| dc.description.abstract | The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) report1 that was submitted to the US Government last October has sparked much debate about the future provision of hearing health care in the US2-7. The primary aim of the report’s recommendations is to make hearing technology more accessible and affordable for a growing number of Americans living with hearing loss. To achieve this, the report suggests that direct-to-consumer sale of hearing aids, which can lower the cost of devices, be approved; and that the cost of hearing services be made more affordable and transparent by introducing an unbundled pricing structure for hearing health care. The latter strategy would ensure that hearing-impaired people who choose to buy a cheaper device on the direct-to-consumer market are not denied access to diagnostic and counselling services. Similar recommendations are largely corroborated in a recent report released by the Committee on Accessible and Affordable Hearing Health Care for Adults8. | en_US |
