Hearing Aids on the Horizon

I had my DVR meeting yesterday.  The good news?  My hearing aids are going to be covered 100%!  The bad news?  My counselor did some price shopping and said that the other local audiologist offered the SAME hearing aids that my doctor recommended for $700 less PER hearing aid.  Of course they’d rather save $1,400 than let me continue with my audiologist, but then this slows everything down because now I have to go to a NEW audiologist for a NEW evaluation and kind of start over there.  If my doctor could compete, I could order the hearing aids right now.  NOW!

I asked how on earth they could be so much less because I did my own comparison shopping and found no such difference.  My counselor said it’s a special “DVR” price that the other audiologist gives.  I contacted my audiologist with this info and she could not understand how it is the other could sell the same hearing aid at SUCH a deep discount.  She’s going to call the manufacturer and see if they have anything to offer and I sincerely hope she can find something out because I don’t want to switch doctors.  :(

The other GOOD news is that DVR will actually pay for the higher-level hearing aids (that are about $3,000 each) because that was the true recommendation for me, but due to cost, my audiologist said I could get away with using the lesser one.

I do have an appointment with the other doctor (we’ll call her Dr. Discount) on November 30th, but hope my doctor can find a way to make it work before then.  Not only could I get the hearing aids sooner, but I wouldn’t have to change to a new doctor.

The saga continues…