The loss of hearing—be it gradual or acute, mild or severe, present since birth or acquired in older age—can have significant effects on one's communication abilities, quality of life, social participation, and health. Despite this, many people with hearing loss do not seek or receive hearing health care. The reasons are numerous, complex, and often interconnected. For some, hearing health care is not affordable. For others, the appropriate services are difficult to access, or individuals do not know how or where to access them. Others may not want to deal with the stigma that they and society may associate with needing hearing health care and obtaining that care. Still others do not recognize they need hearing health care, as hearing loss is an invisible health condition that often worsens gradually over time.

In the United States, an estimated 30 million individuals (12.7 percent of Americans ages 12 years or older) have hearing loss. Globally, hearing loss has been identified as the fifth leading cause of years lived with disability. Successful hearing health care enables individuals with hearing loss to have the freedom to communicate in their environments in ways that are culturally appropriate and that preserve their dignity and function.

Hearing Health Care for Adults focuses on improving the accessibility and affordability of hearing health care for adults of all ages. This study examines the hearing health care system, with a focus on non-surgical technologies and services, and offers recommendations for improving access to, the affordability of, and the quality of hearing health care for adults of all ages.

Contents

• The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
• COMMITTEE ON ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE HEARING HEALTH CARE FOR ADULTS
• Reviewers
• Preface
• Abbreviations and Acronyms
• Summary
  • UNDERSTANDING THE EXTENT AND IMPACT OF HEARING LOSS
  • HEARING HEALTH CARE SERVICES: IMPROVING ACCESS AND QUALITY
  • HEARING TECHNOLOGIES
  • IMPROVING AFFORDABILITY OF SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGIES
  • ENGAGING A WIDER COMMUNITY: AWARENESS, EDUCATION, AND SUPPORT
  • OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION
• 1. Introduction
  • SCOPE OF THE STUDY AND STUDY PROCESS
  • OVERVIEW OF HEARING AND HEARING LOSS
  • DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY
  • WHY FOCUS ON ACCESSIBILITY AND AFFORDABILITY OF HEARING HEALTH CARE NOW?
  • GUIDING PRINCIPLES
  • ORGANIZATION OF THIS REPORT
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Hearing Loss: Extent, Impact, and Research Needs
  • DISTRIBUTION OF HEARING LOSS
  • HEARING LOSS: CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS
  • IMPACT OF HEARING LOSS
  • PREVENTION OF HEARING LOSS
  • NEXT STEPS AND RECOMMENDATION
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Hearing Health Care Services: Improving Access and Quality
  • SERVICES-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR HEARING LOSS
  • OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE HEARING HEALTH CARE SERVICES
  • NEXT STEPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Hearing Technologies: Expanding Options
  • OVERVIEW OF HEARING TECHNOLOGIES
  • EFFECTIVENESS OF HEARING AIDS AND OTHER ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS
  • REGULATORY STRUCTURE AND STANDARDS
  • NEXT STEPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Improving Affordability of Services and Technologies
  • CONSUMER COSTS FOR HEARING HEALTH CARE
  • TYPES OF COVERAGE AVAILABLE FOR TECHNOLOGIES AND SERVICES IN THE UNITED STATES
  • LESSONS LEARNED FROM HEARING HEALTH CARE BENEFITS PROVIDED IN OTHER COUNTRIES
  • INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO IMPROVING AFFORDABILITY
  • NEXT STEPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 6. Engaging a Wider Community: Awareness, Education, and Support
  • INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES
  • THE ROLE OF COMMUNITIES
  • PUBLIC EDUCATION AND AWARENESS
  • NEXT STEPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 7. Opportunities for Action
• Appendixes
  • A. Meeting Agendas
  • B. Committee Biographies

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. Hearing health care for adults: Priorities for improving access and affordability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23446.