Buying hearing aids from a 3rd party

Before choosing to purchase hearing aids from a third party it’s advisable to understand the positives and negatives of doing so.  A 3rd party would include an online vendor or a vendor that your insurance company may have referred you to.

What’s the draw?

The potential draw of this arrangement is price.  Third party vendors will often claim to offer very large discounts.  This scenario reminds me of my mother’s warning as to why she avoids buying jewelry at a department store advertising large discounts.  “They mark it up… so that they can then mark it back down.”  Keep in mind that nobody sells hearing aids at retail.  You will often find that pricing is very similar (often better) when purchasing aids directly from a local clinic.  Purchasing from a local clinic will usually result in lower long-term costs and better follow-up care.  The end result is a happier patient.    

But they have me going to a local clinic?

A hearing aid must be fit in real time…. on your ear.  This requires a local provider.  The third party companies, for this reason, will contract with a local provider to provide the initial fitting and limited follow-up care (usually for some specified period of time).  The aid is still purchased directly from the 3rd party company.  The local provider is reimbursed by the 3rd party company for their time to fit the aid(s).  Third party companies are often very secretive of this arrangement. 

What’s the down side to this arrangement?

No long term care!  The more people involved in the supply chain, the less profit for those involved.  Accordingly, something must give.  Usually the first thing to go is long term care.  The 3d party companies will typically limit the follow-up care to x number of follow-ups or to a specified period of time following the fit.  Once the specified time period or allotted number of visits has expired the clinic will charge for all necessary services or testing. 

We believe that regular cleanings, annual testing and periodic tuning is paramount for success with hearing aids.  None of these services are included when aids are purchased directly from a third party. 

Some of these third party companies are limited in the hearing aid manufacturers that you can choose from.  This is clearly not in the patient’s best interest.  A provider that works with all manufacturers is much more likely to provide you with the most effective and unbiased recommendations. 

But my insurance company put me in touch with or sent me information about this third party company?

This seems to be an increasingly growing practice.  Your for-profit health insurance company puts you in direct contact with a third party to purchase hearing aids.  This practice has been successful for two reasons.  #1: They will often make claims of having arranged for special discounts.  See my comments above regarding our thoughts on the matter.  #2: Although they will not state it… the patient is often given the impression that they must purchase aids through a third party in order to utilize a hearing aid benefit.  This simply isn’t true.  Any contracted provider for your insurance company can bill for your insurance benefit.   

One can only speculate as to why a for-profit insurance company would encourage patients to purchase from a specific third party company….. especially when it’s generally not in the patient’s best interest to do so.  While I have no knowledge on the specifics, I’m guessing that there is some financial benefit in doing so.

I'm just more comfortable purchasing through a third party

Should you decide that you would rather purchase hearing aids directly from a 3rd party, we can still serve as your service provider. We are providers for most third party companies. Please inquire for specifics.