OTC Hearing Aids: Access, Trust, and the Role of Professional Support

By Brian Snowden, an entrepreneur leading Beltone New England. Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids are, in Snowden's view, a needed evolution rather than a threat to professional hearing care. They can lower costs and barriers for some people with mild hearing loss and make conversations about hearing less stigmatized. Snowden notes that millions of Americans with hearing loss have gone untreated.

Yet access to a device alone does not resolve every difficulty. Snowden argues that hearing care involves fears about aging, vulnerability and identity, not just a technical or financial decision. A cheaper or sleeker device may bring some people into care, while others may try it, have a poor experience and give up.

He points to highly marketed devices that entered and later left the market after spending money and losing consumer trust. In his view, the problem was not the OTC idea but execution that overlooked human connection and long-term support. Hearing care can be a gradual, trust-based process in which practitioners help people work through denial, fear, grief and acceptance.

Snowden says many professionals support OTC options when they are offered responsibly. He objects to portraying hearing-care practitioners as obstacles to progress, arguing that they bring knowledge of fitting, psychology and ongoing relationships. He invites OTC manufacturers to collaborate with experienced practitioners, respect the emotional complexity of hearing loss and commit to users beyond a single device sale.

For Snowden, improved hearing is ultimately about connection with others, and that connection takes time to build.