Number Of States Providing Medicaid Hearing Aid Coverage For Adults Increased; Variability Was Substantive, 2017-23

This study examined state-level Medicaid hearing aid coverage for adults ages twenty-one and older across the United States. Using policy surveillance principles, we compiled a cross-sectional data set detailing hearing aid coverage policies from fifty states and Washington, D.C., as of December 31, 2023. We then merged these data with individual-level American Community Survey data to estimate national rates of Medicaid hearing aid coverage and identify how coverage varies according to demographic characteristics. We identified thirty-two states with Medicaid hearing aid coverage for adults, with substantial variability in policy features of that coverage. Approximately 70 percent of Medicaid beneficiaries ages twenty-one and older lived in a state with coverage. Women, working-age adults, and Black adults had slightly lower odds of coverage, whereas Hispanic and Latino and other or multiple race beneficiaries had higher odds of coverage. Expanding and standardizing Medicaid coverage of hearing aid benefits in line with best practices could improve access and utilization.