Thread

1. Legend2440 · 1790863157 · focus · HN ↗

   Reminds me of the situation with hearing aids. They're not particularly complicated devices compared to, say, $130 apple airpods. But because they were regulated as medical devices they often cost $3000 or more.

   This has changed somewhat since 2022 now that they allow OTC hearing aids, although I believe they're still more expensive than airpods.

   1. imglorp · 1790864168 · focus · HN ↗

      The $3000 aids are also behind a gatekeeper wall of aid technicians. After an audiologist creates a hearing profile, a technician is needed to program it with proprietary cable and software.

      New aids have a highly configurable user experience that will be deeply personal to the user: what do various taps and gestures do and how sensitive are they, what are the different discrimination modes (party, music, conversation, car, etc), and how to get to them, automatic behaviors etc. There's usually a user BT app but it's usually a horrible vast subset designed to keep the gatekeeping intact.

      There's some disruption to be had here somewhere between the $3000 gate-kept experience and the $130 airpod one. It should include some open hardware and protocols, let the user adjust all the user knobs, but should retain the audiologist's role regarding the actual hearing profile and safety.

      1. GLGirty · 1790865891 · focus · HN ↗

         ...the irony of how many peeps will read this comment through luxotica lenses.
   2. locknitpicker · 1790864548 · focus · HN ↗

      > But because they were regulated as medical devices they often cost $3000 or more.

      This is a rather miopic and biased opinion, one that is focused on supporting a personal assertion that regulation is bad instead of actually exploring why medical devices are expensive.

      To start off, what is the difference between hearing aids and airpods? If your answer is "they are basically the same thing" then that should tell you more about what you might be getting wrong, and regulation ain't it.

      > This has changed somewhat since 2022 now that they allow OTC hearing aids, although I believe they're still more expensive than airpods.

      I don't think this means what you think it means. The regulatory change that introduced over the counter hearing aids only had an impact on what classified as prescription hearing aids. I'm practice you would buy any non-compliance device, except you couldn't get your health insurance foot the bill.

      The impact of OTC hearing aids is that medical insurance can pay for your device if it's a lower tier one (low power, doesn't require fitting, etc).

      But I stress that both then and now you could buy your hearing aid alternatives without requiring a doctor's prescription. You simply had to pay for it.

      And that's not a regulatory problem.

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