Extras cover for hearing aids starts from around $11 a week.
Compare health insurance for hearing aids
Here are some policies from Finder partners that cover hearing aids. They all have either a 12 or 36 month waiting periods, and most let you claim once every 3 years. All prices are based on a single individual with less than $93,000 income and living in Sydney.
Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
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rebate.
Under 65
65 - 69
70 or older
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This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
$93,000 and under
$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
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Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
Extras
Hospital
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*Prices updated March 2024, in line with Finder's
database of health insurance policies. Prices are based
on a single individual with less than $93,000 income and
living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
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This article was written and fact-checked by Tim Bennett, Finder's Health Insurance Publisher. Tim also has 3 years experience in the Hearing Aid and Audiology industry, having previously worked for Bay Audio, an Australian Audiology network.
How does private health insurance cover hearing aids and audiology?
Many private health insurance funds will include hearing aids and audiology on their extras policies. You'll generally need to be on a mid- or top-tier extras policy in order to be covered.
Private health insurance and hearing aids
Hearing aids are typically only covered by the highest level extras policies.
Policies will typically pay a set cost, rather than cash-back rebates. This is because the cost of hearing aids can vary widely.
Private health insurance generally pays out for a single device. However, most funds have a specified limit for how many times you can claim, such as one device every five years.
Some health funds offer benefits for repairing damaged hearing aids.
Health insurance benefits for audiology
Benefits will either take the form of cash-back offers, where you get a certain percentage of costs paid, typically 60-100%, or set costs such as $35 for each audiology session.
Initial audiology consultations and diagnoses usually take longer than subsequent follow-up sessions. As such, set cost policies generally pay more for initial sessions and less for follow-ups.
How much do hearing aids cost?
A pair of hearing aids without insurance or subsidies will cost you between *$1,495 and $11,000. Here are a few prices from Australian audiologists:
Attune Audiology says a pair of hearing aids cost between $2,000 and $11,000 a pair.
The Specsavers in-house brand cost between $1,495* and $3,495 a pair.
Specsavers also sells devices from Phonak and Signia for between $4,495 and $5,495 a pair.
A set of hearing aids that are well adjusted and looked after should last you between 3 and 6 years. If you only need a single hearing aid, it should cost you half the price of a pair.
*Most hearing aids priced at $1,495 per pair are the basic devices available free on the Australian Government Hearing Services Program, as this is the benefit offered on that program. These devices tend to be very basic, without modern features like adaptive noise reduction and adaptive directional microphones - you often get what you pay for. To get a pair of hearing aids with modern features, you should expect to pay at least $3,000 to $5,000 a pair.
Behind-the-ear vs In-the-ear devices
Most models of hearing aids are available in either an behind-the-ear or in-the-ear configuration. For most people behind-the-ear is the best choice: they offer more natural sound as they don't block the ear canal, they allows for better placement of multiple microphones so you get better sound separation, and they generally look more slick and hi-tech.
Typical hearing aid benefits from Aussie health funds
If you have an extras policy that covers hearing aids, then you can claim part of the cost of your device back from your health fund. The size of your benefit will depending on your extras policiy.
Mid-tier extras: Some mid-tier extras policies (around $40 a month) have a small benefit for hearing aids, generally around the $500 mark.
Comprehensive extras: Comprehensive extras policies (around $70 a month) have a larger benefit, typically around $800.
Top extras: Top extras policies ($90+ a month) generally offer the highest benefits for hearing aids, often ranging from $1,000 to $2,000.
3 things you should know
Extras policies typically have a 12 or 36 month waiting period before you can claim on hearing aids, and a benefit is generally only available every 3 years.
Hearing aids benefits generally can't be claimed through HICAPS, so you'll need to pay the full cost of your hearing aids, then claim the benefit later.
Your health fund's benefit will normally apply to a pair of hearing devices, one for each ear. If you only need a single device, ask your fund if you'll get to the full benefit, or only half.
For some funds, the data does not take account of discounts at some providers or fund Dental / Optical centres. Note: All percentages based on health fund reporting to APRA. 'n/a' signifies no activity and 100 per cent is likely to indicate small numbers (eg. only 1 episode).
The Australian Government Hearing Services Program
While Medicare doesn't cover the cost of hearing aids or audiology services like hearing tests, certain people can get their devices paid for under the Australian Government Hearing Services Program (HSP). The HSP will cover the cost of a hearing test and a basic hearing aid every 5 years. To be eligible for the HSP, you'll need to be:
A Pensioner Concession Card holder (A Seniors Health Card doesn't count)
A Department of Veterans' Affairs Gold Card holder
A Department of Veterans' Affairs White Card holder (with hearing specific conditions)
A dependent of someone in the above categories
A member of the Australian Defence Force
Referred by the Disability Employment Services Program
You can check your eligibility on the HSP website. It's not the greatest site in the world, so you can also contact any local audiologist and they should be able to walk you through your options.
Why you can trust Finder's health insurance experts
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Frequently asked questions
Medicare doesn't pay for the cost of hearing aids or hearing tests. However, the Australian Government Hearing Services Program will cover the cost of a hearing test and a basic set of hearing aids for Pensioner Concession Card holders, DVA Gold Card holders, DVA White Card holders with the hearing specific condition, and some other categories of people.
Hearing aids can be a serious investment, and there's unfortunately still a stigma about wearing them, so it's natural to be nervous about it. However, hearing aids are an investment in your quality of life - they can be an enormous benefit to you and your family. Whether you should get hearing aids is up to you, but if you're suffering from hearing loss, it's something you should seriously consider, whether you have private health insurance or not.
Hearing aids are typically only covered by the more comprehensive and high level extras health insurance policies. This means you will be paying for many benefits in addition to hearing aids, whether you want to or not. As such, if you're only looking at health insurance for hearing aids and audiology, it might not be the best deal. However, if you'll use the other benefits that extras health cover offers like dental and optical, it's probably a good fit for you. If you currently use a hearing aid, the right extras policy might be a way to upgrade in a few years time - hearing aid technology is advancing rapidly, and a newer hearing aid can sometimes make a huge difference to your quality of life.
Assuming your hearing aids are well cared for and well suited to your needs, they should last you between 3 and 6 years.
Tim Bennett is a Finder insurance & utilities expert. For over 10 years he's reported on news, politics, finance and other topics as a journalist and radio presenter. Tim's roles have included radio news reader and breakfast at the ABC, news producer for SBS and producer for Fairfax Media. Tim regularly appears as a health insurance expert on programs like Sunrise and SBS news, as well as in the Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail and more. See full bio
Tim's expertise
Tim has written 115 Finder guides across topics including:
Andrew Munro was the global cryptocurrency editor at Finder. During his time he covered all aspects of cryptocurrency and the blockchain. Before he became cryptocurrency editor, he was a content writer for Finder covering various topics over his nearly 5 years in the role. Prior to joining Finder he was a web copywriter. Andrew has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales. See full bio
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You pay nothing. Finder is free to use. And you pay the same as going direct. No markups, no hidden fees.
You save time. We spend 100s of hours researching health insurance so you can sort the gold from the junk faster.
You can trust us. We say it like it is. We aren't owned by an insurer and our opinions are our own.
