Hearing aid prices depend on the extent of hearing loss one has, style which one prefers and the technology the Hearing aid features.

Hearing aid prices for the above said categorization vary from one brand to the other and even more across countries globally. Regional differences are typically more when we compare hearing aid prices in developed countries vis a vis developing countries. Hearing aid prices in India are comparatively less than in the west but with a promising economic growth in India, hearing aid manufacturers are bringing in higher priced hearing instruments.

Hearing aid technology is continuously evolving and newer hearing aid models feature speech enhancement systems to meet the challenges of dynamic hearing requirements; these advancements are expensive and hearing aid prices go upwards with addition of more number of features.
In this article we shall look into the hearing aid prices of Starkey inc. which is a hearing aid manufacturer from the US.

The basic digital hearing aid price for Starkey hearing aids starts from Rs. 14,750. Starkey since inception placed itself as a premium hearing aid brand especially successful in the CIC hearing aid segment. Quite recently it introduced the “ARIES” and “ARIES Pro” hearing aids with 4 & 8 Channel Processors which earmarked the lowest priced hearing aids for this hearing aid manufacturer. The Aries series was first introduced only in the BTE hearing aids segment but the company has moved on to CIC Hearing aids in regular and power CIC also priced at Rs. 15,850 and Rs. 17,300 respectively. Aries Pro BTE hearing aid was introduced with 8 channels and priced at Rs. 16,950/- and its power model was bought in at Rs. 15,300 giving tough competition to other hearing aid manufacturers in the same price segment.

Let us explore hearing aid prices of few hearing aid series in Starkey:

e series 2: It is a 2 channel hearing aid which covers up to severe hearing loss.
• BTE hearing aid price: Rs. 18,600
• CIC hearing aid price: Rs. 21,100

Frankly the product is not worth the price and is almost obsolete in the Starkey index as well. More so with the introduction of Aries and Aries Pro models at a cheaper price, it is a surprise that this product is not yet discontinued.

e series 3: It is a 4 channels & 4 bands hearing aid which covers up to profound hearing loss. Good this in this hearing aid series is that:
1. It has got a powerful feedback cancellation technology which eliminates whistling noise from the hearing aid and
2. It has a CIC hearing aid for a severe to profound loss category.
3. It has got “Automatic telephone Response” feature which cancels magnetic disturbance during telephone conversations.

Hearing aid prices in this series are around Rs. 30,000 wherein the Power CIC hearing aid is priced at Rs. 35,600/-

Ignite 20 and Ignite 30 are one of the most successful products in Starkey. The quality of sound in these hearing aids has earned them their reputation. Starkey has also introduced wireless options for these hearing aids labelling them with an “I”.

The only drawback for Ignite 20 model whether CIC or BTE is that there is no Power model i.e with 71dB or 80dB receiver. Hearing aid prices for this series are as mentioned below:

Ignite 20(4 channel &4 bands)
• BTE: 39,200
• CIC: 40,300
Ignite 30(6 channels & 6 bands)
• BTE: 60,400
• CIC: 61,500

Till Ignite 30, hearing aid prices of Starkey are considered to be low and mid ranged. More premium hearing aids i.e. 8 channels and above, have prices in excess of Rs. 80,000 and going up to Rs. 2.8 lakhs for each hearing aid. These products are something to look out for and are absolutely worth the price.
Please see below different hearing aid prices and corresponding features of Starkey Hearing aids.

Hearing aid Prices-Starkey

If you have any query or would like to know more about hearing aid prices of any hearing aid manufacturer then you can write to us below or call us at 8237037087

If you have been recommended to buy hearing aids for yourself, the first thing that comes to mind is the cost of hearing aids. Most of the hearing professionals shall confirm that digital variety of hearing aids with noise management features are the better hearing aid options compared to analog or semi-digital varieties. Now apparently digital hearing aids are more expensive and force people with lesser budgets to re-think their requirement. Let us discover the different financing options for hearing aids:

1. CGHS Beneficiary: If you have served in the central government and are covered under CGHS i.e. central govt. health scheme, then you are eligible for some reimbursement from the government. However don’t think that process is very easy as practically you have to get a hearing test done subsequent to which you have to have a written consent from a government ENT doctors, you need to have 3 quotations for the hearing device you need to purchase and then your department may grant you the reimbursement. Worst part, the govt. ENT shall recommend which hearing aid is to be used!

Although the system is good but where the problem occurs is that the doctor certifying your hearing aids doesn’t consult any audiologist and most of the places are plagued with bias and corruption! However if you get through all this then as per the government mandate which is not very logical, you are eligible for the following:

1. Body worn/ pocket model type- Rs. 2,500
2. Analog BTE- Rs. 7,000
3. Digital BTE- Rs. 20,000
4. ITC/CIC- Rs. 25,000

Personally the flaw with this is that Analogue/ body worn hearing aids shouldn’t be there in the system at all. I don’t say that these hearing aids are not beneficial; rather these hearing aids will only benefit people with profound hearing losses. Issue arises when certifying doctor starts writing analog hearing aids for everyone without having much knowledge about hearing requirements or hearing instruments. The CGHS Beneficiary is forced to comply with the same.

Another issue arises when ceiling for Digital BTE & ITC/CIC prices are fixed to Rs. 20,000 & Rs. 25,000. What the policy makers in the government don’t understand is that CIC & BTE hearing aids can be of the same price and it depends again on the requirement of the individual his/her hearing loss, Canal Size, otology issues with the ear etc. This is again pretty much the function of a qualified hearing professional to analyze the requirement of the individual failing which the patient is forced to compromise with whatever is available. Patient being at the receiving end with no knowledge never gets the best out of the govt. funds and several private hearing centers and hearing aid companies in our country try to lure the recommending govt. doctor so as to give a biased consent.

This problem can be solved if patient can understand his requirement from the hearing professional and seek recommendation from govt. ENT doctor basis his comfort.

2. EMI Schemes: if you are not a CGHS beneficiary then there still a hope to finance this through EMI facility. However this facility is not available everywhere. Firstly, don’t be mistaken, there are no bank approved loans like home loans, car loans etc for purchasing hearing aids. However some hearing centers have installed EDC machines from various banks which allow the conversion of one-time payment into easy installments of 3 months to 6 months. However there are charges for the same in terms of interest and if you find a center which offers you interest free EMI then definitely the center is allowing you some discount whereas it is bearing the charges on its own. Most of the centers shy away from providing such schemes unless they have to kill their competition and the industry isn’t big enough for banks to start providing such schemes to the users.

3. Health Cards & Arogyashree & Insurance: Most of the health card schemes do no cover hearing aids, neither do the insurance; only in certain hospitals such as ENT hospital in Koti, Hyderabad and similar like it, they provide non-digital hearing aids under arogyashree scheme for free. Problem with this is that most of the time the stock isn’t sanctioned due to red-tapism and all the more you are getting non-digital hearing device. Arogyashree is beneficial for children below 2 years of age and born deaf as they can get reimbursement on cochlear implantation which cost in excess of 5lakhs. However, these poor beneficiaries still have to struggle for finances for post-operative rehabilitation in subsequent months.

For middle class and above, it is easy to buy hearing aids provided there is a thought for it and a will to do justice to their impaired sense of hearing. Most of the people with decent pocket also shy away from wearing hearing aids due to social stigma or simply their un-awareness. I have personally come across several cases who know they have a hearing problem yet they ask this question-is it necessary to wear a hearing aids or can I do without it? Ignorance they will never follow if they have a heart condition. We spend much just to keep living, just to keep breathing; however some are ready to compromise on the quality of their life by letting go of their sense of hearing. What good is a world if you cannot hear the sounds of it!

Please write to us your feedback and if you have other financing options to discuss We shall be delighted to publish the same on our website if it benefits the hearing impaired population:

Why is it that hearing aid prices are always a concern 80% of the population who require it. I have come across hundreds of cases who when recommended to buy a hearing aid in excess of Rs. 10,000, return back a frown! Its not that money is a problem in most cases, its just the priority they give to their beautiful “sense of hearing”.

We can go into big showrooms and buy expensive phones, televisions, music system etc, but what good are either of these if one is not able to clearly hear what comes out of them Problem with hearing instruments is that those cheap chinese hearing devices which cost Rs. 300-1000 are not worth it as being analog amplifiers only do damage to the hearing and induce discomfort in noise. Digital programmable hearing aids that too with a linear amplification are priced at Rs. 10,000 onward.

Phonak which is a leading hearing aid company has introduced a 2 channel digital programmable hearing aid for Rs. 7,500 which makes it the cheapest digital hearing aid in India from a reputed hearing aid manufacturer. Idea is to yet again break the monopoly of siemens, alps etc companies which have been pumping in cheap semi digital & analog products in the Indian market ever since.

One of the leading name which still exists till date is danavox 215ut; A product which has been selling as hot cakes since inception. Its a semi digital hearing device priced at Rs. 6,500. Selling this to below economy class becomes ideas as there is no room for complaint or adjustment.

Folks in my opinion if you wish to purchase a good hearing device and you wish to know how much to spend to get a decent quality then I shall say look above Rs. 15,000 mark. The products above this mark hold some basic features required to produce comfortable sound. Meeting expectations is not he question here but meeting requisites is definitely assured. Today many of us can spend 10-15 thousand rupees on luxury, fun, trips etc; we can buy gold, property buy we fail to buy back our lost hearing through a good device.

For any queries, comments suggestions regarding hearing aid prices in India you can write in to us and we shall answer the same. If your suggestions are beneficial for the society, then we shall publish the same in our website testimonial section as well! Write to us through the form below:

To understand how hearing aids are priced we must first understand different types of hearing aids. Hearing aid prices vary from:

1. One hearing aid brand to another
2. Receiver Sizes
3. Types of Hearing aids such as BTE, CIC, IIC etc
4. Hearing aid Processor/ in other words channels & bands
5. Signal Processing Features of the Hearing Aids and other technology

We can also categorize hearing aids as Digital Hearing aids & Analog Hearing Aids. Broadly speaking, digital hearing aids prices in our country start from around Rs. 10,000/- and upper limit of prices reaches Rs. 2.5-2.8 lacs basis all the above given factors.

Analog Hearing Aids are below that price range starting from a basic Rs. 300 (i.e the infamous China Brand) to Rs. 9,000/-.

As far as recommendation is concerned, digital hearing aids are recommended over the analog hearing aids since analog hearing aids are not comfortable to the user whereas digital hearing aids offer a plethora of features to the user to cope with challenges of the day to day life.

You can also ask as to which brand of hearing aid is premium priced and which brand is cheap?

It would be interesting to note that Siemens Hearing aids were some of the first to appear in the Indian sub-continent and since Siemens was a known brand name in the electronics, these were an instant hit. Siemens Hearing aid were also less priced compared to other imported options, a scenario which exists till date to an extent. However Siemens was known to pump hearing aids of analog nature especially to the cash strived govt. institutions at much cheaper rates. The market penetration of Siemens as a hearing aid brand was phenomenal, though it gradually started to decline more after Y2K when several other hearing aid manufacturers entered in the Indian market with newer advanced algorithms for sound processing.

Another hit of the olden times was a product named danavox 215UT. This product still exists in the market and is priced at Rs. 6,500/- as per year 2014 revised pricelist. This product being a non-digital off the shelf product sold like hot cakes amongst the population who were looking for a cheaper solution to their hearing problems. The product is capable of covering up to severe hearing loss and has a trimmer control function as well as a manual volume control with it.

Oticon is another brand in the market which gave out programmable hearing aids starting from Rs. 9,800 onwards. The hearing aids are very basic in nature and work on a linear amplification algorithm. Oticon in India is marketed by Otic hearing solutions pvt ltd which is a privately held organization.

Other known brands which exist in the market include Starkey, Widex, Phonak, Unitron, Resound, Sonic, Intertone etc. Few companies established their brand & reputation in the market as premium companies. Starkey was one of them and Starkey Hearing Aids came with multiple programming options quality and reliability. Phonak followed in their footsteps and introduced similar quality products with a higher price wherein their Naida Series still remains a big hit. Starkey introduced IIC hearing aids for the first time in the market with a wooping Rs. 2.2lac MRP of a single unit. Slowly these hearing aid prices were bought down to 1lac with other competitors such as phonak, widex, oticon etc entering the 100 percent invisible hearing aids section. Resound was one of the first to bring wireless streaming to hearing aids and these hearing aids namely the Alera series were the premium priced hearing aids for them

As of date the price war between hearing aid manufacturers is going berserk. Whereas companies are targeting the booming Indian economy launching more expensive products with newer and more advanced features, they are simultaneously trying to launch more and more products in the cheaper hearing aids segment. The price war is wild and it is aimed at targeting all segments of Indian pocket thereby leaving consumer and dispenser both confused as to which product to be used. Although there is a plethora of options for the users to choose from and dispensers to give, it is leaving more unsatisfied hearing impaired patients every day. Neither is the dispenser trying to concentrate on the solution nor is the consumer with half knowledge and more options making the right choice.

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