I know accept the following insurances:

• Medicare
• Medicaid
• United Health Care
• Oxford
• Cigna
• GHI
• Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield
• Private Health Care Systems

Don't see your insurance on the list? Many insurances can be billed 'out of network', so call before looking elsewhere!

Hearing aids are expensive for several reasons. First, each hearing aid is individualized, so all of the technology that goes inside must be personalized to make sure it fits, which drives up the cost. Second, a significant portion of the price pays for the expertise of the hearing aid professional. This is why it is critical to research the hearing health care professional involved, because hearing aids are becoming highly advanced and requires extensive training to properly fit them. At my practice, I offer several financing options (low to no-interest) which can greatly assist you.

These hearing aids are ‘one size fits all’, and are mass produced, often resulting in a poor fit. Their sound quality is also quite inferior compared to the custom made digital hearing aids. Also, what happens if something goes wrong? There is no support.

Again, this is another case where you have ‘one size fits all’ and limited support for the product. While these have a better sound quality than the $50 hearing aids, they do not quite have all of the technology offered in today’s advanced custom digital products. Also, what about support?

Probably the most frequently asked question. Each insurance company has their own guidelines to ‘hearing aid allowances’. You are best served by calling your insurance company, and ask someone who knows what your policy covers. In some instances, insurance companies create partnerships with certain larger providers (example: Health First is partnered with Hear X, many union employee benefit programs [and some health insurances] are partnered with GHS [General Hearing Services]). Medicare alone will unfortunately not pay any allowance for hearing aids.

Tinnitus; more can be found on their web site www.ata.org. There are many causes of tinnitus including (not limited to) hearing loss, medication side effects, and ototoxic drugs. Excessive aspirin consumption can cause temporary tinnitus.

This is a tricky question, because dizziness can be the result of any number of causes. You are best served with a visit to your primary care physician, who will do a complete physical evaluation, and make the appropriate referral to an ear, nose and throat physician. Sometimes special testing is needed such as an ENG (electronystagmography), VNG (videonystagmography), CT, or MRI is needed to determine why the problem is happening.

Not everyone who has a hearing loss needs a hearing aid to compensate for their loss. Depending on their needs, sometimes all that is needed is several assistive listening devices such as an amplified telephone combined with a personal amplified television headset will fulfill an individual’s needs.

There is a questionnaire that you can view which can help you discover whether you have a loss or not.