For the first time, hearing aids are available for purchase over the counter at retailers across the United States.
issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss can buy hearing aids at a store or online without a prescription, medical exam or audiologist fitting -- and for thousands of dollars less than they previously cost, according to the White House.
"A person's 'whole health' is a combination of many factors, including hearing, that influence physical and mental well-being," Walmart's chief medical officer, Dr. John Wigneswaran, said in a statement Monday. "Offering easy access to OTC hearing aids -- something that seems quite small -- is a solution that can improve our customer's health outcomes and their ability to live better and healthier.
Best Buy will offer nearly 20 different hearing devices online starting this week. By the end of the month, the company will offer hearing aids in nearly 300 stores across the country. Devices will range in price between $200 and $3,000. Hy-Vee will sell over-the-counter hearing aids online and in 34 locations across Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin starting this week. The company plans to offer hearing aids in 100 locations by the end of the year.
"The new over-the-counter category applies to certain air conduction hearing aids, intended for adults aged 18 and older who have perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss," Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said at a briefing on Aug. 16. "Hearing aids for severe hearing loss or for users younger than age 18 will be prescription devices, to assure patient safety as well as effectiveness.
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