{"id":502,"date":"2020-10-18T22:39:18","date_gmt":"2020-10-18T13:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/ustest\/does-blue-cross-cover-hearing-aids\/"},"modified":"2020-12-01T07:25:50","modified_gmt":"2020-11-30T22:25:50","slug":"does-blue-cross-cover-hearing-aids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/ustest\/hearing-device\/does-blue-cross-cover-hearing-aids\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Blue Cross Cover Hearing Aids?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over 100 million Americans receive their health insurance coverage from Blue Cross Blue Shield, making it one of the largest health insurance companies in the world. Because of this, many people are looking for answers to questions like just how much coverage the health insurance giant offers its customers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to understand your coverage so you can make the best choices regarding choosing a hearing aid and covering its expense. Not understanding insurance coverage is a contributing factor for many adults putting off seeking hearing help. So let&#8217;s answer that question and see if you are eligible for some hearing aids today!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#What_is_Blue_Cross_Blue_Shield\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">1<\/span> What is Blue Cross Blue Shield?\n<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#DoesBCBSA_Cover_Hearing_Aids\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">2<\/span> Does\u00a0BCBSA Cover Hearing Aids?\n<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Hearing_Aid_Coverage_Varies_by_State\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">3<\/span> Hearing Aid Coverage Varies by State\n<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Blue_Cross_Blue_Shields_TruHearing_Partnership\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">4<\/span> Blue Cross Blue Shield\u2019s TruHearing Partnership\n<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<h2><span id=\"What_is_Blue_Cross_Blue_Shield\"><b>What is Blue Cross Blue Shield?<\/p>\n<p><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Blue Cross Blue Shield Association<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (<\/span><b>BCBSA<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) isn\u2019t actually one insurance company, but rather a<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Federation\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">federation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of 36 separate US<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Health_insurance\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">health insurance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> companies. All together, these companies provide health insurance to over 106 million Americans. The conglomerate was formed in 1982, with the merger of the Blue Cross Association and the Blue Shield Association.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may hear the BCBSA affiliated health insurance companies referred to in the healthcare industry as &#8220;The Association.&#8221; Affiliated plans span through every state in the U.S. plus District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. They even offer some plans to customers in a few foreign countries. BCBSA also covers US federal government employees under their nationwide health insurance program.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"DoesBCBSA_Cover_Hearing_Aids\"><b>Does\u00a0BCBSA Cover Hearing Aids?<\/p>\n<p><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because\u00a0BCBSA is not one, but many different health insurance companies, there\u2019s no\u00a0single answer to the question of whether the insurance company covers the cost of hearing aids. This is why it\u2019s important to examine your individual plan to find out for certain. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not only does each separate BCBSA company differ in their coverage, but they\u00a0also offer a variety of different levels of care, each with varying hearing health coverage. Copays and deductibles vary greatly between plans and levels. The good news, however, is that many BCBSA plans do include part or full hearing aid coverage in many of their benefits packages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Hearing_Aid_Coverage_Varies_by_State\"><b>Hearing Aid Coverage Varies by State<\/p>\n<p><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first step to finding out what your BCBSA plan includes in terms of hearing aid coverage is to visit their website and search for hearing aid information. There may be a specific online pamphlet or booklet which details all aspects of the plan. For instance, BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota partners with TruHearing, which provides free hearing exams and hearing aids at reduced rates that are scaled toward different BCBSA membership levels. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Complete <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strive Complete <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">members pay $799 for a $3,125 48 channel hearing aid, while their <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Core<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> members pay $999 for the same device.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another\u00a0example are the Blue Essential, BlueCare Plus, and Blue Advantage Plans which cover people in Lake Charles, Louisiana. <br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span>Blue Essential and BlueCare Plus are both Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans, which limit members to who they can see. The Essentials plan leaves out mention of hearing aid coverage, so it would be best to check if there is an add-on option available if you were a member of this plan.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li>In contrast, BlueCare Plus provides hearing care coverage, but it isn\u2019t clear how much of the cost of a hearing aid they will cover.<\/li>\n<li>Blue Advantage, on the other hand, is a PPO plan. PPO plans are usually more expensive for the individual member but offer more freedom of choice without the need for a referral and additional coverage. Under this plan members can receive two hearing aids per year through the TruHearing program along with follow-up visits and dozens of hearing aid batteries each year for non-rechargeable models.\u00a0\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"Blue_Cross_Blue_Shields_TruHearing_Partnership\"><b>Blue Cross Blue Shield\u2019s TruHearing Partnership<\/p>\n<p><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can see, coverage options can vary greatly between plans and levels. With 6,400 provider locations throughout the US, TruHearing is the most frequent hearing aid coverage option that BCBSA partners with. Generally there are two options with TruHearing: TruHearing Select and TruHearing Choice. With the Select option members pay a low copay for hearing aids. With the TruHearing Choice plan members take advantage of fixed nationwide pricing on a variety of hearing aid options. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to keep in mind that BCBSA plans that participate with TruHearing only offer coverage on products available through TruHearing.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other hearing products and hearing aid brands are not an option.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re a Blue Cross Blue Shield member it\u2019s important to make sure you have all the facts, as explanations of benefits can sometimes be confusing and not all information is available online. When in doubt, contact by phone your insurance provider and ask specifically for information regarding hearing tests, hearing aid coverage and follow-up visits. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>And finally, if you\u2019re a Medicare recipient, remember that you\u2019ll need supplemental insurance that covers hearing aids as Medicare does not cover the cost.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><b>The information in this guide has been written using the following reliable sources:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/acadianhearingservices.com\/does-bluecross-blueshield-insurance-cover-hearing-aids\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/acadianhearingservices.com\/does-bluecross-blueshield-insurance-cover-hearing-aids\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.truhearing.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.truhearing.com\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blue365deals.com\/participating-blue-companies\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.blue365deals.com\/participating-blue-companies<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blue365deals.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.blue365deals.com\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcbs.com\/the-health-of-america\/articles\/are-you-hearing-well-you-should\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.bcbs.com\/the-health-of-america\/articles\/are-you-hearing-well-you-should<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcbs.com\/about-us\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.bcbs.com\/about-us<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bluecrossmn.com\/healthy\/public\/portalcomponents\/PublicContentServlet?contentId=P11GA_17016852\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.bluecrossmn.com\/healthy\/public\/portalcomponents\/PublicContentServlet?contentId=P11GA_17016852<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gardneraudiology.com\/insurance-coverage\/blue-cross-and-blue-shield-hearing-aid-coverage\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.gardneraudiology.com\/insurance-coverage\/blue-cross-and-blue-shield-hearing-aid-coverage\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcbs.com\/news\/press-releases\/bluecross-adds-hearing-benefits-seniors-2017\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.bcbs.com\/news\/press-releases\/bluecross-adds-hearing-benefits-seniors-2017<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Blue Cross Blue Shield is one of the most widely used health insurance plans in the U.S., but it&#8217;s often unclear whether the major provider covers the cost of hearing aids. Here we explore their hearing aid coverage options.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/ustest\/hearing-device\/does-blue-cross-cover-hearing-aids\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Does Blue Cross Cover Hearing Aids? - Olive Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Blue Cross Blue Shield is one of the most widely used health insurance plans in the U.S., but it&#039;s often unclear whether the major provider covers the cost of hearing aids. 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