SteelSeries):
- Headquarters: Denmark
- Manufacturing: Denmark
- Oticon:
- Headquarters: Copenhagen, Denmark
- Manufacturing: Denmark
- Unitron:
- Headquarters: Canada
- Manufacturing: Canada
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Silver-lining footnote: Unitron HAs will soon also be exempt from tariffs, after the US has annexed Canada.
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I am not surprised. Probably it is because huge profits are made on drugs in the USA.
I had read earlier that considerations are in the works to apply tariffs to medical imports.(may have seen that in the New York Times) … The big brains are working on the best approach…it is said by…uh, not sure.
Actually, Clinton (who I did not vote for) not only cut wasteful spending, he balanced the budget, and left with a surplus, which the next president squandered. And he tried to pass a balanced budget amendment, but the GOP had enough votes to block it.
I’m a middle-of-the-road guy, independent registered, and I lean slightly left on social issues and slightly right on fiscal ones. I think both extremes are too extreme.
But I know Trump’s policies have already affected my two businesses in the negative. Prices are going up, tourists are leaving, and the musicians who buy my music products are all losing money,
Trump cost the taxpayers 20 million in the first 3 months playing golf. If the governors are not going to be the first to trim, they have no right to ask anyone else.
And my next pair of hearing aids, which are already more than I can afford, might be unaffordable.
Especially if he nukes social security and medicare.
btw, the GOP has been trying to get rid of social security since Reagan. When he tried to nuke it, his cronies told him it’s the “third rail” so he devised the “Starve The Beast” plan. He put the cap on, didn’t tie it to inflation, and the GOP has been doing everything they can since to underfund it, essentially starving the beast.
Now I agree we need to trim the fat in the government, but the governors should set the first example, or else they are just stealing. And the fat should be trimmed carefully and gradually, like the way Clintion did.
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I tried folks. Political memes deleted (on both sides) and shutting this one down. If anyone has any insight on this topic, please PM me and I’ll share it with the group!