I sympathize with several of the points made in the PCAST report (see my last couple of blog entries for other PCAST discussion), one of which is the limited accessibility of hearing care in the US due to high cost. So, what is “high”? Like beauty, “high” is in the eye of the beholder. A few folks can toss out $7,000 without blinking, but there aren’t many of those in our area. I saw one person recently who was referred to me by a local charity. This should give you a clue about their finances. They had been to a local firm and had signed up for a pair of hearing aids that were priced in the neighborhood of $7,000. The charity representative was adamant that these folks could not afford these aids. The situation is yet to be resolved, but I suspect they will get a refund and petition the Lions Charity Foundation for the hearing aids they need. [Read more…]