Improve Hearing with a Better Benefit

Today's hearing aids are more sophisticated and customizable to your members' unique needs. Still, too many individuals continue to encounter significant gaps between what they need and what's available to them through their hearing benefits.

So, what is the difference between great hearing benefits and those you can find anywhere?

A national survey of consumers and hearing care providers uncovered a strong affinity for hearing benefits that offer access to an extensive selection of hearing aids. However, a large formulary comprised of multiple hearing brands is not available with most hearing benefits today. Besides not meeting expectations, this shortcoming may ultimately lead to unforeseen consequences, including an increased risk of costly health conditions.

In this article, we'll explore how providing a more comprehensive hearing benefit to your members can positively impact their health, healthcare costs, and overall satisfaction with your plan.

Hearing benefits: What members want

In a national survey commissioned by Amplifon Hearing Health Care, an independent global market research firm examined the differences between consumers' current hearing benefits and what they actually want.

The survey found that consumers prefer a wider variety of hearing aid brands and expect health insurance to cover the cost of hearing aids. However, most consumers do not currently have access to these benefits.

How to Improve Hearing with Amplifon

By partnering with Amplifon, you receive tailored hearing solutions designed to meet the unique needs of your organization and your population.

Our dedicated team works to ensure that your members have access to industry leading benefits for hearing loss while also addressing your organization's specific needs.

Here’s how Amplifon can help you maintain the well-being of your members and achieve cost savings.

Managing Plan Utilization and Improving Outcomes

When members with hearing loss use their hearing benefit and wear their hearing aids, the impact and savings on chronic conditions and comorbidities for your plan increases. When members don’t address their hearing loss, they don’t just miss out on conversations and the sounds they love. They also elevate their risk of experiencing costly, life-altering health conditions, including depression, dementia and injury-causing falls.

Why members may be ignoring their benefit

The hearing benefit itself may be contributing to low member adoption of hearing aids. If the benefit is too complicated or not convenient to use, members may simply avoid seeking treatment. Or possibly they use their benefit, but they only have access to a single manufacturer’s hearing aids. Consequently, they don’t get a hearing solution that’s precisely tailored to their hearing loss, preferences and lifestyle — and their hearing aids may end up in a drawer.

Of the approximately 48 million Americans with hearing loss, including an estimated one-third of seniors, fewer than 20% of seniors who could benefit from hearing aids purchase them^{^[1]}. Even more concerning, typically less than 1% of Medicare Advantage members use their hearing benefit each year.

Untreated hearing loss elevates the risk of significant—and costly—health conditions, including:

Depression and anxiety
Dementia
Injury-causing falls
Social isolation and loneliness

^{^[1]}MarkeTrak 10: Hearing Aids in an Era of Disruption and DTC/OTC Devices

Better Consumer Choice

What’s missing from the majority of hearing benefits? Freedom of choice—or, more specifically, an extensive hearing aid formulary. Amplifon removes unnecessary barriers for your members to improve their hearing by enabling providers to fit the right hearing aid to the patient rather than the other way around.

Better choices mean your members benefit from the latest advancements and features of hearing aid models, including health tracking and AI features. The right fit helps ensure the hearing aid works for the patient’s individual level of hearing loss and their lifestyle, a critical component that promotes inclusivity and accessibility for all members.

More product options increase the likelihood that members find a hearing aid they’re satisfied with, leading to better compliance with device usage, overall satisfaction with their insurance plan and enhanced quality of life.

Simply put: an extensive formulary has become an increasingly important tool for satisfying the needs and preferences of both patients and providers.

Instead of limiting your members to one hearing aid brand, we give them the best selection of the leading hearing aid brands with complete product lines and a host of personalized resources, like our virtual hearing screening, through co-branded communication programs to increase engagement and encourage action.

Thanks to our global purchasing power with all leading brands, we pass on savings to our partners and your members. In fact, on average, Amplifon members save 68% off MSRP[2] on hearing aids.

To increase hearing aid usage, Amplifon has developed a specialized care team to engage members below daily hearing aid usage thresholds to provide proactive coaching to improve wear time, enhance your members' satisfaction and retention and help reduce the development of chronic conditions and comorbidities. Ultimately, this means members are happier and healthier while improving your ROI.

[2] Based on 2024 internal analysis. Savings may vary.

Increased Member Satisfaction

With Amplifon, members are no longer left wondering how they'll improve their hearing. We guide them through every step of their hearing journey, inspiring action with personalized white-glove service, connecting them with local in-network providers, and providing them with virtual solutions, tools and comprehensive educational resources to help members regain a better, healthier lifestyle.

As a result, our members are more satisfied as evident through our high CAHPS scores, consistently exceeding scores for even 5-Star plans.

Offer the Best Benefits for Hearing Loss

Ready to make a change and start giving members more of what they want while saving you thousands of dollars in downstream healthcare costs? Reach out to our team to schedule a demo. Our customizable hearing plans enable us to tailor great hearing benefits to your organization that best reflect your plan and member needs, leading to a greater ROI.