United Health Care hearing aids

[eman6501]

Originally Posted by dockristin

i have talked to more than a dozen patients who have returned the HI united hearing aids. i have not yet talked to one person who has kept them (besides reading what painter posted).

these people are all over the company and then came to my company to get real hearing aids.


the biggest part of hearing aids is the service and adjustment component...i just don't understand how the majority will be successful WITHOUT the service component. it seems nearly impossible for it to run smoothly.

^This is cute. Not realistic, but cute as an attempt to deter people from finding alternatives to the expense of "market priced" hearing aids. Industry folks need to recognize that change is coming. Patients aren't content with being fed whatever soup the cook feels like cooking anymore. I've been hearing about the "80% of hearing loss population that doesn't seek treatment" for years now, and no one has done anything about it.....ever. At least this company is offering an alternative to the $4-6,000 instruments so many are forced to settle with. If I could fit hearing aids that people only had to come out of pocket $500-$700, I can assure you I'd corner the market as best I could.

[MinnesotaHIS]

Originally Posted by eman6501

< snipping out the condescending part of your post > At least this company is offering an alternative to the $4-6,000 instruments so many are forced to settle with. If I could fit hearing aids that people only had to come out of pocket $500-$700, I can assure you I'd corner the market as best I could.

Actually, hearing aids in that price range are available with full professional fitting services. Look for an ad in your local paper and there's bound to be one or two "low price" ads that fall within that range or not too far above it. For example, in the Twin Cities there's a chain of clinics that in the last month has run newspaper ads featuring the ReSound Live for $695 per ear. Three years ago the Live was ReSound's flagship model so these aren't exactly "crappy" off-brand aids. They may try to upsell you when you go in (I don't work there so I'm not sure of their protocol), but my understanding is that if you tell them you want to stick with the Live that is what they will fit you with and they will honor the price.

Many other clinics offer "budget" models that they'll show you if you start your conversation with them by saying "Look, I'm on a very tight budget and can only afford to spend $1,500 to hear better. What you can do for me?"

Another option would be Sam's Club hearing aids. Sure, their brand of hearing aids aren't exactly in the same calss as those from the major manufacturers, but they are in the price range you mentioned and will help someone with a hearing loss hearing significantly better than they currently are.

Generally, the reason people spend more money on hearing aids is because they want to benefit from the best technology available rather than settling for what was the best five years ago. Now if you could find a way to offer the best technology currently available for $700 I'll agree that you'd corner the market pretty quickly, but unless you're stealing the designs from other companies (without paying any royalties) I'm not clear on how you'd be able to make cutting-edge hearing aids at that price.

[MarkHill]

Originally Posted by painter

I received 2 HA's from hiHealth Innovatations last week...mini BTE's.....2 HA's for $660. I am insured by a member company owned by United Healthcare. I can have one new set every year if needed.

These are my first ever HA's. I have been to HA presentations..... Lyric and Siemens. I've also been tested about 3X by different dispensers while I was investigating HA's. I was told each time that I have moderate bordering on severe hearing loss. I really only have issues when I am in a noisy environment with a lot of background noise. One dispenser...I think Beltone...allowed me to wear a set while in the office.....their $6k ha's.

I do not claim to be an expert, nor am I an experienced user yet. So far I have about 20+ hours of wearing time.

I decided to go with hiHealth Innovations because paying $6k for something "new" for me seemed like a lot of $$$ for a first time buyer. hiHealth gives a 45 days free trial. I decided that I had nothing too loose. I could try them, see if they worked satisfactorily, return them, or keep them for 6 months to a year and then move on to something else if necessary.

Initial observations and experiences:
1. The HA's are about the same size at the $6k Beltones. No problem there.
2. They come with 5 volume levels and 3 programs.
3. The mid volume level seems to work fine for me. Have not really determined if one program is better for me than another. According to hiHealth I should experiment with each program in different environments and different volume levels.
4. I wore the HA's in a moderately noisy restaurant 2 days ago. With out the aids I know that the background noise would have created a problem. With HA's I could easily over hear a conversation from a booth about 10 feet from me. Quite a surprise to me. I could also hear the waitress talking to various people at other tables that were 15 to 20 feet from me.
5. My TV experience thus far is very positive. I can turn the volume on the tv down several levels and still easily hear all the words spoken by the speakers. Normally I would expect to miss some of the words.
6. So far so good. Still adjusting to the tubes in my ear canal. After about 6 hours I experience some soreness. But I'm sure that will pass.
7. Very happy with my decision to go with these HA's. Easy on the check book and they do the job. Voices sound natural and music sounds just fine. I am not sensing any distortion. I regularly listen to music with an mp3 player while at the gym using using ear buds that I place fairly deep in the ear canal. I can compare these musical sounds with the sounds I hear with the HA's. Other than a thumping base that I get with the mp3 player, the mids and hi freq. sound the same.
8. Obviously it would be interesting to again wear a $6k set (ideally from several different mfgs) and then compare. Perhaps the $6k sets are superior...but I am sure not $5k+ better!!

Just my experiences and observations.....

LOL at this obvious commercial from UHC.

[painter]

Originally Posted by MarkHill

LOL at this obvious commercial from UHC.

My post clearly ends with "Just my experiences and observations....." and the body of the post states my lack of experience at the time of the post with hearing aids, my previous investigations of various HA's, and my experiences with the HiHealth HA's as of the date of the post. From this you conclude with your snarky comment: "LOL at this obvious commercial from UHC."

"Obvious" as in "plain, manifest, clear, palpable, unmistakable" and "commercial" as in "a paid advertisement or promotional announcement."
Surely you have evidence to support your claim? Such as:
1. Proof of payment or compensation in any form to me by HiHealth, UHC, or its subsidiary insurance companies
2. Evidence of communication such as emails, texts, snail mail, and phone records between myself and the above entities.
3. Statements from me in any form that I was paid, coerced, encouraged or otherwise solicited by the above listed entities to endorse the HA's.
4. Corroborating evidence from any source as to the veracity of a quid pro quo relationship between myself and the above entities.
We both know you have none of the above. Rather than demonstrate in writing your ignorance and stupidity I suggest you give more careful thought in the future to your posts.