United Health Care hearing aids

Well, now that I’ve slogged through this entire 12 page (so far) thread, I’ve come to some conclusions. Some of my thoughts I couldn’t resist posting earlier. I noticed that forum member seb realized that in the post I commented on, he had (in post #49) acknowledged that he might have worded somethings incorrectly. In any case here’s my general observations:

• This forum is or was dominated by "audis" trying by intimidation, fear, name-calling to make the case that buying inexpensive hearing aids from hiHI is a bad idea. Some even stated that on the hiHI web site they didn't even call them "hearing aids." I wasn't aware of hiHI until mid 2013 so I can't comment on what was back in 2012, but they clearly use "hearing aids" at present.
• There have been a few comments made directly by persons presenting themselves as representing hiHI. Score a point for transparency.
• Only near the end of this thread did someone (elijahlovejoy?) issue a call for those representing the status quo; i.e. pre 2011-12 to identify themselves as audis/HA dispensers. Only when we know if someone has a vested interest one way or the other, can we make decisions base on solid information.
• Name calling and finger-pointing should have no place in a forum that purportedly exists to help folks who need assistance with hearing issues. You know who you are.
• There were a number of comments about other "low cost" hearing aids. The only program I had ever heard of was from a friend who purchased two used hearing aids (Think about it: hearing aid use is predominently older folks who have a tendency to die. What is done with all those multi $thousand$ hearing aids. I suspect that it is NOT in the interest of the old school interests to "harvest" used hearing aids to be retrofitted to new users.
• I am a satisfied hiHI hearing aid user. I purchased two BTE w/telecoil. I'm not sure that the telecoil is helping me since most of the time I use my phone on speaker, or bluetooth speaker in the car. However, the additional cost was minimal, even for me a notorious cheapskate.
• When I lost one of my HA recently, I contacted hiHI and was informed that I was eligible to buy a replacement at the same cost as original. Turned out to be unnecessary as I fount the missing device a few days ago. It gave me a chance to try using only one device for a few weeks. I definitely prefer having HA for both ears.

kbrowne in Central Massachusetts. One of these days I may see if I can visit one of UHC’s audis if there’s one nearby.

@kbrowne said:

Did you actually read the above quote? Did you try to explain what is silly about seb’s opinion? No it’s just another “professional” knee jerk reaction to competition. I’ve no experience with the VA HA programs, but seb states that
the VA has their own audiologists do the necessary adjustments to the HAs and they accrue savings by buying HAs in bulk. Finally seb does not equate VA policies with UHC/hiHI but merely notes similarities that are designed to save money.

I own a pair of the hiHI BTE with telecoils and have been using them for over half a year. I am very happy to finally have hearing assistance to deal with hearing loss that had been diagnosed close to 20 years ago by a professional audiologist. If I remember correctly it was a home visit by a Belltone rep. I wanted to do something about my hearing loss then but the price for even one for my left ear was WAY out of my range. I had never heard of any kind of hearing assistance device that was remotely affordable (other than the kind of thing you see in ads that say “not available in store” or “Order now and we’ll send you two of these great devices”.)

Given that I had 70 days to try these out and if I decided to send them back I’d get all my money refunded, it seemed like a more than worthwhile “experiment.”

I am personally offended by those who denigrate the idea that anyone other than a professional can deal with a hearing loss. Advances in technology improves many things. Why should hearing aids be any different. DIYers in any field like auto repair, appliance repair, home improvement, and so on always face the objection from those professionals whose livelihood is linked to keeping people in the dark about the service that they, the professionals, provide.

I (and my family) dealt with my hearing loss for those twenty or so years and I can only tell you that being able to reduce the TV volume from “21” to 13-15 when I’m in the room is a boon to all of us.

kbrowne

kbrowne, welcome to the HAF. Just thought I would give you a heads up about IM Back; first time I was aware of him he was Mick Shu, then IM Back, then who knows who else, then Uncle Larry, and now he’s Doc Jake and a few others that I’ve lost track of. So don’t be surprised if someone by another name comments on your post where you said something about Mick Shu. You need a scorecard to keep up with him, but his style or lack of it is easy to spot if you read his posts under the various names. He actually has a lot to offer(knows the ins and outs of the VA in OH and what HA’s work for severe losses in his opinion), is humorous at times and if you can get over the crude delivery that he brings to the forum at times he has a kind of entertainment value that is lacking in a lot of posts.

@kbrowne said:

Well, now that I’ve slogged through this entire 12 page (so far) thread, I’ve come to some conclusions. Some of my thoughts I couldn’t resist posting earlier. I noticed that forum member seb realized that in the post I commented on, he had (in post #49) acknowledged that he might have worded somethings incorrectly. In any case here’s my general observations:

• This forum is or was dominated by "audis" trying by intimidation, fear, name-calling to make the case that buying inexpensive hearing aids from hiHI is a bad idea. Some even stated that on the hiHI web site they didn't even call them "hearing aids." I wasn't aware of hiHI until mid 2013 so I can't comment on what was back in 2012, but they clearly use "hearing aids" at present.
• There have been a few comments made directly by persons presenting themselves as representing hiHI. Score a point for transparency.
• Only near the end of this thread did someone (elijahlovejoy?) issue a call for those representing the status quo; i.e. pre 2011-12 to identify themselves as audis/HA dispensers. Only when we know if someone has a vested interest one way or the other, can we make decisions base on solid information.
• Name calling and finger-pointing should have no place in a forum that purportedly exists to help folks who need assistance with hearing issues. You know who you are.
• There were a number of comments about other "low cost" hearing aids. The only program I had ever heard of was from a friend who purchased two used hearing aids (Think about it: hearing aid use is predominently older folks who have a tendency to die. What is done with all those multi $thousand$ hearing aids. I suspect that it is NOT in the interest of the old school interests to "harvest" used hearing aids to be retrofitted to new users.
• I am a satisfied hiHI hearing aid user. I purchased two BTE w/telecoil. I'm not sure that the telecoil is helping me since most of the time I use my phone on speaker, or bluetooth speaker in the car. However, the additional cost was minimal, even for me a notorious cheapskate.
• When I lost one of my HA recently, I contacted hiHI and was informed that I was eligible to buy a replacement at the same cost as original. Turned out to be unnecessary as I fount the missing device a few days ago. It gave me a chance to try using only one device for a few weeks. I definitely prefer having HA for both ears.

kbrowne in Central Massachusetts. One of these days I may see if I can visit one of UHC’s audis if there’s one nearby.

you are right with the ‘was’ most are gone.

Seb has been trying to get me to bend over for years but has never offered a reach-around.

I think it’s time for the new experts (because they read it on the internet) people to take over.

@Doc_Jake said:

you are right with the ‘was’ most are gone.

Seb has been trying to get me to bend over for years but has never offered a reach-around.

I think it’s time for the new experts (because they read it on the internet) people to take over.

Oh Mick, if you just had a little class. You bring us entertainment value but no class.

kbrowne,
I am a recent (10/13) “Medicare/UHC supplement beneficiary” who decided to purchase the UHC supplement vs the Humana supplement solely due to the HiHealth hearing aids discount.

However effective 1/1/2014, it seems UHC raised my effective discounted price from $900/pr to $1258/pr. Since that time, I have discovered that I can purchase a pair of the Costco Kirkland Signature 5.0’s for $1899/pr.

After much study, I have discovered the following facts:
The UHC aids have a 70 day money-back trial period but have a $100/ear + postage HiHealth exchange fee. The Costco Signature 5.0’s have a 90 day trial period with a full money-back return policy if either returned or exchanged.
The UHC aids have a 1 yr. warranty against defects without a “lose warranty”. The Costco Signature 5.0’s come with a 3 yr. defect warranty and a 2 yr. loss warranty.
After the end of the warranty, the UHC aids have no repair policy. After the warranty expires, the Costco aids have a $135/unit repair policy.
The UHC aids would be programed face to face, one time, by the local UHC “traveling HIS”; and "if necessary more times, at my expense, if I call HiHealth and reschedule an appointment with the original HiHealth HIS. The Costco Signature 5.0’s would come with lifetime “as needed readjustments” by any Costco Aud or HIS.
Any future adjustments of the HiHealth aids would be at “extra cost” to me, and would need to be done by the HiHealth original fitting HIS. Any future adjustments of the Costco aids would be free of charge, and could be done at any Costco Hearing Aid Center nationwide.
The UHC HiHealth aids are basic digital aids. The Costco 5.0’s are essentially re-branded state of the art ReSound Verso 9’s with all the latest technology “Bells & Whistles”.
From checking customer reviews, it appears that HiHealth customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. From checking this forum Costco hearing aid customers are generally satisfied.
From this forum, it appears that the less technological the aids, the more likely that the fit-to-customer will be quickly successful; the higher the technology of the aid, the less likely that the fit-to-customer will be quickly successful.
Thus, I come to the following conclusion:
Yes, the UHC program does not offer the in-depth customer service in fitting that a local aud. would offer. But then again, the UHC aids don’t have all the bells & whistles that make a good initial fit almost an impossibility.
The Costco Signature 5.0’s offer more technology, warranty, and service for only $640 more, but I see more unhappy users of high tech aids than I do of the lower tech aids anywhere. I don’t really know, But It would seem that the more technology offered in the aids purchased, the greater the likelihood that you’ll be unhappy with their performance. Costco aids and service seem to be getting better, but they don’t offer a lot to the person with a large or unusual hearing loss.
Ah, on a budget with; Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

LOL, Grampa

I’m new to this forum, but I’ve been wearing hearing aids for approximately 15 years. I don’t have a copy of my audiogram right now, but I’ve got a severe/bordering on profound flat loss.

I recently purchased a pair of Phonak Naida q70s. I have UHC, so I considered their hearing aids when upgrading from my eight-year-old pair of Phonak Savia 311s (which are still in fantastic condition, btw). I just couldn’t get past the fact that the hi HealthInnovations hearing aids appeared to not even really be able to compete with my eight-year-old Savias.

To me, what appears to be missing from this discussion is the experience of satisfied hi HealthInnovations customers who were already experienced hearing aid wearers and who were fit very well with their previous hearing aids. That, to me, is interesting.

Over the course of my experience with hearing aids, I’ve had Oticon ITEs, Siemens CICs, Seboteks, Phonak BTEs, and now Phonak RICs. I’ve tried wearing domes with both Seboteks and my current Naidas, and it appears to me that the hi HealthInnovations hearing aids only come with domes. To me, that is a complete dealbreaker. My audiologist (who is AWESOME, btw) fit me with canal molds for my Naidas–they were included in the price–and the fit of my hearing aids is much, much better than with the domes.

I would not at all be happy with hearing aids if I didn’t have a patient, local audiologist to see for fine tuning. It took several visits to get my Savias to be just perfect, and it’s taking the same with my Naidas (though we’re almost there). I find the following comment to be very troubling: “I asked about the 2 programs. She was clueless. Told me what the book told me - try them both and see which is best. She said 2 was my normal settings and 1 was just a “quieter” setting. She said if I got feedback on program 2 to switch to 1. yes, I knew that. It’s the same thing the book said.” After 15 years of wearing hearing aids, if I were to be told that by someone selling me some hearing aids, I would be done with that person. They would not have my business.

I read complaints in this thread about the price of hearing aids, but people need to remember that much of what you’re paying for with hearing aids is not the aids themselves, but the service you’re getting with them. Perhaps I’m lucky, but my audiologist is a godsend. She knows that I’m much more picky about sound than a lot of her other patients, and she is very patient when working with me. I would never trade the service I get from her for cheaper hearing aids from another service provider.

I’ll be interested to see if anyone comes forward who has been a very satisfied user of well-fit hearing aids in the past who is now also equally happy with their hearing aids from hi HealthInnovations.

Thanks for the opinions. I guess I wasn’t 100% clear about my intentions if they don’t find some “medical” cause and recommend/clear me for a hearing aid I’ll be using my united benefits to buy an aide throught one of the local audiology clinics. Which if my understanding is correct united will cover to the tune of $1500. I could buy a hi hearing aid but that seems unwise as I’ll probably be a challenging fit,

Yes I tried them about 18 months ago. The technician seem to have been inexperienced and may have contributed to my problems. First the aids are very small with controls close together, hard to adjust. Seems the design was more interested in being miniature and non obtrusive than being functional. The sound quality was marginal but the man problem was the tones when changing program settings. On the right ear they were audible and easy to hear. On my left they were so soft I couldn’t pick them up the vast majority of the time. My technician said my problem was because I was more hard of hearing on the Left side. But of course I have forty years of experience using aids and my current one sound tones are equal. I had a big problem with this. The price is more than far but with United Healthcare had bought a company with better product or upgraded their aid. I really like UHC and was sorry they didn’t work out for me.

The Audiologist I saw said the 3 programs that they put on the aids by default, for many don’t make much difference and since you only have one button to change programs and volume it makes it confusing. What she does is program them for your hearing and then set three different volume settings of the same program instead of 3 different programs so it is easy and simple to change. She seems to know what she is doing which, from what I read, is often just as important as the aids you choose.

WOW, you are one angry person. Much of what you said is true BUT here’s my take. I went to 4 hearing aid merchants, 2 small private individuals and 2 well know companies one of which was Costco. 1- Small guy #1- was as honest as could be. He said at the time there were no hearing aids that could help me. 2- Small guy #2- said “No Problem” he had just the thing for me for $3500. 3- Well known #1 Miracle Ear - they said they had “State of the Art” blah, blah, blah and it would cost me ONLY $7500. I said that was too expensive and then the high pressure began. 4- Well known @2 [Costco]- suggested Rexton for $1999, I decided to get the remote [I love gadgets]. Hearing aid dispensers are very similar to many Used Car Salesmen & Home Improvement Co’s and there is NO question at that statement. They’ll sell 1 aid and when the person comes back and complains they’re told they need another for balance. I’ve heard this many times from friends. In closing I agree with you SCAM, SCAM, SCAM—that applies to Almost ALL hearing aid dispensers.
I’ll post my experience with the Rexton aids & Costco in another thread. And CZT, get rid of your anger, it’s unfounded.

A word of caution about UHC and audiologists. My UHC plan pys $2500 for HAs with no deductible. I used an ‘in network’ audiologist (who is superb), but the aids themselves came to her from TruHearing (a great price). TruHearing is not ‘in network’ and so UHC paid a few dollars. Returning the aids and getting everything straightened out took 6 months.

The hearing aids have to come from the in network audiologist.

Also, Epic Hearing is (or was last year) tied directly to UHC.

— Updated —

A word of caution about UHC and audiologists. My UHC plan pys $2500 for HAs with no deductible. I used an ‘in network’ audiologist (who is superb), but the aids themselves came to her from TruHearing (a great price). TruHearing is not ‘in network’ and so UHC paid a few dollars. Returning the aids and getting everything straightened out took 6 months.

The hearing aids have to come from the in network audiologist.

Also, Epic Hearing is (or was last year) tied directly to UHC.

@Remag1234 said:

WOW, you are one angry person. Much of what you said is true BUT here’s my take. I went to 4 hearing aid merchants, 2 small private individuals and 2 well know companies one of which was Costco. 1- Small guy #1- was as honest as could be. He said at the time there were no hearing aids that could help me. 2- Small guy #2- said “No Problem” he had just the thing for me for $3500. 3- Well known #1 Miracle Ear - they said they had “State of the Art” blah, blah, blah and it would cost me ONLY $7500. I said that was too expensive and then the high pressure began. 4- Well known @2 [Costco]- suggested Rexton for $1999, I decided to get the remote [I love gadgets]. Hearing aid dispensers are very similar to many Used Car Salesmen & Home Improvement Co’s and there is NO question at that statement. They’ll sell 1 aid and when the person comes back and complains they’re told they need another for balance. I’ve heard this many times from friends. In closing I agree with you SCAM, SCAM, SCAM—that applies to Almost ALL hearing aid dispensers.
I’ll post my experience with the Rexton aids & Costco in another thread. And CZT, get rid of your anger, it’s unfounded.

IMO you should change your statement to “just these four hearing aid dispensers” Please don’t group “almost all” to those that do indeed help people.

— Updated —

I got exactly 7 days on the first set of batteries. Wearing them several days till 11 PM. I think the left one needs turned up a little though.

I haven’t filed yet, but I have UHC and the “$1,000” one time coverage for hearing aids. I went out and purchased the Costco Kirkland Signature 5 $1,899 and love them. I then down loaded the UCH claim form and it looks like I’ll have to meet my “out of network” deductible before I can get any of the $1,000. Costco is not “in-network” and it appears there is only one in-network provided - owned by UHC?? Don’t know. So, I think it was a rogue (sp?) but doesn’t matter, next year AT&T forces me out onto the “health exchange market”, thanks Obama. No matter how bad my existing insurance is I’m sure Obama will see I pay more for less - so he can use some more of my income for redistribution.