Does Select Health Cover Hearing Aids? What Experts Say

Hearing aids are expensive, and most people are surprised to learn that many health insurance plans treat them the way they treat eyeglasses — as a convenience rather than a medical necessity. Select Health, a nonprofit health insurer based in Utah that operates in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, and Colorado, does cover hearing aids under some of its plans, but the coverage depends heavily on which plan you have, your age, and whether the hearing loss is tied to a covered medical condition. The short answer: Select Health covers hearing aids for some members and not others, and the difference usually comes down to plan type and medical necessity.

Does Select Health Cover Hearing Aids?

Select Health does provide hearing aid benefits, but coverage is not automatic across every plan. The company sells several categories of plans — individual and family plans, employer group plans, Medicare Advantage plans, and Medicaid plans in some states — and the hearing aid benefit varies by category and by the specific plan chosen within that category.

For members enrolled in a Select Health Medicare Advantage plan, hearing aid coverage is often included as a supplemental benefit. Medicare Advantage plans are allowed to offer extra benefits beyond what Original Medicare covers, and hearing aids are one of the most common extras. The dollar amount, the frequency of replacement, and whether the benefit covers the devices themselves or only a fitting evaluation differ from plan to plan.

For commercial group plans through an employer, hearing aid coverage depends on what the employer chose to purchase. An employer can buy a plan with a hearing aid benefit or one without it. Two employees at different companies with Select Health cards in their wallets may have completely different hearing aid coverage.

Individual and family plans sold on or off the health insurance marketplace are the least likely to include hearing aid coverage. This follows a broader pattern in the individual market, where hearing aids are frequently excluded or capped.

The most reliable way to know your coverage is to read your plan’s summary of benefits and coverage and your evidence of coverage document, then call the member services number on your card and ask three specific questions: Is there a hearing aid benefit, what is the dollar limit, and how often can it be used?

Why Do So Many Health Plans Treat Hearing Aids Differently?

Hearing aids sit in an unusual category in American health insurance. They are not classified the same way as prescription drugs, surgery, or hospital care. Many plans historically treated hearing aids as elective or as durable medical equipment with tight limits, and that legacy still shapes coverage today.

Original Medicare, the federal program for people 65 and older, does not cover hearing aids for routine hearing loss. It covers diagnostic hearing exams ordered by a physician and some hearing services tied to a medical condition, but the devices themselves are excluded. Because private insurers often model their benefits on Medicare’s structure, that exclusion has echoed through the commercial market for decades.

There is a clinical argument on the other side. Hearing loss is associated with social isolation, cognitive decline, and reduced quality of life, and research has consistently linked untreated hearing loss in older adults to these outcomes. Whether treating hearing loss with hearing aids prevents or slows cognitive decline is a separate question, and the evidence there is still developing. Some studies suggest a connection; the results are not uniform enough to state that hearing aids prevent dementia.

That distinction matters. The case for coverage rests on hearing loss being a real health condition with real consequences, not on hearing aids being a proven preventive treatment for cognitive decline. Insurers tend to cover conditions, not lifestyle improvements, and hearing aids fall somewhere in between in their eyes.

How Select Health Members Can Find Out What Their Plan Covers

Coverage questions have a specific answer for a specific person, and general information only gets you so far. Here is how to get to the actual answer for your plan.

• Log into your Select Health member account and download the plan’s evidence of coverage document. This is the legal document that lists benefits and exclusions.
• Search the document for the terms “hearing aid,” “hearing,” and “durable medical equipment.”
• Call the member services number on your insurance card and ask whether a hearing aid benefit exists, what the maximum dollar amount is, and how often you can use it.
• Ask whether a referral or prior authorization is required before you see an audiologist.
• Ask whether the benefit applies to devices purchased from any provider or only from in-network audiologists and hearing aid dispensers.

One detail people miss: even when a plan covers hearing aids, the benefit often works through a network. Using an out-of-network audiologist can reduce or eliminate the benefit entirely. Confirm the network before you book an appointment.

What About Hearing Aids Through Medicare Advantage?

Medicare Advantage plans, including those sold by Select Health, are permitted to include hearing aid benefits that Original Medicare does not offer. This is one of the main selling points of the Medicare Advantage model.

The structure of these benefits varies widely. Some plans offer a fixed dollar allowance toward the purchase of hearing aids, renewed every few years. Some offer a discount program through a specific hearing aid manufacturer rather than direct coverage. Some cover a hearing exam and fitting but not the devices. A few offer more generous benefits as a competitive feature.

Because Medicare Advantage plan benefits are re-evaluated each year, a benefit you have this year is not guaranteed to look the same next year. If hearing aids are a priority for you, check the plan’s annual notice of changes each fall before the enrollment period closes.

What If Your Select Health Plan Does Not Cover Hearing Aids?

If your plan does not include a hearing aid benefit, you still have options, though none of them are as simple as using insurance.

Over-the-counter hearing aids became available in the United States following a 2022 FDA rule that created a new category of hearing aids sold directly to consumers without a prescription or a fitting by a licensed professional. These devices are intended for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss. They cost substantially less than prescription hearing aids, but they are not appropriate for everyone, and they do not replace a proper hearing evaluation. Anyone with sudden hearing loss, hearing loss in one ear only, or hearing loss accompanied by dizziness or ear pain should see a clinician rather than self-treat.

Prescription hearing aids remain the standard option for moderate to severe hearing loss and for anyone who needs a custom fit. Costs vary widely depending on the device, the provider, and the bundled services included. Some audiologists bundle the device, fitting, and follow-up visits into a single price. Others charge separately. Ask for the full breakdown before you commit.

Some people qualify for assistance through state vocational rehabilitation programs if hearing loss affects their ability to work, or through charitable organizations that provide refurbished devices. Eligibility rules vary by state.

What Does Not Change the Answer

A few claims circulate online that are worth addressing directly, because they can lead people to wrong conclusions about their coverage.

One is that all health insurance must cover hearing aids under the Affordable Care Act. This is not accurate. The ACA set essential health benefits that plans must include, and hearing aids for adults are not among them. Pediatric hearing services are treated differently under the law, and coverage for children’s hearing aids is more common than coverage for adults, but the blanket claim that the ACA requires adult hearing aid coverage is false.

Another is that a doctor’s note guarantees coverage. A prescription or letter of medical necessity can support a claim, and it may be required for prior authorization, but it does not override a plan exclusion. If the plan document says hearing aids are not covered, a note from a physician does not change that.

A third is that buying hearing aids online automatically saves money without tradeoffs. Cost savings are real, but fitting, programming, and follow-up care matter for how well a hearing aid performs. A device that is not properly fitted may sit in a drawer regardless of what it cost.