Four Years On, Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Still Leave Buyers Lost

Four years after the U.S. FDA created an over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid category in 2022, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco say the policy has expanded access but left many buyers without clear guidance. In a Viewpoint in JAMA, health economist Kathryn A. Phillips and geriatrics and health policy expert Christine K. Cassel argue that lower prices and wider availability haven’t built the ecosystem consumers need. Citing cited data, OTC devices average about $500 versus roughly $3,400 for prescription hearing aids, and 70% of first-time buyers choose OTC. The remaining gaps are informational and structural, including difficulty verifying FDA status on major retail sites.