novice user

Why look beyond the reimbursed hearing aids?

Why look beyond the reimbursed hearing aids?

Linda Parasiz is 34 years old, married and the mother of two children (4 and 6). She lives in Tilburg and works as a communication officer in education. She contracted sudden deafness in January 2019 and has been deaf in her right ear ever since. She is wearing a Starkey Livio 1600 cros.

Last year I first came to the hearing care professional for a hearing aid. I had no experience with it and had not studied hearing aids beforehand. I trusted blindly on what was advised to me. My hearing care professional did not tell me that I had the option to try multiple devices before making a final choice. He also did not say that there are 2 types of hearing aids: the “simple” hearing aids that are reimbursed by health insurance and the advanced private devices. Since it was my first hearing aid, I settled for the first best fitting. I was glad I heard something with my right ear again

Experiencing the difference

So at first I was happy with the device I received, and that it was also largely reimbursed was a bonus. But when I later heard that there are also more advanced devices, I became curious. Since I wear my hearing aid all the time, I thought it was well worth the effort to experience the difference.

More natural sound and extra functions

I tested the Livio 2400 AI via Online-HearingAids.com. This is an advanced hearing aid that is not reimbursed by health insurance. I immediately noticed the difference in quality. The sound of this device is much more natural and I hear better in noise. And what really appeals to me personally are the many extra options that come with this device: hands-free calling, streaming music, translation function, pedometer, etc. This made it more of a gadget than a hearing aid for me. And luxury gadgets simply come with a price … One advantage: if you opt for a private hearing aid, you can get a refund from the tax authorities, because these are healthcare costs and you can deduct them. (Tip: click here for the calculation tool . Via this site you can calculate how much you are entitled to)

I choose a better hearing aid

In short, I would rather have tried several devices right away, and had the choice between a simple (and reimbursed) or advanced (and not reimbursed) hearing aid. Now that I’ve experienced the difference, I don’t want to go back to my simple care device. I choose the best speech understanding and the many extra functions… despite the price tag!

Want to use an advanced hearing aid yourself, but don’t know which one? Please contact us , we will help you further!