Robert Keefer: Thanks for listening

Regarding your June 6 editorial “Medicare should help with hearing”: Thanks for shining light on, and endorsing, the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. There is an increasingly urgent need for everyone to be fully aware of all of the policy, health and economic issues surrounding hearing loss.

Regarding the issue of coverage by Medicare and private insurance companies, the reason they haven’t offered coverage of hearing aids up to now is because of “cost containment.”

Regarding your endorsement of the idea that people should have access to less expensive over-the-counter hearing aids, it is a more complicated issue than what some might think. Yes, such devices may be a solution for some. However, the correction of hearing loss has to start with an accurate diagnosis of the type of loss and the underlying medical issue, and then move to the prescription and then to the adjustment and fitting to address specific issues. This requires the skills of an audiologist who has postgraduate academic training, clinical expertise and technology to make accurate adjustments.

Again, thank you for shedding light on all these issues.

This story was originally published June 12, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Robert Keefer: Thanks for listening."