I never understood why a major international insurance company would want to start selling hearing aids to their Medicare supplement customers. After all, Medicare does not reimburse for hearing aids so, how could they provide a service if it is not reimbursed?
Robert, my St. Petersburg hearing aid patient, told me how they are failing. He consulted me about one year ago. I verified that he had a substantial discount if he bought hearing aids through his insurance. He opted to work with them instead of me. Now, 12 months later he returns to me for help with a tale of woe about the flawed service from his insurance company.
Instead of a true benefit they sold him a cheap set of hearing aids by mail. They were constantly in need of repair and now one year later they do not want to support him because he changed to a different insurance carrier. His hearing aids are an off brand that cannot be supported by independent hearing professionals. He is stuck with hearing aids that cannot be supported by anyone other than his insurance and they declined to help him.
If you are on Medicare then take Robert’s and my advice. Be suspicious of Medicare supplements that tout hearing aid coverage. It is a scam that will eventually cost you more out of pocket than if you simply chose your own provider.
