Affordable hearing aids should be a bipartisan issue

One in five American adults, almost 40 million people, live with some form of hearing loss. Yet as many as 85 percent of us do nothing to treat it. Because of price barriers, many people don’t get the hearing assistance they need.

Traditional hearing aids are expensive, ranging between $1,000 and $6,000. But, thanks to consumer technology called Personal Sound Amplification Products — non-prescription hearing devices — better hearing is available for just one-tenth the price of a hearing aid. And the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Act, co-sponsored by Republicans and Democrats alike in the House and Senate, will give more consumers access to this new, more cost-effective option for mild to moderate hearing loss.