Medicare finally covers hearing aids for seniors—with limits
H.R. 6218 — HEAR Act of 2025 · Filed by Kevin Mullin (D-CA) · 6 cosponsors · Introduced Nov 20, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends Medicare to cover hearing aids and related hearing services (aural rehabilitation, audiologic assessments, fitting, adjustment, and counseling) for beneficiaries whose hearing loss can be treated with a hearing aid. Coverage is limited to one monaural or two binaural hearing aids per three-year period, and services must be furnished by physicians or qualified audiologists. The bill removes hearing aids from Medicare's exclusion list and adds aural rehabilitation to covered services, with implementation required between January 1 of the first or third year after enactment.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is straightforward: it adds hearing aids and related audiology services to Medicare's covered benefits. This is a direct expansion of the Medicare benefit package, not a tax provision, deregulation, or narrow carve-out.
What the text implies
- The bill does not specify copayment, coinsurance, or deductible amounts for hearing aids and services, leaving cost-sharing design to CMS rulemaking — beneficiaries' out-of-pocket exposure is undefined.
- The three-year replacement cycle may create a coverage gap for beneficiaries whose hearing deteriorates faster or who require device upgrades due to changing audiologic needs, potentially limiting real-world access.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
hearing aid manufacturers; audiology service providers; audiologists