Does Medicare Supplement Cover Hearing Aids? Plans and Alternatives

No, Medicare Supplement insurance does not cover hearing aids. Medigap policies only pay costs left over from services Original Medicare already covers, and Original Medicare excludes hearing aids by statute, so none of the ten standardized Medigap plans — A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, or N — will pay for the devices or the fitting exams that go with them.¹²

The logic is simple. Medigap picks up the Part A deductible, Part B coinsurance, excess charges, and similar out-of-pocket amounts. It does not add new benefit categories. If Original Medicare pays nothing toward a service, there is no cost-sharing left for Medigap to cover.³

The One Narrow Exception: Innovative Medigap Plans

A small number of carriers in select states sell what they call “innovative” Medigap plans, which attach extra benefits like vision or hearing coverage to a standard plan letter. Anthem, for example, advertises innovative versions of Plans F, G, and N with added hearing coverage in some states.⁴ These are uncommon and highly state-specific, so unless a policyholder is looking at an innovative plan by name, the safe assumption is that a Medigap policy contributes nothing to hearing aids.

What Original Medicare Will Pay For

Original Medicare Part B covers diagnostic hearing and balance exams when a doctor orders them to determine whether medical treatment is needed. Since January 2023, beneficiaries can also see an audiologist once every 12 months without a physician’s referral for non-acute hearing conditions like age-related hearing loss.⁵⁶ For covered exams, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible, plus any hospital copay if it happens in an outpatient facility.

Cochlear implants and other surgically implanted hearing devices are covered as prosthetics, but qualifying generally requires showing that hearing aids were tried and did not help.⁷ A diagnostic visit can document your hearing loss, but it will not lead to a covered hearing aid.

Medicare Advantage Is the Main Medicare Route to Hearing Aid Coverage

Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans are private plans that replace Original Medicare, and they are how most Medicare beneficiaries get any hearing aid help. In 2026, 95% of individual Medicare Advantage enrollees are in plans that offer hearing exams, hearing aids, or both.⁸

Availability is not the same as generous coverage, though. Based on 2021 data, about a third of plans capped annual hearing aid coverage anywhere from $66 to $4,000, with an average around $960. About 60% of plans required copays, which ran from $5 to more than $3,300 in a 2019 analysis; roughly 22% of plans had no cost-sharing. Only about 1% of plans had no dollar or frequency limits at all.⁷

Plans also commonly limit you to preferred brands and in-network providers, and may not cover follow-up fitting visits after the initial purchase.⁹ The majority of Medicare Advantage enrollees in plans with hearing benefits also face prior authorization requirements for hearing exams.⁸ Before switching from Medigap to a Medicare Advantage plan just for hearing coverage, read the plan’s specific hearing benefit summary, not just the marketing.

What Hearing Aids Cost If You Pay Out of Pocket

As of 2026, a pair of hearing aids costs an average of $2,694, but that number hides a wide range. At a traditional audiology clinic, a pair averages $4,727. At Costco, the average drops to $1,674. Low-end prescription devices run around $2,150 per pair, and top-of-the-line models about $5,225.¹⁰

Since October 2022, the FDA has allowed adults with mild to moderate hearing loss to buy over-the-counter hearing aids without a prescription or professional fitting.¹¹ OTC devices typically run $200 to $1,000, and OTC purchases average $502 per pair.¹⁰ Original Medicare still does not pay for any hearing aids, OTC ones included.⁷ A 2024 Government Accountability Office report found that nearly 17% of adults with hearing loss may be unable to afford OTC hearing aids priced at $500.¹²

Other Ways to Get Help Paying for Hearing Aids

If you have Original Medicare and Medigap, hearing aids come out of pocket unless one of these programs applies to you.

State Medicaid

If you are dual-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, your state Medicaid program may cover hearing aids. As of late 2023, 32 states provided Medicaid hearing aid coverage for adults 21 and older, and about 71% of dual-eligible beneficiaries lived in a state offering the benefit. Coverage rules vary sharply. Some states pay for one hearing aid per benefit period, others pay for both ears, and replacement intervals range from 12 to 60 months.¹³ Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Tennessee, and West Virginia are among the states that do not cover hearing aids for adults at all.¹⁴

VA Benefits

Veterans with service-connected hearing loss can receive hearing aids at no cost through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA spends an average of $369 per hearing aid through negotiated pricing.¹⁵

Federal Retiree Health Plans

Retired federal employees covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program may have hearing aid allowances. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program, for instance, offers up to $2,500 every five years toward hearing aids under its Basic and Standard plans.¹⁶

AARP Hearing Solutions

AARP members can use AARP Hearing Solutions, provided by UnitedHealthcare Hearing, for up to 50% off prescription hearing aids and up to $200 off OTC devices, plus a free hearing exam. No insurance is required, and the discounts cannot be combined with Medicare or Medicaid benefits.¹⁷

Charities and Retailer Pricing

Nonprofits such as the Starkey Hearing Foundation, Miracle-Ear Foundation, Lions Club International, and the Hearing Aid Project provide free or donated hearing aids to people who cannot afford them. Costco sells hearing aids with fittings included at competitive prices, and some audiologists offer unbundled pricing that separates the device cost from professional services, so you pay only for what you use.¹⁸

Will Medicare Ever Cover Hearing Aids?

Not soon, based on where legislation stands. The Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage Act of 2025 (H.R. 500), introduced on January 16, 2025 by Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan, would remove the statutory exclusion of hearing aids and related exams from Medicare. As of mid-2026 the bill has 26 cosponsors and has not moved out of committee, and legislative tracking gives it a 1% chance of enactment.¹⁹ Earlier attempts, including the 2021 version of the bill and hearing provisions in the Build Back Better Act, also failed to advance.⁷ Until Congress removes the exclusion, the answer for anyone with a Medigap policy stays the same: hearing aids are on you, and the practical path to help runs through Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, the VA, a retiree plan, or the discount and charity programs listed above.

1
Amplifon USA. Medigap Plans and Hearing Health
2
Humana. What Is a Medicare Supplement Plan
3
MedicareResources.org. Medigap
4
Anthem. Medicare Supplement Plans Medigap
5
Medicare.gov. Hearing and Balance Exams
6
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Audiology Services
7
MedicareResources.org. Does Medicare Cover Hearing Aids
8
KFF. Medicare Advantage in 2026 Premiums Out-of-Pocket Limits Supplemental Benefits and Prior Authorization
9
Lake Medical Hearing Center. Understanding Hearing Coverage Medicare vs Medicare Advantage vs Supplemental Plans
10
Hearing Tracker. How Much Do Hearing Aids Cost
11
Federal Register. Establishing Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids
12
U.S. Government Accountability Office. Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Information on the New Medical Device Category
13
Health Affairs. State Medicaid Hearing Aid Coverage
14
MOST Policy Initiative. Hearing Aids and Medicaid
15
Center for Medicare Advocacy. Medicare Coverage of Hearing Care and Audiology Services
16
FEP Blue. Compare Plans
17
AARP. AARP Hearing Solutions Provided by UnitedHealthcare Hearing
18
AARP. Saving on Hearing Aids
19
GovTrack. Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage Act of 2025