Oct. 17, 2022
Starting October 17, Walmart will offer over the counter (OTC) hearing aids to help our customers live better and healthier lives at affordable prices they can count on. For the first time, hearing aids will be available in the U.S. to customers who are 18 years and older with perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss without a medical exam or fitting adjustment needed by an audiologist. Walmart is excited to offer customers a broad assortment of high-quality hearing aids at a more affordable price, helping to deliver on their goal to be the primary shopping destination for shoppers.
Walmart will offer an assortment of OTC hearing aids, ranging from $199 – $999 per pair. Options will include top brands like Lexie powered by Bose and HearX that will offer cutting-edge technology like Bluetooth and self-tuning app capabilities and discreet, sleek designs at everyday low prices.
Nearly 30 million American adults could benefit from using hearing aids, making them an essential part of many Americans’ health care priorities.1 People with hearing loss are more likely to suffer from social isolation and depression, are three times more likely to be at risk of dementia and have an increased risk of falling and hospitalization.2
“A person’s ‘whole health’ is a combination of many factors, including hearing, that influence physical and mental well-being,” said Dr. John Wigneswaran, chief medical officer at Walmart. “Offering easy access to OTC hearing aids — something that seems quite small — is a solution that can improve our customer’s health outcomes and their ability to live better and healthier.”
With 150 million customers passing through our doors each week, Walmart is in a unique position to provide quality, affordable health and wellness services to all Americans where they live and shop. To help make it easy for customers to understand their OTC hearing aid options and Walmart’s offerings, Walmart is providing additional resources online to help customers find the right device for them.
“Both my dad and I deal with hearing loss, and so I understand first-hand how it impacts a person’s ability to connect to their surroundings,” said Tammy Randall, a Vision Center associate in Oxford, Alabama, for the past 10 years. “When I was able to help find a solution for my dad, nothing touched me more than when I said, ‘Dad,’ and he could hear it clearly for the first time. Knowing the real difference this access has for people makes me so excited to have the opportunity to provide other people the chance to find an affordable product that works best for them.”
Additionally, customers can also easily access a full range of health care services to address their “whole health” and proactively manage their health through preventative care at our Walmart Health Centers. These state-of-the-art Walmart Health Centers offer hearing tests and other health care services for customers with a team of qualified medical professionals that can help them assess potential hearing loss, rule out underlying medical conditions and determine if a hearing aid is right for them.
Walmart is on a mission to transform the cost and convenience of health care in the communities we serve. Ninety percent of the population is located within 10 miles of a Walmart, which puts us in a unique position to provide health and wellness services to all Americans.
A broad assortment of OTC hearing aids are now available on Walmart.com and Walmart Vision Centers in Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas, as well as 474 Sam’s Club Hearing Aid Center locations. OTC hearing aids will soon be available at additional Walmart Vision Centers nationwide. To help customers purchase the products that are right for them in a way that works for them, eligible customers can use Affirm’s pay-over-time options without any late or hidden fees.*
*Payment options through Affirm are subject to eligibility, and are provided by these lending partners: affirm.com/lenders. CA residents: Loans by Affirm Loan Services, LLC are made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance Lenders Law license.
1. “FDA Finalizes Historic Rule Enabling Access to over-the-Counter Hearing Aids for Millions of Americans.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, 16 Aug. 2022, https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-finalizes-historic-rule-enabling-access-over-counter-hearing-aids-millions-americans.
2. Baker, Hari. “The United States of Hearing Loss: Your Hearing Network.” Nationwide Hearing Care Network, 3 May 2022, https://yourhearingnetwork.com/the-united-states-of-hearing-loss/.
3. “Depression and Hearing Loss.” The American Academy of Audiology, 27 May 2022, https://www.audiology.org/consumers-and-patients/hearing-and-balance/depression-and-hearing-loss/.
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