Retail giant Walmart is now offering over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids for the first time ever to U.S. customers 18 and older.
The OTC move from Walmart comes a few years after the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017 was approved, enabling the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate a class of hearing aids available to consumers without involvement from a licensed healthcare professional. Walmart can sell the products to consumers 18 and older with mild to moderate hearing loss without a medical exam or fitting adjustment needed by an audiologist.
“In the executive order I issued last year to increase competition in key industries and lower costs, I called on the FDA to finally make hearing aids available over the counter,” President Joe Biden said in a statement in August. “Today, the FDA is doing just that. As early as mid-October, Americans will be able to purchase more affordable hearing aids over the counter at pharmacies and stores across the country.”
Prices for hearing aids will range from $199 to $999 per pair, the retailer said, offering several brands, including Lexie powered by Bose and HearX.
According to Walmart, nearly 30 million American adults could benefit from hearing aids. People with hearing loss are more likely to experience social isolation and depression, are three times more likely to be at risk of dementia, as well as have an increased risk of falling and hospitalization. By offering the products OTC, more Americans may have access to the medical devices.
“A person’s ‘whole health’ is a combination of many factors, including hearing, that influence physical and mental well-being,” John Wigneswaran, MD, chief medical officer at Walmart, said in a statement. “Offering easy access to OTC hearing aids—something that seems quite small—is a solution that can improve our customer’s health outcomes and their ability to live better and healthier.”
Walmart is also providing additional online resources to help customers find the right device for them.
The addition of hearing aids complements Walmart’s other healthcare services, including Walmart Health Centers, which provide a full range of healthcare services, including hearing tests who can assess hearing loss, rule out underlying conditions and determine if hearing aids are the right choice.
Already, an assortment of OTC hearing aids are available online and at Walmart Vision Centers in Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas, and 474 Sam's Club Hearing Aid Center locations. They will soon be available at Walmart Vision Centers nationwide.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."