Designed to help millions of Americans ages 50-plus who have untreated hearing loss, the AARP Hearing Care program, provided by HearUSA Inc, West Palm Beach, Fla, was introduced on October 1 in Florida and New Jersey as part of the initial phase of a nationwide rollout.

Initially, the program will be available through the company’s 42 owned and operated Florida hearing care centers. The company said other qualified hearing care providers in Florida and across the nation will be invited to participate.

The program is targeted exclusively for AARP members. Stephen Hansbrough, CEO and chairman of HearUSA, said in a statement released by the company that “the program features more affordable, state-of-the-art digital hearing aids that are also smaller, smarter, and more comfortable than ever before.” 

The program offers uniform pricing and extended warranties on hearing aids and related products; thorough testing and evaluation; and all-important best practices hearing rehabilitation (acclimation guidance and support) that far exceed industry standards, he added.

While one in 10 Americans have hearing loss, it is older men and women who are much more likely to suffer from this life-altering condition, said the statement.

According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly one in five adults 45 to 64 years old; one in three adults 65 to 74 years old; and half of all adults 75 years old or older have a hearing impairment, says the statement.

The company says it anticipates that, by 2011, the HearUSA nationwide network of approximately 5,000 credentialed hearing care providers will be available to AARP members in all 50 states and the US territories.

Click here for a detailed description of the HearUSA hearing care program for AARP members. 

HearUSA Inc provides hearing care through the HearUSA Hearing Care Network of 1,900 affiliated audiologists in 49 states and in more than 190 company-owned hearing care centers. Centers are located in California, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Hearing-related products, such as batteries, hearing aid accessories and assistive listening devices, are also available online. The company was awarded the Health Network Accreditation from URAC, the accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry, says the statement.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50-plus have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP Services Inc is a wholly owned taxable subsidiary of AARP that manages the provider relationships for and performs quality control oversight of the wide range of products and services that carry the AARP name and are made available by independent providers as benefits to AARP’s almost 40 million members. The provider offers currently span health products, travel and leisure products, and life event services.

[Source: HearUSA]