When you were first fit with hearing aids, your provider looked carefully at your loss levels, lifestyle, and budget to determine what devices were best for you. By evaluating your lifestyle, whether you were retired, working ten hours a day in a quiet office, or a full-time gardener, all these factors were considered in the initial decision.
Your provider's diagnosis included looking at the life cycle and estimated longevity of the hearing aid technology available at the time. Now that your aids have reached the end of the original manufacturer warranty (typically three years), it’s time to reevaluate your life circumstances once again.
While hearing aid brands introduce new technology on a two-year basis, those updates can be incremental changes. The real jump in innovation tends to happen every four to five years. For reference, most hearing aids in the marketplace today are fully capable, and will remain relevant, for five or more years. Industry data (MarkeTrack*) shows most patients wear their hearing aids an average of 5.4 years.
Where is the life cycle of your current hearing aids?
- Are the tiny batteries becoming an issue? Maybe the time has come to upgrade to rechargeable devices?
- Has the noise of social settings become more of an issue and you’re in need of improved background noise suppression?
- Do your current hearing aids work correctly, and you want to get a little more life from them?
If you decide your current aids check out and have more life in them, recognize there may no longer be an active warranty on them, going those 2+ years without loss and damage coverage of some sort is a gamble.
Which is where ESCO can help; we have partnered with audiologists and dispensers for over 30 years to protect folks just like you. Coverage options vary by the manufacturer, technology level, and style so during your next visit ask your provider to help you determine, is the small investment in a 12-month loss coverage plan worth the tremendous peace of mind?
Ready to learn more?
For additional information about ESCO hearing aid loss insurance visit: ESCO coverage options
Unsure when your current warranty ends? Your original purchase agreement will have the expiration date. Or call your provider, they will have that data easily accessible. If the date is approaching soon, work with your provider to take a closer look at your lifestyle changes and the condition of your current devices. Decide together, is it time to replace your aids or invest in insurance coverage?