Human beings are known for a myriad of things, but most importantly, we are known for getting better under every possible situation. The dynamic in question is so significant because it has already fetched us some huge milestones, with technology appearing as a major member of that group. The reason why we hold technology in such an esteemed regard is mainly down to its skill-set, which ushered us towards a reality that nobody could have imagined otherwise. Nevertheless, if we look a little bit deeper, it should become clear how the whole runner was also very much predicated upon the way we utilized those skills across a real-world setting. The latter component was, in fact, what gave the creation a spectrum-wide presence, including a timely appearance on our healthcare block. Technology’s foray into healthcare was so perfect with its timing, as it came right when the sector was beginning to struggle against its own obsolete structure. This reality, fortunately for us, went through a massive transition under the new regime, but even after achieving such a monumental feat, the new and budding medtech concept will somehow continue to produce all the right goods. The same has scaled up to become a lot more evident in the recent past, and truth be told, a newly-formed partnership will only make that trend bigger and better moving forward.
UnitedHealthcare Hearing, a division of health insurance giant UnitedHealthcare, has officially partnered with AARP, a nonprofit organization that helps aged people, to provide the latter’s members with affordable prescription hearing aids. You see, the average cost for a hearing aid ranges from $1,000 to $4,000, thus making them inaccessible to many people out there. The partnership in question tries to solve that problem by delivering the stated support at a base cost of just $699. Beyond the relevant device, the beneficiaries can also expect to receive a complementary hearing test and a hearing consultation from UnitedHealth’s network of providers. Hold on, there is more. AARP members, who avail the service, can even go ahead and claim a 15% discount on hearing care products, including hearing accessories and assistive listening devices. To turn the whole deal more comprehensive, the partners have ensured a year of follow-up care as well, and they have done so without putting in any additional cost. When quizzed about how they are making it possible, Dave Falda, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Hearing, cited the scale of their operation as the main reason behind it.
“As one of the nation’s largest providers of hearing aids, we have the opportunity to leverage economies of scale and have established strategic relationships with key manufacturers and care providers to offer members such affordable prices,” Falda said. “We just simply have an opportunity to help more people. Hearing unfortunately affects millions of people and it’s been reported that a large portion of people for whatever reason are unable or not pursuing hearing care.”
Fair enough, the wider significance of this collaboration is validated by a report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that states how almost 13% of all adults and 27% of adults aged 65 and older have difficulty hearing. However, it’s not just the hearing loss that is so problematic here, as we are also up against various other health issues that emerge from the condition. For instance, according to University of Michigan, hearing loss can actually trigger dementia, depression or fall injuries in many people.
So how can an AARP member avail all the newly-conceived benefits? Well, they need to visit the AARP Hearing Solutions’ website. There, they’ll go through a hearing test, and once that is done, they should be able to select how they want to receive care. The only thing left now is picking a provider, who’ll then guide them in terms of which products are the most suitable in their case.
