Reporting by Jeanette Contreras
Having had a parent who struggled with diminished hearing for decades, I have seen first-hand how hearing challenges can impact a person. My father contracted a disease as a child and one of its effects was the loss of hearing in one ear. Consequently, he struggled with hearing loss for his entire life. My father was not alone in dealing with the challenges of hearing loss. Thousands of Americans struggle with their hearing, which makes access to hearing aids an increasingly important issue in this country.
I enthusiastically applaud Congress and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for taking steps to make hearing aids available over the counter for adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. That is a tremendous and much-needed step, particularly for older persons of modest means and a fixed income, for whom hearing aids may be unaffordable. The FDA, though, shouldn’t rush to open the marketplace for these over-the-counter devices until they take action to ensure they are safe and won’t do permanent damage to those they aspire to help.
There is room for improvement, though, in the FDA’s guidelines. Thanks to his employer-sponsored health coverage....
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