On Monday, March 20, 2017, US Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga) introduced the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017. The reintroduced legislation is designed to make hearing aids for those with mild-to-moderate hearing loss available over the counter. EarVenture—a company that offers products, technology, and resources for audiologists and is a joint venture between the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) and IntriCon Corp—has announced its support this legislation, with the hope that it will improve the access to hearing care. With information from HLAA, earVenture states that it feels confident this legislation will positively affect the hearing-impaired population.
“Allowing hearing aids to be sold over the counter will help bring down costs and expand consumer choices so that millions more Americans can find affordable hearing aids,” said Warren in a press statement.
Source: earVenture
