Hearing aid repair: cost, flat rate, health insurance
Hearing aids are an important part of daily life for people with hearing problems. They allow you to better perceive the world around you and understand what is being said. However, if your hearing aid breaks or stops working properly, it can cause difficulties that make daily life much more difficult. In this article, we will look at hearing aid repair and consider how to fix a broken hearing aid.
There are several reasons why a hearing aid may need to be repaired. Moisture is the biggest enemy of the sensitive components in hearing aids and can lead to premature aging as well as defects. It is not uncommon for this to lead to a loss of function. Often the shock is greater than the supposed defect, and only the battery or a hearing tube needs to be changed. If other parts of the hearing aid are broken, only a hearing care professional can help.
Some causes of malfunction are quickly fixed - for example, if the microphone is clogged with dirt or if a new earmold needs to be inserted. In addition to the new earmold, many hearing care professionals offer such minor repairs under warranty as a free service.
Tips if you have a defective hearing aid
If you find that your hearing aid is not working properly, you should first perform some tests yourself before visiting a hearing care professional:
- Make sure your hearing aid is also turned on.
- Turn up the volume to check if the volume control has been inadvertently adjusted.
- Check if the battery is properly seated and test your battery or install a new one. Pay attention to the battery life, which can vary greatly depending on the manufacturer.
- If you wear a BTE model, check the tubing, as it can wear out or break over time.
Hearing aid repair costs
If the hearing aid is defective and a more extensive repair is necessary, the statutory health insurance companies reimburse their insured the costs. If, for example, the microphone is broken, the repair costs are added to the health insurance company's maintenance flat rate
For basic hearing aids that are free of co-payment, all necessary repairs are covered by the health insurance company's flat rate. If you are the wearer of a hearing aid with a large number of additional functions for which a co-payment is required, the health insurance company will pay a fixed amount.
In addition, you must contribute to the costs if consumables are replaced.
Hearing Aid Repair Flat Rate Health Insurance
The repair flat rate is always retained by the acoustician, as this is the amount with which the health insurance company participates in any repairs incurred over the term of 6 years.
Repair and new purchase
The service fee of the health insurance companies ranges from 120€ to 154,7€ and is usually valid for six years. After that, the health insurance company usually recommends a new purchase of hearing aids. This also applies if your hearing aid is defective and the repair costs are higher than a new purchase. Especially if you have been wearing your hearing aid for several years, you should consider a new purchase. However, if your hearing aid is defective, you should not only consider the difference in cost when deciding between repairing it and buying a new one, because technical development is constantly making great strides: Modern hearing aids have not only become significantly more powerful, but also offer you a much higher level of wearing comfort.
If you stick to maintaining and caring for your hearing aid regularly, it should work for a long time without any problems. However, if it does break down, there are several ways to get it back in working order. A hearing healthcare professional can help you determine the best course of action and get your hearing aid back in perfect working order. Also, ask your hearing care professional about a loaner hearing aid. Many will provide you with a free replacement device for the duration of the repair.