Why Do Hearing Aids Cost So Much? - Part 1

DURABILITY AND RELIABILITY

Hearing aids have to work and endure some nasty situations. Most people wear their hearing aids some 12 to 18 hours daily. Consider that the majority of hearing aids sold are custom made to be inserted in the ear canal, thereby requiring it to function in ear wax and a high level of humidity. Even the cleanest of all ear canals have bacteria, fungi and viruses, too. We have unimaginable germs working negatively to impact the environment in which hearing aids live every moment of their life cycle. Behind-the-ear hearing aids are subjected to high levels of humidity as well as sweat that trickle around the ear.

Durability and reliability that can handle that kind of abuse is not cheap. When NASA wants a transistor for a spacecraft, they don't pop over to Radio Shack, choose a bubble pack and hope it works all the way to Saturn. They need to know that their transistor will handle the rigors of space. Likewise, most hearing aid manufacturers have to invest heavily assuring their switches, mics, receivers, chips, cases, connectors, and even battery contacts hold up through years of normal and abnormal use, too. If they use cheap parts and assembly techniques, they (you) will pay over and over again to correct costloy errors.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment, please call my office at 770-425-1095.