Financial Aid for Deafness and Hearing Loss

Several sources of legit money to help with hearing loss exist, mostly with lower cost or free hearing aids and some resources for cochlear implants.  However, some educational money exists as well.

For hearing aids, Miracle Ear has no-cost hearing aids for low income children who are 16 or younger.  The Alliance for Accessible Hearing Care has low-cost hearing aids for qualified applicants, adult or children.  The Starkey Hearing Foundation's So the World May Hear program donates recycled hearing aids to needy applicants. 

In the area of cochlear implants, a couple of organizations may help.  The Gift of Hearing Foundation does provide aid, but does NOT take applications directly from patients--only referrals from implant providers.  Contact your implant providers for a referral.  The Colorado Neurological Institute provides financial assistance for cochlear implants and also the Baha device.  For information on other resources, see this article by Cochlear Ltd.--it's a few years old, but the links still hold up.

There are some other listings of financial aid information, including this one from Gallaudet College and the Hearing Loss Association.

Finally, there's some help in getting private education for children with moderate to profound hearing loss in the K-12 grade level and pre-school educational intervention for children from the Alexander Graham Bell Foundation.

Getting Free and Low-Cost Help for Medical Care

Finding financial help for medical care involves searching for 1) the resources in your area, such as clinics and 2) if you are able to identify it, resources for your disorder.

Many localities have low-cost or free public health clinics. Your county health department should be able to help you find one, or you can. The Health Resources and Services Administration has a website that can help you find one that's nearest to you. Enter your address or zip code, and it will even provide a map, if you choose, to show you where the clinic is.

Be aware of medical trials in which you may be eligible to take part. If you check out Clinical Trials, you will be able to search for trials that are or will be recruiting subjects. You can even search by disease, condition, and state or city (Only search by city if you live near a big one. Otherwise, it's not worth it.)

If you have a particular condition, try finding the local society or foundation in your area which is dedicated to helping alleviate it. They may know of some funding sources. Try finding a national organization that deals with your condition. Contact their personnel, or check out their website, to see if they have any information on financial help. Some organizations, such as local Easter Seals, may provide rental of medical equipment that you need. The American Council for the Blind has some sources listed, and the Deaf Education Center has financial aid sources for those who need hearing aids.

One big site is the National Library of Medicine's page on financial assistance. Finally, go to the federal government benefits portal, which lists federal programs of all sorts, including medical.