Did OTC Hearing Aids Fail?

Was OTC a Failure? | Dr. Cliff Show Podcast Highlights
Doctors Cliff Olson, Rachael Cook, and Kelsey Beck talk about the increase in hearing aid sales and how much (or little) OTC contributed.

[douglaszylstra]

Most people don't even realize they have hearing loss and need hearing aids until their hearing loss is severe. As OTC aids aren't designed to serve severe loss, they're not really useful for the vast majority of people that KNOW they need help.

[davidmccarthy]

I tried a "cheap" $200 pair that was actually a bit worse than just amplifying through my phone with earbuds. I've looked into the expensive OTC but have not seen anything that convinces me that spending much more would be any better. I'm going directly to prescription aids so they can be tuned to work for my specific hearing loss.

[curtwuollet]

Why wouldn't they be a failure?
From the start, with the intentional limitations and low performance, they are hearing aids for people who don't really need hearing aids.
They thus don't address the high cost of functional hearing aids.

[maryannlamb]

Self programmed OTCs didn't work well for my hearing loss and I'm now glad they didn't because the extra money was more than worth it to have my hearing properly AND to have them covered by a much longer warranty.

[romescherer]

My hearing is on the cusp between moderate and severe. I picked up a pair of the Lively (now Jabra) Enhance Select 200. They really made a difference. They aren’t perfect. Background noise is still a problem. But, I'd say they improve 80-90% of the conversations I have and 100 % of tv and music listening. For example. Driving in my car before the HA, I'd have the volume at 11-15 and, while that worked for the music, lyrics were another story. With the HA, a volume of 4-5 works for the music and it sounds much better in the higher ranges and lyrics are much clearer. It's easy to see the difference listening to tv without the aids, then slipping them on. Instant improvement. With conversations, I still miss, say, 20% of the words, more in a noisy environment, but that's much better than only catching 20-25% of the conversation.

[joedusel]

Hmmm... As a senior on a fixed income $1000 plus OTC hearing aids are a stretch for me. When I heard that OTC aids were coming out I thought that they would be priced like decent quality ear buds, in the sub-$500 range. Plus, the ear bud style is what I was after. The HP/Nuheara aids looked interesting, but they are too big and their battery life sucks. And, as an Android user the Jabra and Sony (Signia) aids looked like they were only designed for iPhone. The other issue with OTC currently is that I don't think that many health insurance plans cover them. I personally changed my health insurance to a new plan that paid more money for prescription aids and glasses. So, I just got a set of Signia Active X Pro aids, which of course look the same as the Sony OTC aids, but are supposedly better? (The Signia are totally better since my plan paid 100% for them.) The thing that bothers me with the Signia aids is that while they do help me understand speech much better, they sound like crap. I mean, their sound quality is worse than a $35 pair of ear buds, plus thanks to the very lame Signia phone app all that a user can control is the volume, tone and directionality. Sure, you do get maybe a half dozen canned programs which seem to be an overlay to your prescription, but for me they all sound about the same. The only way I can fine tune my prescription Signia aids is to have the audiologist do it for me, and they have a great app. I think it sucks that an expensive aid like the Signia Active X Pro offers less consumer control than a cheap set of earphones, which typically offer custom equalization. I believe that OTC hearing aids are off to a rough start, but once they get their act together with aids that are priced similar to ear buds, that have decent battery life, that don't have much occlusion, that work with all phones, have great sound quality and decent control via phone apps they will sell well.

[gordonv.cormack]

OTC don't have their retail channels or pricing in order. I was in a WalMart in December where they had a display of devices from $500-$2000 but they wouldn't actually sell you one. You had to order it or something. You can get hearing aids online, but 90%+ of them aren't actually classified as "hearing aids" -- just amplifiers. That said, you can get some actual hearing aids online, and my experience has been positive with two family members aged 65 and 97. The former as a "starter pair"; the latter as a replacement for a prescription pair that were simply too hard to maintain, wear, and keep track of.

[GM-nrjq]

I did buy otc, jabra, and although not perfect in crowds, they have been very helpful. They cost $800

[davidolchewsky]

I heard in this video that OTC were still expensive at $2-3K. However, I was quoted $9-10K for 'prescription' hearing aids from my current audiologist's office - specifically the latest Phonak; which I picked just due to that is what I currently have and my preference over 1 or 2 other 'prescription' HA's. Left Phonic HA failed less than 2 years and was replaced without any issues. My right failed near 4 year mark so am now forced to get another set of HA's. Due to the price difference I stated above I'm trying Costco (which DO real ear measurements) - possibly Jabra and have a 180 day full refund try out period. Costco currently markets 3 types and will be curious how they preform vs my current broke Phonaks. My hearing loss is mild to moderate in both ears, although left is much worse so believe OTC might work for me.?.? I did compare the 3 sizes Costco has and the size was very comparable to my Phonaks. BTW - I even thought of taking a flight to your office and maybe will do so, if you're accepting patients.

[Elephantine]

Just like you said, news of OTC devices got my attention so I waited for them. The OTC devices I saw didn't impress me--they were too big, too ugly, and too expensive (e.g. $Sony). So I got my hearing checked, and I have moderate to severe high-frequency loss (which the Aud D said made me not a candidate for OTC). I have since schooled myself (mostly at this YouTube channel) and learned that there's a lot of art that goes with the science and also some amazing 21st-century technology available (AI, Bluetooth, noise cancellation, beam focusing), so with the help of a caring professional, I'm getting set up with an Rx hearing aid. I do wish that they were not so jaw-droppingly expensive. We have gotten used to our miracle microelectronics being cheap and getting progressively more powerful and less expensive, but that second part of the equation is still missing. The promise of OTC was hearing help for the folks who don't have $6000 to spend. I don't think we're there yet.

[Brightsparks]

As a UK viewer of your Youtube channel and other US audiology channels the pricing quoted for professional audiologist fitted HA's from the main manufacturers is almost double the UK price. As I would imagine 'best practice' audiologists in the US and UK would adopt similar standards with REM, multiple fitting sessions, 5 year warranty / support etc why are US prices so high? Are the manufacturers charging more in each market or do US audiologists earn more than their UK counterparts? Phonak Lumity 90's can be purchased in major high street audiology chains for c £3000 - £3500 with full support of from c £2000 wholesale, programmed to your audiogram and shipped direct with remote support.

[iflylo]

OTC will continue to grow, regardless of how bad you fight against them:) They don't buy OTC from an audiologists, they go directly to the manufacturer to pay less.

[tonyk]

Approved late 2022, means devices not really released in a big way for about a year. That is 2023. It's about advertising. Everyone with a Costco membership knows about them. I agree that it's still not at the price point that most Americans need. Let's face reality, getting new hearing aids that are not otc is probably a min of 5k. Most old people don't have that. Most insurance does not cover them.

[projects]

I can only speak for myself, but I have hit the pause button on expensive hearing aids until the inclusion of AI is standard, and it's coming. To be able to have an aid that will automatically adjust to ambient conditions is more than desirable. I have purchased an inexpensive pair as a bridge until it happens.

[lauramaeda]

While I believe the market for OTC is out there, the price point still makes this option unavailable to the population that could most benefit from purchasing these devices. At $795 for a decent OTC device, the cost still seems out of reach for the average consumer who has rent and other expenses and possibly children where they prioritize their income. Ir manufacturers were marketing to an older demographic, people on social security with an average social security income and original Medicare cannot afford this expense and probably do not see it as a priority as they have been “getting by” without an OTC. I believe that manufacturers have to find their target audience, manufacture a device that is affordable to that demographic and gear their marketing toward that audience to make this seem more desirable and a necessary investment in their quality of life. It is still pretty early in assessing the OTC market as a pass or fail. As more devices become available and prices become more affordable, i think the market will improve. Also as a personal matter, can the manufacturers make these devices more attractive? Discretion should not be the major selling concern. Smaller is not always better and not treating and not treating an “invisible disability “ to me is more obvious than wearing hearing aids.
Just my opinion, your milage may vary.

[Sean-mefv]

Why do you want people to buy OTC devices, Doctor Cliff? Wouldn't you prefer people buy prescription devices instead? Or do you want those who don't buy prescription aids to buy OTC aids?