The third most common chronic disorder in the United States is affecting your employees. According to the National Institutes of Health, hearing loss affects twice the number of Americans who suffer from vision loss; that's more than 30 million people, 20 million of whom are in the workforce.
Of course, noisy work environments can cause hearing loss, but even those who enjoy a quiet workplace are at risk. This increase may be due to the rise in popularity of personal music devices and the aging of the population. Yet many people, even when they're concerned about damage to their hearing, don't have their hearing checked.
Why? Sometimes the reason is denial--who wants to admit that their hearing may be degrading due to their age? Sometimes, the reason is financial. "With the popularity of high-deductible health plans, chances are the cost of a visit with a person's primary care physician is not going to be paid," explains Erich Sternberg, president of AlwaysCare Benefits, a family-owned insurance company. "And most health plans don't cover anything towards the cost of hearing aids."
Confusion may also play a role. Open the Sunday newspaper, and you'll likely see several advertisements for hearing aids. Which is the right kind, and who can you trust for an honest appraisal of your needs?
One thing is clear: hearing difficulties affect your employees' productivity because they fail to hear important conversations
or they are distracted by worries about their own or a family member's hearing, but are reluctant to visit a doctor because of the cost. According to Acoustics.com--an alliance of educators, experts, and design professionals dedicated to promoting the importance of acoustics in the architecture, design, construction, and building communities--hearing problems result in impaired communication in the workplace, which in turn compromises the quality of work. Losses resulting from hearing issues result in workers' comp payouts of $1,000,000 a year, it reports.
Implementation of a hearing plan can be an inexpensive way to tackle these problems. A quick online search turned up several vendors. Sternberg's company (www.alwayscarebenefits.com) offers hearing benefits as a rider to their other group insurance products. "Ours are very basic riders that can be attached to our dental or our vision plans," he says. "Depending on the benefits, the cost is $1.50 to $2 per month for an adult. We provide very good auditory diagnostic coverage and some fundamental tests, and we do those for very low or even possibly no co-pays, as well as providing some form of reimbursement toward the cost of hearing aids."
Evaluating Hearing Protection Plans
If testing does reveal a serious problem with an employee's hearing, Sternberg says major medical insurance takes over
from a hearing plan.
However, if the solution is a hearing aid rather than, for example, surgery, the hearing plan benefits come front and center. "If someone does need a hearing aid, then our plans give some dollars toward its cost," he notes. "That relieves some stress, and it's an extra benefit the employer can offer at a very low cost at a time when, typically, they're taking away benefits on the health plan side."
One word of caution: Sternberg recommends that, rather than dialing the number on one of those Sunday newspaper ads, those concerned about their hearing should consult with a top-quality hearing physician or credentialed audiologist. His company partners with EPIC Hearing Healthcare, which offers a network of more than 3,400 hearing professionals.
To head off any potential problems, Acoustics.com recommends implementing a hearing protection program for your workplace. A good program should include evaluating and addressing potential noise hazards in the workplace, educating employees about hazards in the environment, and hearing protection for employees can reduce the potential for occupational injury.
Earlier this year, we reported on a survey that concluded that Americans with hearing loss make less money than people with normal hearing, but the use of hearing aids mitigates the effects of hearing loss on income. You can read this previous coverage here.
