Does Insurance Cover Hearing Aids? Coverage by State & Insurer in 2026

Hearing aids can be a major investment. In HearingTracker's latest survey, hearing aid buyers paid an average of $2,694 per pair, though prices at traditional clinics without insurance still average $4,727 per pair. While some over-the-counter models cost just a few hundred dollars and Costco hearing aids start at about $1,600 per pair, prescription devices from traditional clinics can still come with a hefty price tag.

But there’s encouraging news: insurance coverage for hearing aids is improving fast. According to HearingTracker’s latest reader survey, about 1 in 2 U.S. hearing aid buyers now get at least some help from medical insurance, up from just 1 in 4 in our 2018 survey. If that trend continues, hearing aid benefits may soon be more common than not, fueled largely by the growth of Medicare Advantage plans and employer benefits that now include hearing care.

In this article, we’ll help you understand whether your insurance is likely to cover hearing aids and, using fresh survey data, show you how much you may be able to save, which brands insurance plans tend to favor, and how much you can still expect to pay out of pocket.

Does health insurance cover the cost of hearing aids?

Maybe. This all depends on your insurance policy. Some insurance companies may help cover the cost of prescription and/or OTC hearing aids, while others (including Medicare) offer no assistance whatsoever. Policies are often region-specific, so the only real way to know whether you have coverage is to check your plan coverage details or call your insurance company and ask for details.

What insurance covers hearing aids for seniors?

Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids for seniors, but most retirees have at least one route to coverage: a Medicare Advantage plan with a hearing benefit, Medicaid in many states, veterans benefits, or a state insurance mandate.

Here’s how the options compare:

• Medicare (Parts A and B): No coverage for hearing aids or fitting exams. Part B does cover diagnostic hearing exams, including one audiologist visit every 12 months without a doctor’s order for non-acute hearing concerns. After the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.
• Medicare Advantage (Part C): Most Medicare Advantage plans offer some hearing benefit in 2026, typically a capped allowance or copay structure administered through a partner like TruHearing or NationsHearing. Allowances vary widely between plans, even within the same county, so compare the hearing benefit specifically during open enrollment rather than assuming plans are alike. [Source: KFF]
• Medicare supplement (Medigap): Medigap plans fill Original Medicare’s cost-sharing gaps; they do not add hearing aid coverage. Some insurers attach discount programs to Medigap policies, which is a markdown, not a benefit.
• Medicaid: Coverage for adults varies by state, and seniors with both Medicare and Medicaid may qualify for hearing aids through their state’s Medicaid program.
• Veterans: Veterans enrolled in VA health care qualify for hearing aids, repairs, and batteries at no cost. For eligible veterans, this is the strongest hearing benefit available anywhere.
• State mandates: Nine states require insurers to cover hearing aids for adults, but these mandates apply to commercial insurance, not Medicare. They matter for seniors who are still working and covered by an employer’s insured health plan rather than Medicare. If Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan is your primary coverage, your hearing benefit comes from your plan, not your state.

We cover Medicare, Medicaid, VA health care, and coverage by state in detail below.

Once you have sorted out coverage, have a look at the best hearing aids for seniors and know what to expect when consulting with a hearing health professional.

Hearing aid coverage by state

Although almost 20 states mandate insurance coverage of hearing aids for children, only nine states mandate coverage for adults: Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

If you live in one of those states, double-check with your insurance, as some plans, including self-funded employer plans, are exempt from state-mandated hearing aid insurance benefits. Note that some states with children-only mandates have edge cases worth knowing. Oregon's mandate, for example, extends past age 18 for dependents enrolled in an accredited school.

If you don’t live in one of these states, it’s still quite possible that you have some form of coverage. To be sure, please check with your insurance company.

How to find out if your insurance covers hearing aids

Before you call your insurance to check your coverage, have your insurance plan name, policy number or health plan ID, and your member ID ready.

Then address the following points:

1. Your health plan benefits for hearing aids.
2. Criteria for coverage: This may include degree of hearing loss or types of hearing aids.
3. Hearing aid models and technology levels available to you.
4. Coverage for specific services: Ask about hearing aid fitting, programming, and follow-up visits by name. If your provider gave you billing codes, note that CPT codes for hearing services changed in 2026, so describe the service as well as quoting the code.
5. Use of out-of-network providers: You might only have access to in-network providers. In that case, ask for a list of providers in your area.
6. Payment and billing options: Ideally, your provider will bill your insurance directly, but you may have to pay upfront and get reimbursed.

Hearing aid coverage reader survey

HearingTracker recently asked over 1,100 hearing aid purchasers how much they paid for their hearing aids, and whether their medical insurance helped to cover some or all of the cost. Roughly half of buyers got some insurance help, and about 1 in 5 reported full coverage, which is significantly better than what we heard in 2018.

Here’s how the numbers break down today, compared with our 2018 survey:

Two things stand out. First, the share of buyers getting any help has roughly doubled, from 1 in 4 to 1 in 2. Second, and maybe more surprising, the share reporting that insurance covered the full cost has climbed from “fewer than 1 in 20” to closer to 1 in 5. The most likely driver is Medicare Advantage. Over the past 5–7 years, MA plans have increasingly bundled in hearing aid benefits (often through third-party administrators like TruHearing), and the percentage of Medicare-eligible Americans on MA plans keeps growing.

How much of the cost does insurance actually cover?

Among buyers with partial insurance coverage, the average reported benefit was $762 per hearing aid (median $513). Put differently, a typical partial-coverage plan knocks around $1,500 off the cost of a pair.

“Full coverage” is a bit of a misnomer. 78% of buyers who selected “insurance covered the full cost” still paid something out of pocket — averaging $883 per hearing aid — likely because their plan covered a base mid-tier device and they upgraded, or because they still owed a deductible or co-pay. True zero-out-of-pocket purchases exist, but they’re not the majority of the “full coverage” group.

What do insurance-covered buyers end up buying?

Buyers using insurance at traditional clinics make different choices than private-pay buyers in two clear ways:

1. They step down a technology tier. Nearly two-thirds of private-pay buyers (65.7%) purchased top-end hearing aids, compared with 44.7% of insured buyers. Instead, insured buyers gravitated to mid-range devices, choosing them almost half the time (49.7%) versus roughly a third (31.4%) for private pay. The likely reason is where the savings concentrate: insurance knocked an average of $2,048 (51%) off mid-range pairs, compared with $1,694 (32%) off top-end pairs. For many buyers, insurance turns mid-range into the obvious value play, and that’s not a downgrade in outcomes; research suggests premium technology doesn’t reliably outperform well-fitted basic technology.
2. The provider price gap nearly disappears. Among private-pay buyers, audiologist fittings averaged $4,110 per pair versus $2,369 for hearing instrument specialists, a gap of roughly $1,740. With insurance, the gap shrinks to $334 ($2,351 versus $2,017). In practice, insurance makes the choice of provider type a clinical decision rather than a financial one.

One caveat: These figures cover traditional clinic purchases only. Buyers who chose Costco hearing aids averaged $1,674 per pair without any insurance at all. Hence, depending on your benefit, paying cash at a warehouse club can still beat using insurance at a clinic. Run both numbers before assuming the benefit is the better deal.

Does insurance cover OTC hearing aids?

Typically not through your medical benefit. Plan documents and state mandates are generally written around prescription devices fitted by a licensed professional, and hearing benefits administered through networks like TruHearing apply to the network’s own catalog, not retail purchases.

Two exceptions:

1. Hearing aids are a qualified medical expense under IRS Publication 502. FSA and HSA administrators treat OTC hearing aids as eligible on the same basis, so you can pay for OTC devices, batteries, and repairs with pretax HSA or FSA dollars, no prescription required. Retailers like Costco, Walmart, or Best Buy accept HSA and FSA debit cards, though it may be limited to certain departments or their online shops.*
2. Some Medicare Advantage plans let members spend their quarterly OTC allowance or flex card on OTC hearing products, though catalogs vary by plan, so check yours before counting on it.

*Note: HSA and FSA coverage mainly applies to purpose-built OTC hearing aids. Double-check with your FSA plan administrator before purchasing OTC aids that primarily function as earbuds. If in doubt, a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) might clear you. If you’re covering dual purpose devices with your HSA, keep an LMN and the results of a hearing test on hand, in case the IRS ever audits your HSA spending.

Common forms of insurance coverage for hearing aids

Although, as we detail below, Medicare expressly excludes hearing aids from its healthcare coverage, there are several other government and private insurance programs that do provide support for some individuals.

Medicare

Medicare doesn’t cover hearing aids or fees related to the fitting of hearing aids. However, after you meet the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), Medicare Part B covers 80% of the Medicare-approved amount for (1) one audiologist visit every 12 months without a doctor’s order, for non-acute hearing conditions or diagnostic services related to surgically implanted hearing devices, and (2) diagnostic hearing and balance exams ordered by a doctor or other health care provider to determine whether you need medical treatment. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan (aka, Part C), it might include coverage for hearing aids and hearing-related exams and services, so check with your insurance provider.

Legislators have made several attempts to include hearing aid benefits in Medicare, but to date no bill has passed. In the event Medicare eventually does provide hearing aid coverage, it will most likely be similar to a Medicare Advantage Plan, available to “individuals diagnosed with moderately severe, severe, or profound hearing loss.”

Note that, in certain cases, hearing aids can be used as an itemized deduction and Medicare premiums can be tax deductible depending on who is paying, who is covered, and if your medical expenses exceed a certain amount (currently 7.5%) of your adjusted gross income for the year. Check with your accountant or a tax consultant for details.

Medicaid

Medicaid coverage of hearing aids for eligible adults varies by state. Many states cover hearing exams, diagnostic testing, hearing therapy, hearing aids, hearing aid fitting, hearing item repairs, and more, though limitations may apply. Since reimbursement rates are low, you might not have access to the highest technology level. Please refer to HLAA's Medicaid coverage overview.

Department of Veterans Affairs

Veterans enrolled in Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare qualify for diagnostic audiology and clinically-justified hearing aids. Hearing aids, repairs, and batteries will remain free of charge for the duration of your VA healthcare eligibility. For this reason, HearingTracker thinks the VA should be the “first stop” for veterans and eligible family members. Before scheduling an appointment for an evaluation of your hearing, you must register with a VA Medical Center of your choice.

TRICARE

TRICARE covers hearing aids and related services for active duty service members whose hearing loss meets the program’s audiometric criteria, and for family members of active duty members who have profound hearing loss as defined in TRICARE policy.

Coverage for retirees has improved but remains limited. As of 2024, TRICARE covers hearing aids for children of retirees for members enrolled in TRICARE Prime or US Family Health Plan. Adult retirees and their spouses still don’t have a TRICARE hearing aid benefit, but the Retiree-At-Cost Hearing Aid Program (RACHAP) lets retirees buy hearing aids at government cost through participating military hospitals and clinics. RACHAP is a space-available program rather than a TRICARE benefit, doesn’t extend to family members, and isn’t offered at every facility, so call ahead to confirm availability.

Retirees enrolled in VA health care may also qualify for hearing aids through the VA, which is often the better route for eligible veterans.

Workers’ compensation

If your hearing loss is a direct result of your job, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation. Coverage varies by state and some employers are exempt from having to register for this insurance. For those who qualify, workers’ compensation will cover medical costs for hearing loss, including hearing aids, services, and accessories.

Keep in mind that you have to file a claim soon after the hearing loss occurred and before you purchase hearing aids. Your employer should provide you with the paperwork needed to file a claim with the state. Alternatively, you can consult your state’s workers’ compensation officials.

Commercial or private insurance

Insurance provided by your employer or retiree benefits may include coverage for hearing aids. Typically, you need to meet a deductible, contribute a co-pay, and cover costs that exceed the maximum amount of your plan’s benefits. If you have a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan, you have access to out-of-network benefits, meaning you can choose a hearing health provider outside of your insurance’s network. For details, call your insurance provider.

Note that some insurances, including BlueCross BlueShield, Humana, and VSP, work with third-party administrators (TPAs) like TruHearing to provide discounted hearing healthcare benefits. Your insurance will let you know if that’s the case.

How much do insurance companies typically pay?

In our 2018 survey, we found most of the major hearing aid companies to be in the same ballpark with coverage somewhere around $1000 per hearing aid. Please remember that the dollar figures below represent recollections and guesses of hearing aid consumers, and may not accurately depict differences among companies. Again, please check with your own insurance company to see what is covered by your specific policy!

Many insurance plans offer specific hearing care coverage. Here’s an overview of some select plans.

Aetna

Most Aetna benefit plans exclude coverage of hearing aids, according to the company, although you should consult your plan brochure for details. For plans that do not exclude hearing aids, either OTC and prescription hearing aids are eligible for coverage if they are cleared by the FDA and prescribed by a qualified healthcare provider and criteria for medical necessity are met.

Some of Aetna’s Medicare Advantage Plans provide coverage through the NationsHearing program from $750 up to $1,500, but the coverage varies significantly between plans so you’ll need to read your policy carefully or discuss it with an Aetna representative.

Some other Aetna plans also exist, like the Mail Handlers Benefit Plan (MHBP), which is a comprehensive program but requires prior authorization before purchasing hearing aids. Other federal employees may benefit from Aetna’s discount program with Amplifon. Again, you’ll need to read through your policy or contact Aetna for details (1-888-792-3862).

BlueCross BlueShield

BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) is one of the most ubiquitous health insurance plans in the U.S., and many of its plans do provide for hearing examination and hearing aid fitting coverage.

BCBS State Health Plan and Medicare’s Federal Employee Program (FEP) Blue Focus provide hearing aid coverage through TruHearing, covering up to the BCBS maximum.

Medicare Advantage plans from BCBS often include hearing aid coverage. For example, the PlusBlue plan provides a free hearing evaluation, coverage of $500 to $2500 per ear (depending on your specific plan), and hearing aid checks.

Blue365 members can save 30% to 60% on hearing aids with TruHearing. You can combine this deal with the hearing aid allowance in your insurance coverage. BCBS claims its member save an average of $1,250 per hearing aid.

There are also an array of BCBS employer plans and many of these are comprehensive, covering 100% of exams and hearing aids, but only if you use a participating hearing provider.

However, many BCBS individual and family plans don’t include hearing aid coverage. You’ll need to read through your policy or contact a BCBS representative for your individual situation.

CareFirst

CareFirst members may qualify for partial hearing aid coverage of up to $1,000 or more.

The following plans may offer this benefit:

• CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield PPO
• CareFirst HDHP
• BlueChoice HMO

Contact CareFirst to verify your individual coverage.

Cigna

Cigna’s coverage for hearing aid devices varies across plans, ranging from $500 per ear with no test co-pays to no coverage at all. Cigna has a partnership with Amplifon Hearing Healthcare and may offer discounts on hearing aids through Amplifon or Miracle Ear. However, you’ll need to refer to the benefit plan document for specific coverage details.

Cigna HealthSpring is a popular Medicare Advantage plan that covers hearing aids up to $700/ear every 3 years and doesn’t have a copay for hearing evaluations or fittings.

Other popular plans include the Cigna Dental Vision Hearing 3500, a comprehensive plan with coverage for hearing exams up to $50 and hearing aids up to $700, and no deductible. The Cigna Flexible Choice plan can save you up to $500 per year on hearing aids, exams, and repairs but does have a 1-year waiting period before you can access the benefits. Cigna Connect and SureFit don’t cover hearing aids, but do provide discounts through Amplifon, and the latter plan includes preventive care and wellness programs.

To find out more about your specific Cigna coverage you can chat live online or call (800) 997-1654.

Delta Dental and EyeMed

Both of these insurance plans may give you access to hearing aids through Amplifon. This hearing aid discount network provides average savings of up to 64% on leading brands. You can check your benefit with Amplifon or your insurance provider.

Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB)

If you’re enrolled in the FEHB program, your benefits may include coverage for hearing aids. Check your plan brochure for details.

Government Employees Health Association (GEHA)

This insurance provider for federal employees, federal retirees, military retirees, and their families offers low out-of-pocket costs on hearing aids. GEHA members have access to Connection Hearing, TruHearing’s hearing aid discount program, which offers a 30% to 60% discount on hearing aids. Depending on your plan, GEHA pays up to $2,500 per hearing aid pair, meaning some hearing aids will be free of charge to you.

Humana

Since 2017, Humana has offered hearing aids through TruHearing in select states and plans for a copay. Other members can access coverage through alternative companies but typically have a limited hearing aid allowance rather than a fixed copay.

Kaiser Permanente

Some individual and employer-sponsored Kaiser Permanente plans include hearing aid coverage. If you can add the Kaiser Advantage Plus program to your plan, an additional monthly premium will give you access to added benefits, including hearing. Availability and type of coverage varies by location.

UnitedHealthcare

Many UnitedHealthcare plans cover hearing aids through its UnitedHealthcare Hearing program. Its Right2You virtual care and direct delivery program offer UHC Relate brand and Phonak hearing aids, and its in-person care coverage offer Relate and industry-leading brands. If your plan covers hearing aids, you may receive a discount of 50-80% on the device itself, with the discount depending on your policy and the hearing aid brand.

Financing and other options for obtaining hearing aids

HearingTracker offers a comprehensive overview of the ways you can fund or cut costs on hearing aids in our Guide to Paying for Hearing Aids which covers all of the below in more detail.

One often-overlooked option for obtaining hearing aids is by financing your purchase. This can include:

• A healthcare credit card from a company like CareCredit can help pay for hearing aids and other health-related products and services
• Credit cards from your bank allow you to pay off purchases over time, sometimes with extended periods of zero interest
• Buy now, pay later loan apps that offer installment-plan payments over time can be used to purchase hearing aids

Other potential ways to help pay for or defray the cost of your hearings aids:

• The VA and TRICARE, as noted above, provide hearing aids for eligible service members, veterans, and family members
• Local hearing aid clinics can be helpful for referring you to a place where you can get financial assistance for hearing help
• Medicaid and government agencies and programs can help low-income individuals obtain hearing aids
• Charities and local chapters of organizations like the Lion’s Club, Elks Club, and Kiwanis may provide hearing aids or sponsor refurbished “hearing aid banks.”
• Over-the-counter hearing aids are now available for $100-$2,000+
• Big box stores like Costco and Sam’s Club offer professionally dispensed hearing aids at substantial discounts
• Subscription hearing aids allow you to obtain hearing aids with monthly payments
• Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) save money by using pre-tax dollars to pay for your prescription or OTC hearing aids and other health expenses
• Health spending accounts (HSAs) is where employees can set aside pre-tax money for medical expenses, including prescription or OTC hearing aids and hearing aid batteries