Hearing aids and Medicare: what is covered in New Jersey
Original Medicare does not pay for hearing aids. Here is what Part B does cover, how Medicare Advantage extras, over-the-counter aids and New Jersey's HAAAD program can help.
Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids, and it does not cover the exam to fit them. Part B does pay toward a diagnostic hearing exam, and you can see an audiologist once a year without a doctor's order for certain conditions. To get help with the hearing aids themselves, you have four places to look: the hearing extras in a Medicare Advantage plan, a standalone hearing insurance policy, over-the-counter hearing aids for mild to moderate loss, and, if your income qualifies, New Jersey's HAAAD program, which reimburses up to $500 per hearing aid. This guide walks through each one.
The short answer
If you have Original Medicare, with or without a Medigap policy, you pay for hearing aids yourself unless you add separate hearing coverage or qualify for state help. Medicare.gov says Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids or exams for fitting hearing aids, and it says Medigap plans generally do not cover hearing aids either.
If you are choosing a Medicare Advantage plan, the hearing benefit is one of the extras worth comparing line by line, because plans differ in how much they pay, which aids they allow and which vendor you must use.
What Part B does pay for
Part B covers diagnostic hearing and balance exams when your doctor or other health care provider orders them to see whether you need medical treatment. You can also visit an audiologist once every 12 months without an order for non-acute hearing conditions, such as hearing loss that has come on gradually over many years, and for diagnostic services related to hearing loss treated with surgically implanted hearing devices.
For these covered exams you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after you meet the Part B deductible, which is $283 in 2026 (CMS). In a hospital outpatient setting you also pay the hospital a copayment. A Medigap policy can help with that 20%, because it is a Medicare-covered cost.
| Service | Covered by Original Medicare? | What you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic hearing or balance exam ordered by your provider | Yes, Part B | 20% after the $283 Part B deductible (2026) |
| Audiologist visit without an order, once every 12 months, for certain conditions | Yes, Part B | 20% after the Part B deductible |
| Exam to fit hearing aids | No | All of it, unless other coverage helps |
| Hearing aids | No | All of it, unless other coverage helps |
Source: Medicare.gov: Hearing and balance exams.
Medicare Advantage hearing benefits
Medicare Advantage plans, offered by private companies approved by Medicare, can include extra benefits that Original Medicare does not, and hearing is one of the common ones. A plan might cover a routine hearing exam, a fitting, and a set dollar allowance or a set copay per hearing aid, often through a contracted hearing vendor.
The details matter more than the headline. Before you choose a 2027 plan, read the plan's Evidence of Coverage (the full rule book for the plan) and check how many aids per year or per two years it pays toward, whether the allowance is per ear, which technology levels are included, and whether you must buy through the plan's vendor. Annual Enrollment for 2027 plans runs October 15 to December 7, 2026.
Standalone hearing insurance
If you want to keep Original Medicare and a Medigap plan, which do not cover hearing aids, a standalone hearing insurance policy is the way to add that benefit. These policies usually pay toward a hearing exam and toward the cost of aids, sometimes through a discount network, and some have waiting periods before the hearing aid benefit starts.
Jackie sells hearing insurance alongside dental and vision insurance, and can show you how a standalone policy compares with the hearing extras in the Medicare Advantage plans in your county.
Over-the-counter hearing aids
Since October 17, 2022, the FDA has allowed over-the-counter hearing aids for people 18 and older with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. You can buy them in stores or online without a medical exam, a prescription or a fitting adjustment by an audiologist.
Over-the-counter aids can be a lower-cost first step if your loss is mild: for example, if you can hear well one on one but struggle in groups, or turn the TV up louder than others like. If your loss is more severe, came on suddenly, is in one ear only, or comes with pain or dizziness, see a doctor first. Part B helps pay for that diagnostic exam.
New Jersey's HAAAD program
HAAAD stands for Hearing Aid Assistance to the Aged and Disabled. It is a New Jersey Department of Human Services program that reimburses part of what you pay for hearing aids.
The benefit is up to $500 toward one hearing aid, or up to $1,000 for two hearing aids, per calendar year. If you buy a hearing aid in a later year, you file a new application. HAAAD does not pay for batteries or repairs, and it does not help if Medicaid, another health plan or a retirement plan already gives you a hearing aid benefit.
| Requirement | 2026 rule |
|---|---|
| Hearing | You must have hearing loss |
| Age or disability | 65 or older, or 18 to 64 and receiving Social Security Disability benefits |
| Residency | New Jersey resident |
| Income | No greater than $54,943 single or $62,390 married |
| Enrollment | Enrolled in PAAD or Lifeline, or complete an NJSave application first |
| Benefit | Up to $500 for one hearing aid, up to $1,000 for two, per calendar year |
Source: Hearing Aid Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (HAAAD), 2026.
Choosing a path: a simple way to decide
- Mild loss and a tight budget: start with a diagnostic exam under Part B, then consider over-the-counter aids.
- You want a Medicare Advantage plan anyway: compare the hearing allowances and vendors in the 2027 plans in your county.
- You are keeping Original Medicare and Medigap: add a standalone hearing policy, or plan to pay out of pocket.
- Your income is under the PAAD limits: apply through NJSave and then for HAAAD reimbursement.
What Jackie checks for you
Jackie looks at your hearing needs and the rest of your coverage together. If you are on Medicare Advantage, she reads the 2027 hearing benefit in your plan's Evidence of Coverage and compares it with the other plans in your county. If you have Original Medicare with a Medigap plan, she compares standalone hearing insurance. And if your income is near the PAAD limits, she points you to NJSave and HAAAD. The consultation is at no cost: call or text (856) 727-4221, or meet by phone, Zoom or in person.
Questions to ask
- Do I need a diagnostic exam first, and will my doctor order it?
- Does my Medicare Advantage plan pay per ear, per year, or once every few years?
- Must I buy through the plan's hearing vendor, and which models are included?
- Does a standalone hearing policy have a waiting period?
- Do I qualify for PAAD, and therefore possibly for HAAAD?
The bottom line
Original Medicare and Medigap do not pay for hearing aids, but Part B helps with the diagnostic exam. Your options for the aids are a Medicare Advantage hearing benefit, a standalone hearing policy, over-the-counter aids for mild loss, and New Jersey's HAAAD reimbursement if your income qualifies. Jackie can help you compare them at no cost: call or text (856) 727-4221.
Want to go through this with someone?
Jackie Layser will go through your needs, your budget and your real numbers by phone, Zoom or in person, and explain plainly what we found. Solutions You Can Count On.
Sources
- Medicare.gov: Hearing and balance exams, Medicare.gov (CMS)
- Medicare.gov: Hearing aids, Medicare.gov (CMS)
- Medicare.gov: What Medigap covers, Medicare.gov (CMS)
- CMS: 2026 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- FDA: OTC hearing aids, what you should know, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Hearing Aid Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (HAAAD), 2026, New Jersey Department of Human Services
- Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD), 2026, NJ Division of Aging Services
Please note: Dental, vision, hearing, cancer, heart attack and stroke, and hospital indemnity policies are limited benefit coverage. They pay fixed or scheduled benefits, are not major medical insurance or a substitute for it, and do not satisfy the Affordable Care Act coverage requirement. Benefits, exclusions, waiting periods and premiums are set by each policy and are subject to underwriting and carrier approval.