Hearing aids? Anyone ever gotten one in the DR?

Drro

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Mar 22, 2006
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And would it be comparable to the US except for price?

I know dental is spoken of and have had successful dental work done, but hearing aids?

My insurance in the US doesn't cover it - $4000 worth - and I'm just wondering...

Thanks for any feedback or advice.
 

cobraboy

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My mom got state-of-the-art hearing aids for $4000 in Santiago. She loves then, far better than what she had in the states for $6000. The equivalent would have been almost $8000 in the US.

Others were available for $2000 +/-.

Keep in mind that the devices are not manufactured in the DR, so there is no real break on the cost of the product. And rarely if ever are hearing aids covered under insurance, as they are considered "cosmetic."

When you hear of the lower costs of healthcare services in the DR, it's driven by several dynamics:
  • Lower cost of labor
  • Reduced practicioner margins
  • One genertaion behind first world technology obtained at bargain prices
  • No putative damages in lawsuits
  • Reduced cost of facilities due to far fewer regulations and requirements

Products used are rarely less expensive, in this case the hearing aids themselves.
 
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windeguy

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$4,000 to $8,000 US for hearing aids. I should have looked into designing that product.

When I look up the reason for such high prices, the explanation is given that you are not just buying the hearing aids, you are paying for a host of other services. Normally such other services are considerably less in the DR, but yet the price of the hearing aids seems similar to the US from what has been posted thus far. That sure is a lot of cash for a small microphone, equalized amplifier and speaker system .
 

Drro

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Mar 22, 2006
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Thanks everyone, I was thinking similarly.

In the States the $4000 or more includes lifetime support and testing from whomever you get them from. Of course, that company needs to be in business for this to happen.

For the moment, I'm doing nothing. Not a dire emergency.

Thanks again.

Regards
 

bigbird

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Do your research because the manufacturer can make a world of difference in the quality. Starkey has a very good reputation.
 

Cdn_Gringo

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About 2/3 of the cost for a pair is made up of various fees and charges that have nothing to do with the actual cost of the devices themselves - professional services, office charges, adjustments, batteries for life programs etc. AARP has an article you should be able to find easily with google and "real cost of hearing aids".

Check out audicus.com

Sorry, I have no experience with the devices in the DR and I haven't met anyone who has bought them here.
 

windeguy

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If 2/3rd the cost is labor related charges, then people paying the same price in the DR in the US are really getting "bilked and milked" with those prices.

McIntosh, Phase Linear, Hafler, you name it for $4k pricing, waytogo...
 

cobraboy

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If 2/3rd the cost is labor related charges, then people paying the same price in the DR in the US are really getting "bilked and milked" with those prices.

McIntosh, Phase Linear, Hafler, you name it for $4k pricing, waytogo...
All hearing aids are not created equally.
 

Chirimoya

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My husband's hearing aids cost US$3,000 from Instituto de Ayuda al Sordo in Santo Domingo, but that was several years ago.
 

windeguy

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All hearing aids are not created equally.

Of course not, but $4,000 for a small microphone , a microcircuit amplifier equalizer system, and a small audio transducer in a small plastic case is an incredibly large amount of money.
 

Drro

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And $4000 is the price for basic; they go as high as $10,000. I'm thrown that I have a problem to begin with - which only shows up in the TV volume actually - that I am going to do nothing until it either gets worse or someone creates a device that is reasonable for the investment!
 

Derfish

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And $4000 is the price for basic; they go as high as $10,000. I'm thrown that I have a problem to begin with - which only shows up in the TV volume actually - that I am going to do nothing until it either gets worse or someone creates a device that is reasonable for the investment!

Seems that anyone who know any thing about speakers could invent such a thing and sell it for $19.95 and at a profit. Just call it something else,and market it as such, but in such a way that people would realize it is also a hearing aid. My dad used to lose one every couple of weeks. He collected stamps and got them in the mail as approvals as they are called. Once after sending some back he couldn't find his hearing aid, but they stamp people sent it back to him a couple of weeks later! He'd somehow gotten it in the envelope with the stamps he sent back.
Der Fish
 

malko

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And $4000 is the price for basic; they go as high as $10,000. I'm thrown that I have a problem to begin with - which only shows up in the TV volume actually - that I am going to do nothing until it either gets worse or someone creates a device that is reasonable for the investment!

Turn the volume up :) :)


My MIL was driving us crazy by going deaf....... a 50 $ P.O.S from the internet allowed her to follow conversations outdoors ( ambient noise was interfering with her hearing/ understand of conversations )   and also allows her to hear her telenovelas.
Its an ungainly piece of kit, a tad on the bulky side ( think a bluetooth handless phone kit ), but she can just pop it in when needed. 
It was 2 for the price of one, so she can just charge one up and use the other.....as she only needs one.
 

cobraboy

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Of course not, but $4,000 for a small microphone , a microcircuit amplifier equalizer system, and a small audio transducer in a small plastic case is an incredibly large amount of money.
They can be fairly complex. The more advanced ones like we got Mom CB has the ability to adjust particular frequencies to address specific hearing situations. They are not just a tiny amp in a plastic case.

I watched the audiologist (from Catalan, BTW) adjust hers by computer across a 12-range frequency curve while they were in her ears, until her hearing was completely "normal" again.

When people lose their hearing it is rarely, if ever, across all frequency ranges.

I guess that's the difference between the $400 and $4000 devices.
 

La Profe_1

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Oct 15, 2003
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I guess that's the difference between the $400 and $4000 devices.

That's exactly right. What Windeguy describes is a low-end hearing aid with linear amplification. In other words, turn up the hearing aid and everything, even background noise, is suddenly louder. My first hearing aids were linear. I will never forget driving home after getting them and having to pull over, park and remove them because the noise of the stick shift in my car was so loud I couldn't stand it.

They were useless in places like restaurants due to the background noise. Here in the DR with motos, blaring music and other noise, linear aids would be downright painful to use.

What CB described are digital programmable hearing aids. They're much more expensive, but give better and closer to normal hearing correction. They are, unfortunately, the "gold standard" and cost accordingly.
 

windeguy

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They can be fairly complex. The more advanced ones like we got Mom CB has the ability to adjust particular frequencies to address specific hearing situations. They are not just a tiny amp in a plastic case.

Of course not, that is why I said they are a microphone and amplifier WITH EQUALIZATION and a transducer in a small plastic case for a ridiculous amount of money.

I watched the audiologist (from Catalan, BTW) adjust hers by computer across a 12-range frequency curve while they were in her ears, until her hearing was completely "normal" again.

There is the that 12 band EQUALIZER.. Probably adds 5 to 10 dollars to the manufacturing cost.

When people lose their hearing it is rarely, if ever, across all frequency ranges.

Correct. Normal hearing loss is a gradual drop in response to the higher frequencies. It starts an age much younger than most expect.

I guess that's the difference between the $400 and $4000 devices.

Yes, adding that EQUALIZER, let's say it even costs $40, is certainly the difference in the 10X price the market will bear. A 12 band equalizer is still rather "course" in the audio world.

I just bought a Behringer 18 channel digital mixer. It has all manner of inputs and outputs, 1/3rd octave equalizers, special effects and amazing fidelity all controllable from WiFi using a tablet, phone or PC, All this unheard of a few years ago at a price under $500 US. Granted, while is is small for what it has to do, it won't fit in your ear, but the technology and development costs far exceed any $10,000 hearing aid.
 
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windeguy

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That's exactly right. What Windeguy describes is a low-end hearing aid with linear amplification. In other words, turn up the hearing aid and everything, even background noise, is suddenly louder. My first hearing aids were linear. I will never forget driving home after getting them and having to pull over, park and remove them because the noise of the stick shift in my car was so loud I couldn't stand it.

They were useless in places like restaurants due to the background noise. Here in the DR with motos, blaring music and other noise, linear aids would be downright painful to use.

What CB described are digital programmable hearing aids. They're much more expensive, but give better and closer to normal hearing correction. They are, unfortunately, the "gold standard" and cost accordingly.

Nope. I did mention equalizers... Designing embedded microprocessor and DSP systems was what I did when I was an Electronic Engineer. See my other response to CB on that point.