DRAPER, UTAH — Access to hearing healthcare is lacking as a means of supporting vulnerable employees, despite efforts by employers to promote health equity through benefits packages, according to a study conducted by TruHearing, a leading provider of hearing healthcare benefits. The research highlights the essential role hearing plays in both professional and personal contexts, emphasizing the impact of untreated hearing loss on productivity and mental well-being. However, hearing healthcare coverage is often excluded from employee benefits plans, with only 17% of employees indicating that their employer offers hearing benefits, despite nearly 40% of US employees experiencing or suspecting hearing loss.
The absence of coverage results in significant financial barriers, as the average cost of a pair of hearing aids exceeds $4,600, not including the additional expenses of initial evaluations. These costs often render hearing healthcare unaffordable for many American workers, considering that 37% of Americans would be unable to fully cover a $400 emergency expense, as reported by the Federal Reserve in 2022.
Consequently, only 10% of employees with hearing loss seek treatment, and a mere 18% of employees who suspect they have hearing loss have had a hearing test in the past year.
Importance of Hearing Health Benefits
“Hearing is so vital to our productivity and mental wellbeing both in and out of the office. It is shocking that more employers aren’t aware of the value of offering hearing benefits to their employees,” said Trent Sterling, CEO, TruHearing. “Everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve their best health, and employers hold the key to making those opportunities affordable. Hearing benefits are a meaningful way to close this gap in health equity and make healthcare more accessible for employees.”
The study also revealed that employees, particularly those with lower household incomes, highly value hearing health coverage. More than half of the employees who consider it somewhat important for employers to offer hearing benefits have a household income below $75,000. Furthermore, 57% of employees with untreated hearing loss expressed motivation to address their hearing loss if their employer provided hearing benefits. These findings indicate a clear desire among employees for hearing healthcare coverage and underscore the potential impact of offering such benefits in promoting employee well-being and health equity.
Not only are hearing benefits in demand by employees, but they are also affordable for employers to implement at a fraction of the cost of vision or dental benefits. High-quality, entry level hearing healthcare programs through TruHearing are less than $.05 PMPM which is a
fraction of the price of typical vision and dental plans.
“When employees are healthy and thriving, companies thrive, too. Health benefits enable employees to affordably prioritize their dental, vision and other health needs, and hearing healthcare should be no different.”
–TruHearing CEO, Trent Sterling
For more information, visit: www.truhearing.com/benefit-administrators.
