Part Subsidised Hearing Aids
Done your research on hearing aids and have completed a hearing aid trial? Now think you are feeling as if you would personally benefit more from a hearing aid that is not on the Hearing Services program device list? This is normal!
The devices on the Hearing Services Program tend to be on the lower levels of technologies. Every hearing aid has three basic components: A microphone that picks up sound and a processing chip, plus a receiver that sits in the ear canal. Together, they are tasked with creating and increasing the filtered sound, at a volume level determined with the help of your audiologist.
The most important part is the processing chip, a component that the Audiologist can adjust based on your hearing loss. With most fully funded government hearing aids, these adjustments are limited due to the technology levels of the devices. A higher-level device with a more powerful processing chip can not only filter sound but improve the device’s automatic capabilities and its ability to localise sound.
As you go higher in device technology levels, the greater the improvement in the performance of the device to assist you to hear.
Using Your HSP Voucher
Those who are eligible under the Australian Governments Hearing Services Program can use an eligibility voucher to reduce the price of a hearing aid offered to private clients. This means you can access better technology and reduce the device cost.
To determine if this approach is right for you, ask your Audiologist! There are several contributing factors that can form the basis for an upgrade. You will have to determine what is the best for your lifestyle, hearing loss and budget.
If you are unsure, your EarDeals Audiologist can offer you a free hearing aid trial to determine if you see value in topping up a fully funded government hearing aid.
If you are a Pensioner or eligible DVA cardholder, you can access a fully or partially subsidised hearing aid from the Australian Government. But what is the difference?
The subsidised hearing aid option provides you with the ability to use the fully subsidised hearing aid funding provided by the Australian Government under the Hearing Services Program to support the purchase of a device that is not on the fully subsidised list. Why is this important?
If you’d prefer a better hearing aid than is offered by the Australian Government Hearing Services Program, you can access this technology and reduce its cost with Government funding. You will simply have to pay the difference. Purchasing a hearing aid this way is common and the Government support makes a significant difference to the price you will pay out of pocket.
The hearing aids you will be selecting from are outside the Hearing Services Program list, this means you have access to any hearing aid on the market with the ability to subsidise the cost of it in the process. By accessing all hearing aids on the private market, you are open to purchasing devices that come with a much larger range of features and processing capabilities to help you hear.
The Benefits Of Choosing A Higher Level Hearing Aid
By upgrading to a subsidised hearing aid, you are moving up the technology levels of the manufacturers hearing aid range and transitioning from the Government-funded device list to the private list. Your services are still fully subsidised by the Government. As these devices are in the higher levels of the hearing aid ranges you will be sure to notice the difference.
