Nearly Half Of AARP-ASHA Survey Respondents Say Their Hearing Is Getting Worse, But Majority Fail To Take Action

Why do so many people who know their hearing is getting worse fail to seek treatment? That question screams from the remarkable survey results just released by AARP and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASLH).

There are a number of answers, but according to the survey, the high cost of hearing aids and inadequate insurance coverage for hearing-loss treatment (or lack of health insurance entirely) are high on the list of reasons people don’t seek out help for their hearing problems.

Check out some of the results of the survey of AARP members:

• While 88 percent said they had their vision tested in the past five years, less than half that number, 43 percent, had their hearing checked.
• But in the same period, nearly half (46 percent) said their hearing has gotten worse, with 61 percent saying they have difficulty following conversations in noisy situations.
• And even though 85 percent said maintaining hearing health is of great importance to them personally, 57 percent of respondents with hearing difficulties said they are not seeking treatment.
• Why do they fail to seek treatment? Here’s the kicker: “Nearly two-thirds of poll respondents (63 percent) cite health insurance coverage limitations, concerns about cost, and lack of health insurance as reasons for not getting treatment for hearing difficulties.”

AARP is the world’s biggest organization for people over the age of 50, and when it zeroes in on an issue it can move mountains. What would happen if AARP got on the hearing-loss bandwagon in a big way? Would we see more insurance companies providing coverage for hearing aids? Would we see more pressure on hearing-aid manufacturers to provide more affordable solutions?

Unfortunately, there may be an even bigger problem than high costs and lack of insurance coverage for the failure of people to seek out help. The survey also reveals there’s still a tremendous fear of the stigma that, rightly or wrongly, so many people associate with hearing loss. When you read the full report on the results (click here to download the PDF), you see too many troubling mentions of survey respondents wanting to “cover up” evidence of their hearing loss:

Fifty-seven percent of those with untreated hearing problems say their problems don’t warrant treatment and are easy enough to “cover up.” The foremost reason for not seeking treatment is a perception that their hearing issue isn’t severe enough – that they are getting by without treatment. They seem to have found ways that they believe cover up their hearing issues, and do not see a connection to an improved quality of life that treatment may provide.

Maybe the best result of the AARP focus on the hearing-loss issue will be a reduction in the stigma associated with hearing aids and a greater acceptance by the over-50 Baby Boomer set of the notion that a little help with their hearing could go a long way. But I’m not holding my breath!

HearUSA Lashes Back At Siemens With A Lawsuit And Gets Support From A Principal Investor

HearUSA to Siemens: Right back at you! Responding to an SEC filing in which Siemens Hearing Instruments threatened an unfriendly takeover following a dispute over the terms of a loan payment, hearing-aid retail chain HearUSA said it filed a suit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York seeking a declaratory judgment to prevent Siemens from making good on its threat. At the same time, Arcadia Capital Advisors, one of HearUSA’s largest institutional investors, issued a news release supporting HearUSA and accusing Siemens of “a ruse so that they can steal the company at depressed valuations.”

In a Schedule 13D filing on Jan. 18 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Siemens said it was considering exercising an option to buy out HearUSA following the Orlando, Florida-based company’s failure to make a timely debt payment. HearUSA Chairman and CEO Stephen Hansbrough responded immediately, scolding Siemens for a “negative and heavy-handed approach,” before following up with its announcement this week of the New York Supreme Court suit. Arcadia Capital Advisors chimed in with its own public statement, saying Siemens “is choosing to play the role of a bully” and accusing Siemens of trying to acquire HearUSA at a fire-sale price: “The recent SEC filing by Siemens smells strongly of market manipulation,” said Arcadia Capital Managing Director Richard S. Rose. “We believe their actions are a self-serving scare tactic, so don’t be surprised if Siemens comes out with a low-ball offer for the company.” Read more

HearUSA Banks On Exclusive AARP Contract To Put Hearing Aids In Millions Of U.S. Baby Boomers’ Ears

HearUSA may have found its key to success in retail sales of hearing aids with its exclusive contract with AARP, the 40-million member organization for Baby-Boomer Americans aged 50 and above. In its second-quarter financial report this week, HearUSA said the nationwide roll-out to AARP members that began early this year helped account for a nine percent increase in sales over the first quarter of 2010. Read more

HearUSA Scores Hearing-Aid Distribution Deal With AARP

HearUSA Signs Distribution Deal With AARP

HearUSA, the U.S. chain of hearing-aid retail outlets, scored a major distribution deal with AARP Services, Inc. to offer discounted hearing aids and extended warranties to the nearly 40 million U.S. members of the world’s largest service organization for adults aged 50 and older. Next to an endorsement by Oprah, a distribution deal with AARP is one of the most coveted marketing prizes for companies selling to middle-aged-and-older consumers. AARP has long offered advice on hearing health but has been short on commercial offers for hearing aids to match the discounts it provides for vision products and general health insurance plans. The HearUSA deal should provide similar incentives for seniors to take care of their hearing needs, although the initial press release held back on details of the discounts and other offers that will initially be offered to customers in New Jersey and Florida and later throughout the United States.

The arrangement is good news for Siemens, which is a major investor in HearUSA and supplies most of the hearing-aid products sold by the company. In addition to providing a financial boost to HearUSA, the AARP deal may enable geographic expansion of its retail chain, which currently sells hearing aids through 180 company-owned hearing care centers in 10 states in the U.S. and its Hearing Care Network comprised of over 1,900 affiliated audiologists in 49 states.

HearUSA this week also announced second-quarter net income of $1.1 million, compared to a half-million-dollar loss in the previous quarter. Like other companies in the hearing-aid industry, HearUSA has seen a falloff in sales due to the recession, but cost-control measures in addition to the sale of its Canadian subsidiary boosted both the bottom line and balance sheet in the second quarter of 2009.

Only 12.9% Of U.S. Doctors Screen For Patient Hearing Loss At Annual Checkups

One of the things I like best about my family doctor is the way she interviews me during my annual physical about everything going on in my life. In her view, early identification of the causes of potential disease, ranging from big issues like job stress and emotional or marital problems to relatively minor issues such as too much caffeine, are just part of the preventive maintenance a healthcare provider is supposed to perform during the annual checkup. Read more