Services quality is good. Prices is good for this company. But no trial, repair and maintaining services is limited: It is because the company is not an authorized distributor. Local phonak distributor obtained an exclusive authorization letter from Phonak SG, reserve the right to take legal action, will not provide any repair services for hearing aid purchased from unauthorized channel blah blah blah…
How this company work is purchased from online store, tuned and fitting by the shop owner, the audiologist.
For a pair of Intent 1s, you’re looking at a quote between $2,000 and $4,000, depending on where you purchase them in Korea. Honestly, $4,000 is on the higher end, but I’ve included it to account for the premium markups often found at major hospitals. This typically includes a 2-year warranty on the shells, 1 year for the charger, and 2 to 5 years of complimentary aftercare, covering everything from sound adjustments to dome replacements
Are some paying less with health insurance or is everyone paying those prices? The US market has varying costs depending upon whether one is a cash customer or using health insurance with it’s many variables.
In Korea, national health insurance doesn’t cover hearing aids for the general public unless you are officially registered with a Welfare Card (Disability Certificate).
To qualify for this, your hearing loss must be quite severe—meeting either the criteria of 80 loss in one ear and 40 in the other, or 60 dB in both ears. If you have the card, you can get reimbursed up to roughly $900–$1,000 (approx. 1.1M–1.3M KRW), but keep in mind this is limited to one ear only for adults.
The catch is that this subsidy only applies to a specific list of government-approved models. These are rarely flagship devices like the Oticon Intent or Phonak Infinio Sphere. Instead, they tend to be entry-level or older technology from several years back. If you want the latest flagship tech, you’re almost always paying out-of-pocket as a cash customer.
Also, there’s no fixed pricing here. The market is incredibly competitive—it’s essentially a free-for-all where dispensers have full discretion over their quotes. It’s not uncommon to hear a dispenser say they’ll undercut the price of the shop across the street. In Korea, the supply of clinics and centers far exceeds the demand, so shopping around for a better deal is actually the norm.
It sounds like Korea has a lower market pricing but possibly higher costs for some.
In the US the net cost could be $0 to market price. $0 is not what it seems. Briefly, it means the patient/family (and likely an employer) paid health insurance premiums and incurred other healthcare costs to meet deductibles and out of pocket costs. There could be coinsurance if out of pocket limits are not met. Some plans cover hearing aids without any patient payment. Sometimes with insurance the aid itself will cost invoice to the insurer against which insurance applies. Most of the more generous plans are for employees and not retirees or government health plans. Coverage is expanding as more states mandate coverage. Finding a place to use insurance benefits to the fullest can be a challenge. Plans can limit models.
This does not include patients. Pediatrics also tend to have more generous coverage.
There are workforce programs which provide aids at low/no cost but that coverage has criteria limiting access.
Anyone know about hearing aids for prisoners in the US?