I’m new to HearingTracker and am buying hearing aids for myself and my husband for the first time—-long overdue. But I’ve been deeply researching hearing aids on and off since 2011. And had an attempt back then, and a very bad audiologist experience when I bought in 2013 that ended up with me without aids.
Our insurance through Cigna last year covered 2 HAs each through Amplifon. In 2021 I tried to get HAs through Amplifon, but the audiologist when I had an appointment simply said, “I like these,” and handed me a pair of Signia aids. I was stunned that that was the extent of the discussion of what aids would be best for me. I didn’t follow through.
So late in December, I was finally getting around to choosing aids for both of us, again through Amplifon. We have similar profiles—-mild, sloping to severe in high frequencies, quite bad at making out words in real life). I waited until late in December to do it, as I had been through a cascade of medical issues. In 2024 our coverage through Amplifon is only for one aid.
In our appointment to choose the aids, which was online, I said that I was interested in the Optician Real. (My husband is a musician, and we both are deeply in love with music, especially live in NYC). But the audiologist simply said that we should get the ReSound Nexia, because it was a newer technology. I said that I wanted a t-coil, but she was dismissive about that, she said that venues had earphones for people! She simply said that she would order the ReSound Nexia for both of us.
She also said that we would have to chose a service package, ranging between $1,500-$2,500. What??
Shortly after that, I called back to tell her that I absolutely wanted a t-coil and asked for a call back, which I never received. I then found out that insurance said we couldn’t get the Nexia, so the audi chose the Omnia for us without consulting me.
I called Amplifon to see how the audiologist was reimbursed for service and the aids. They didn’t know what the audiology office was paid for the aids, but said that when they gave us service, they were to bill Cigna (last year, Aetna this year) for the service. (I bet that that isn’t true).
I spoke to the audiologist on the phone about the fact that I called her last week to change my order, saying that I definitely wanted a t-coil! When she said that they couldn’t be changed, I said what about during the mandatory 45 day trial period? She said that could work.
When my husband had his appointment for the fitting Friday, the office gave him a sheet with the service packages they were offering, from $250 per appointment to 3 other packages from $1,275 (1 year to $2,595 3 years). They told him that we had to sign for a package by 4 pm that day!
I called Amplifon again, and they said that this was not their policy and they would call the audiology office to discuss it.
When I went in for my fitting, the owner came in and after a few pleasantries, got quite emphatic and nasty. She said that Amplifon over the years has reduced their payments and that I couldn’t chose the $250 per appointment; I’d have to chose one of the more expensive packages! And that I couldn’t take the aids without signing for a package.
I tried to be understanding of the situation with Amplifon, thinking maybe we could compromise. But she wasn’t having it. She said that if I wanted service through Amplifon, I’d have to go someplace far from NYC for only 3 visits, “I don’t have an audiologist here who takes Amplifon.” She said if I wanted different aids with t-coil, I wouldn’t get coverage for this year, it would be only covering one aid. All said with an angry tone like a mad cat that left a very bad taste in my mouth.
And again, the audiologist said that her patients didn’t really need the t-coil! Maybe I’d be fine without it, but given that I’ve had severe hearing problems, why leave that out as an option to help?
So I’m left wondering if it’s worth it at all to go through Amplifon. Yes, it would save us a lot of money, but . . . it seems that I won’t get anywhere with this office through Amplifon except to accept their parameters.
Plus, I’m fed up with having run into multiple audiologists over a number of years being dismissive of spending time discussing my needs, what I want, and choosing aids according to that, even when we had insurance for $5,050 in 2013.
Unfortunately, Costco is too far from us.
So now I’m left with taking these aids with a service package, with by now only a 30 day trial, with no real option to chose another model, or simply buying out of pocket, assuming that I could find an audiologist who was willing to spend some time with us, which so far has been elusive.
On top of that, after doing a deep dive on Hearing Tracker about Amplifon, I read about how they usually lock the HAs, so we couldn’t optimize the aids ourselves or with another audiologist!! And how they usually chose the aids our audiologist chose for us without any discussion. Yikes.
Someone on Hearing Tracker said that HA insurance pits patients against providers and lets them fight it out. That seems to be true. But even out of pocket, how to find and audiologist who cares to listen to the patient and truly offer choice?
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