Depending on your plan, your hearing benefits may include hearing exams/follow-ups/hearing aids and batteries/and hearing aid fittings.

You can learn more about your benefits, including what exact services are covered by your plan, by checking your Evidence of Coverage. 

We can lose some of our hearing every year as we get older. Hearing loss is very common. In fact, 1 in 3 people who are 65 and older have some degree of hearing loss.

Some signs of hearing loss include:

• Trouble understanding what people are saying to you
• Having to ask people to repeat what they said
• Ringing in your ears
• Having to turn up the volume higher than other people do, or
• Thinking that people are mumbling when they're talking
  
  

In many cases, damage to our hearing started when we were much younger and didn’t use ear protection.

Some common causes of hearing loss include:

• Listening to loud music, like at a concert
• Using or being around loud machinery like lawn mowers or leaf blowers
• Head injuries, ear infections, or earwax buildup
• Health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure can also contribute to hearing loss.

Hearing problems that are ignored or untreated can get worse, so it's best to see your doctor if you have any symptoms of hearing loss.
 

Not being able to hear can make it difficult to participate in conversations with friends and family, which can make you feel lonely.

A hearing exam can help determine if you’re experiencing hearing loss. Once we lose our hearing, we can't get it back, but there are things you can do now to prevent further hearing loss and improve how you hear.

It’s important to have your hearing checked regularly, even if you think you’re fine. Regular hearing exams can help you stay on top of your hearing health and make you more aware of any changes in your hearing, so you’re able to get the help you need, when you need it.
 

If you’re not hearing things clearly, you should visit a hearing and ear specialist, called an audiologist. Audiologists can clean out earwax buildup, give hearing exams, and help you find hearing aids if you need them.

Call your hearing vendor to schedule an appointment.

You should see an audiologist for a hearing exam every 3 years after you turn 50. Depending on your hearing health and medical history, your doctor may recommend you get more hearing exams.
 

If you pass your hearing exam, it means your hearing is within normal range and no action is needed. You should continue to get routine exams at your doctor’s recommendation.

If you don’t pass your hearing exam, it means you have some level of hearing loss. This is very common.

Your audiologist will give you a more detailed hearing exam to measure the level of your hearing loss and make sure that your hearing loss isn’t connected to other medical conditions. If you need hearing aids or other hearing devices, your audiologist can also help you find what you need.

If your hearing loss is drastic, sudden, or you have ringing in your ears, loss of balance, or nausea, your PCP or audiologist may refer you to another specialist, called an ear nose and throat doctor, or ENT.

Your doctor may also refer you to an ENT if you need a special procedure, like inner ear surgery.

Your plan materials will list if you need a referral or prior authorization to see a specialist or a procedure.
 

It’s important to make sure that any doctor you see is in your plan’s network. Using a doctor that’s in your plan’s network means lower costs for you.

If you see a doctor that isn’t in your plan’s network, services you get might not be covered by your plan, and you may have to pay more out-of-pocket.

To find an in-network doctor near you and get your initial appointment scheduled, you will need to call your hearing vendor, which can be found in your Evidence of Coverage.