I finished knitting a red afghan about two weeks ago.
It’s just plain knit stitches, super loose.
I decided I didn’t like it.
So I unraveled the entire afghan.
This time I’m keeping my stitches neat and I’m going to throw in a little stocking stitch. Stay tuned (for about two years).
This is one thing I love about knitting and crocheting. You get do overs.
I finally bought hearing aids on Jan 13. I chose the Oticon Dual Mini-7. $4,200. I paid $3,200 to Blue Ridge Speech & Hearing because their understanding is that Kaiser pays $1,000. I’m not going to be surprised if they call back to say they need another $500.
I am thrilled to now know my Medical Flex Benefit credit card really works (at least I can use untaxed money to pay out the $3,200) and that I don’t have to have another hearing appointment until July.
And I like hearing, too.
One of my goals in life is to be able to make pie crust as well as my Mom makes pie crust. I have not been diligent in working towards achieving this goal, but I did take advantage of having my Mom at my house for Thanksgiving and I asked for a pie crust tutorial.
My Mom instructed me to make the crust under her supervision rather than just show me. We used our family recipe that Mom says she got from Aunt Colleen. And the crust turned out perfectly! I made a good pie crust! I need to do it again soon to see if I can replicate the feat without Mom’s supervision.
I felt like I needed to get more hearing aid price quotes after I discovered what I perceived as a significant price difference between the two dispensers I’d seen thus far. I now have a fair amount of data and am almost done with my survey. I’ll update this post as I gather the rest…
I sent out the email note below to all the northern Virginia dispensers on the list my Kaiser Audiologist gave me. I wondered what the response would be given that pricing seems to be a sensitive issue in the hearing aid world. Most responses were forthcoming. Two dispensers wanted me to call to get a quote rather than send a quote via email (Isn’t that interesting? I bet a log of hard-of-hearing folks prefer email over the phone…) I got long, warm answers and short, to-the-point answers. Overall, there doesn’t seem to be a significant difference in price. I summarize the responses in the table below.
This past July I was diagnosed with mild-to-moderate hearing loss that is permanent. My Audiologist recommended I get hearing aids. My health care provider, Kaiser Permanente, does not dispense hearing aids but I was given a list of hearing aid dispensers in the DC Area that included you. I am checking with various dispensers to decide what might work best for me. I’m using two questions to help me:
1. What brands of hearing aids do you sell?
If you sell the Oticon Dual Mini-5, what is your price for it? What does that price include in terms of batteries, cleanings, follow-up visits, warranty, etc? What doesn’t it include?
Obviously, there is much more to buying hearing aids than brand and price. I feel a little overwhelmed by all there is to learn as a first time hearing aid buyer. I’ll appreciate your taking the time to answer my questions.
| Dispenser | Contact | Method | Brands Sold | Price for 2 HA | Price Includes | Misc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax Hearing Center – Annandale | Dr. Gena Marino | I work with several different companies however the one that I favor is Oticon. | $4,000 |
|
N/A | |
| Fauquier Hearing Services – Warrenton | Diane Markva, Au.D.Doctor of Audiology/Owner | Didn’t say. | $3890 |
|
First appointment is $50. That investment can be applied to the purchase price of the amplification. | |
| Hearing Solutions of Fairfax PC – Fairfax | Vivian Muccio, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA Audiologist | I dispense hearing aids from many manufacturers including the top five manufacturers of hearing aid that do most of the research and product innovation and development in the field. They are Starkey, Oticon, Phonak , Widex and Siemens. | $3,700 |
|
N/A | |
| Lesner Hearing Center – Alexandria | Leslie Lesner, Au.D., Doctor of Audiology | Oticon, ReSound, Widex, Phonak and Unitron. Experience with Starkey and Siemens | $3,400 |
|
I teach you about maintaining your hearing aids to keep repairs to a minimum. There is a 60-day adjustment period. If we cannot achieve our hearing goals during that time we will exchange the aids for others and start the 60 days again; or refund your money less a $150 service fee per aid. | |
| Professional Hearing Aid Service – Reston | Chandra | Email. Please call for quote. (703) 478-9898 | Sells Octicon and “all major brands.” | ? |
|
N/A |
| Sonus Hearing Care Professionals – Fairfax | Jamie Clark, AuD, CCC-A – Doctor of Audiology | Email. Call for pricing. 703-204-1123 | Phonak, GNResound, and Siemens | ? |
|
See www.phonak-us.com the Audeo Mini CRT (receiver in the ear), this instrument would be an equal to the Dual Mini from Oticon. |
I happened to glance at an earlier post about my landscaping and was impressed by how much my garden grew from May to September
May 21, 2009
Sep 22, 2009
May 24, 2009
Sep 22, 2009
Willa, the Kwanzan Cherry Tree looks the same (a good thing!) so I won’t post her pics.
We had a few casualties among the Moonbeams. I think I watered them too much. (Last week I was trying to find out what to do with Moonbeams for Fall/Winter and I found out once-a-week watering is all the new plantings need.) I adore Moonbeams, so I will get them replaced next Spring and try again.
I love my little garden.
I went to my first appointment with Blue Ridge Speech & Hearing on September 29.
Dr. Alice Wilson is my favorite Audiologist so far. She was proactive in explaining things like my audiogram. She asked questions about my lifestyle and what came to mind when I thought about hearing aids to assess what hearing aid might be best for me. When we decided which hearing aids I’d try first, she tested them by going around her office and asking me questions at different volumes. She introduced me to the “ear grip”, a nifty hearing aid attachment that makes the biggest part of the hearing aid feel more secure in its perch behind my ear.
Then, we talked about hearing aid prices. I expected the Blue Ridge prices to be on the low end because it’s a non-profit organization that advertises its audiologists make no commission on hearing aid sales. Surprise! The Blue Ridge price of $2500 for a pair of Oticon Hit Pro RITE’s is higher than the Dr Crowley price of $2,270 for a pair of Oticon Dual m-5’s – reportedly a superior model . The Blue Ridge price of a pair of Dual m-5’s is $3,800. Whoa! A difference of $1,530 when compared to the Dr. Crowley price. Even if I subtract my $500 of insurance coverage from Dr. Wilson’s quote, the difference is $1,030. My wallet says that’s a significant difference!
| Dispenser | Oticon Hit Pro RITE | Oticon Dual m-5 | Oticon Dual m-7 | Oticon Dual m-9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing | $2,500/pair | $3,800/pair | ? | ? |
| Hilary Crowley, Hearing Services | ? | $2,270/pair | $3,010/pair | $3,690/pair |
| Difference | ? | $1,530 | ? | ? |
| Dispenser | Oticon Hit Pro RITE | Oticon Dual m-5 | Oticon Dual m-7 | Oticon Dual m-9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing | $2,000/pair | $3,300/pair | ? | ? |
| Hilary Crowley, Hearing Services | ? | $2,270/pair | $3,010/pair | $3,690/pair |
| Difference | ? | $1,030 | ? | ? |
It’s possible I’m comparing apples and oranges. The seemingly infinite possible combinations of hearing aid styles and features even within just one brand like Oticon makes direct comparison hard to do. Nevertheless, this information spurred me on to internet research on buying hearing aids and hearing aid costs.
I come away from the research I’ve done so far with the impression that buying hearing aids is like buying a car was back in the days before a little internet research allows you to compare sticker prices among dealerships and you can get a pretty good idea of how much the car dealership paid for its cars.
You won’t find public information about what hearing aids cost to manufacture or at what prices different dispensers sell them. Internet hearing aid sellers are the only exception to this rule. But buying hearing aids via the internet would be like buying braces for your teeth over the internet – not recommended.
Look at the Oticon web site and there’s nary a dollar sign to be found. Look at the Costco web site where you can find thousands of items listed with prices, except for the hearing aids they sell. Consumer Reports notes in hearing aid research it conducted, “Where we could verify the wholesale price of the aids we tested, the average markup was 117 percent.” Therefore, the money conscious hearing aid buyer must investigate multiple hearing aid dispensers and/or bargain with dispensers for the best value.
That’s what I plan to do. I’m curious to see what information I can get over the phone…
I go to my first appointment at Blue Ridge Speech & Hearing tomorrow (Sep 29). I haven’t done much anything regarding my hearing since I figured out my insurance situation and then went on vacation for a week. But I will tell you quickly about my last appointment with Dr. Crowley, on Aug 26.
1. I turned in the Oticon Dual m-5 ’s that I had tested for a week. I was pleased because I couldn’t tell the difference between the m-5 and the m-9. The m-9 costs $3,690 whereas the m-5 costs $2,270 (through Dr. Crowley).
2. I learned the other brand of hearing aid Dr. Crowley sells is Widex. We talked a little about the difference between brands – not much as far as hearing goes, but they offer different features. For instance, one has the option of using bluetooth technology with one brand, but not the other (I forget which was which, now). There are also small differences in the styles.
3. I remembered to ask again about how long hearing aids generally last and to write down the answer: five years. That also is a financial relief; I had thought it was three years.
4. I had to tell Dr. Crowley that I had to check out Blue Ridge Speech & Hearing because that’s the only place where I could use my medical insurance. She took it very graciously. If I don’t like Blue Ridge Speech & Hearing for some reason, I would definitely consider seeing her again.
And so I went back to life without hearing aids after three weeks of “test drives”. I don’t like it. After having a taste of what I was missing, I’m anxious to have my own pair of hearing aids that I can keep. Before I tried the hearing aids, I thought I would give myself several months and do all kinds of research about hearing aids before buying. I’m pretty sure that ambition is dead. I’ll see what happens tomorrow…
It’s been a rather long and frustrating journey to figure out what, if any, coverage I have for hearing aids and how to get the coverage. In all fairness to Kaiser Permanente, I think I probably frustrated, and maybe even angered, some folks who tried to help. Then one day, after several email exchanges and several phone calls, magic happened. I found someone at Kaiser (on the phone) who was knowledgeable about “hearing services” and I finally knew what questions to ask. I’ve got the scoop on my medical insurance and hearing aids now.
But first, may I share a tiny bit of the frustration in getting the scoop?
hearing-services
Enough complaining. The bottom line is that
I’m happy to have some coverage. Based on my very informal research thus far, some medical insurance plans cover nothing at all; some, like mine, provide $500 towards hearing aid costs; in rare cases, the coverage is $1000.
I love you, avocado,
for making fresh guacamole.
Mmm, mmm, good.
I also love you, avocado,
on a turkey sandwich.
But I seldom buy you, avocado,
because I can fit only half of you into me at one sitting
and the other half turns yuccy before another sitting.
Until now.
Yesterday I read, avocado,
that your pit has magic powers
to keep you from turning that unappealing brown.
I tried it, avocado.
I left the pit in half of an uneaten avocado,
wrapped it in plastic,
and left it in my refrigerator overnight.
And
it
worked!
It worked, avocado!
No grossness!
Only greenness!
And I ate you, avocado.
My turkey sandwich tasted so good.
Mmm, mmm, good.
I think I’ll see you more often, avocado.
I love you, avocado.
I saw Dr. Hilary Crowley on Wed, Aug 12. She’s an Audiologist who sells hearing aids.
She looked at my audiogram (the results from my July 28 hearing tests) from my Kaiser Permanente Audiologist and we spent over an hour talking about hearing aid options and the gadgets that can go with them. You can see some of the model options on her website. I learned that in my case I can choose any hearing aid style. The level of digital processing for the hearing aid is what determines the price:
The premium models perform the most sophisticated processing to enhance the clarity of speech and minimize the effects of noise. The lowest cost “budget digital” hearing aids apply more basic processing and do not have as many features, but are still flexible enough to fit most hearing loss. (From Dr. Hilary Crowley’s website)
I walked out of her office with a pair of Octicon Dual m-9 (highest level of processing) hearing aids (“Open Fit Mini BTE” style) for a two week test drive. These babies cost $3,690. The mid-level of processing costs $3,010 and the lowest level of processing costs $2,270 (costs listed are for two hearing aids) …
I feel like I have Bionic Woman Ears when I wear these hearing aids. I can hear conversations in the cubicles one row over from me at work. I hear all sorts of sounds I didn’t hear before… I don’t even know what some of them are! The sounds don’t seem completely normal to me, but “normal hearing” isn’t to be expected from hearing aids as 20/20 sight can be expected with glasses. It often sounds like I’m hearing everything through a microphone. Sometimes I even get microphone-like feedback noises in my ears.
I love hearing all the comments people make in Sunday School. I love not having to ask people to repeat what they said. I love being able to use my watch alarm again! I do not love how loud the air conditioning sounds at home… But I’m getting used to it. I’m also getting used to how it feels to have a tubes in my ear canals.
My current plan is to also test drive the mid and low level processing levels to figure out what level I really need – I might be able to save a little money. Dr. Crowley isn’t charging me for the office visits or the test drives. She says all those costs are taken care of in the cost of the hearing aids… But what if I don’t end up buying from her? (I haven’ t asked that yet.) I might buy hearing aids from another organization for insurance reasons.
I’m concurrently trying to educate myself about hearing aid brands, their costs, and how customers rate them. I might want to try a brand besides the two brands that Dr. Crowley offers. I’ll appreciate any insights or research results anyone out there has to help me wade through all the information that is and is not available on the internet.
Coming soon: Update on the insurance situation.
