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.
