Hearing aids now available over the counter for first time in US

Adults with mild to moderate hearing loss can now purchase hearing aids over the counter at stores across the United States, including Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart, or online without a prescription.

Retailers are offering over-the-counter hearing aids averaging thousands of dollars less than prescription models for as little as $199 a pair at Walmart after the Food and Drug Administration finalized a ruling in August allowing the devices to be sold to people 18 and older without a prescription, medical exam, or trip to the audiologist for the first time in the U.S.

The long-awaited ruling is expected to encourage competition in the market to drive down prices for an estimated 30 million people who could benefit from a hearing aid because prescription devices typically cost about $5,000 a pair, and many health insurance plans do not cover the devices without a separate plan for hearing. The effort has been years in the making following Congress passing bipartisan legislation in 2017 requiring the FDA to make hearing aids available without a prescription. In July, President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing the FDA to take action on the issue within 120 days.