We understand that in this country, managing healthcare costs can seem like a hefty feat. We also understand that this is especially true for our hearing healthcare, as hearing aids and personal listening devices are still rarely covered by insurance companies and are not yet covered by most Medicaid insurances. This is a reality that many hearing healthcare advocates are currently working to change, however, at this time, hearing aids are still a financial investment for most. This should certainly not be a reason to ignore your hearing healthcare!
In fact, a recent study out of Johns Hopkins School of Public Health has discovered that older adults with untreated hearing loss experienced an average of 46% higher total healthcare costs than their peers without hearing loss.
The Study
This study was completed in conjunction with Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, AARP, the University of California San Francisco and OptumLabs. Together, these four institutions successfully completed the largest study ever on the issue of healthcare costs for untreated hearing loss over time. The study was published early last month in the prestigious journal, JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
To gather information, the researchers carefully mined data from the OptumLabs Data Warehouse, a gigantic and anonymized database of administrative claims from 1999 to 2016 for people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans and bigger, private, U.S. health plans. The researchers used diagnostic codes to identify 77,000 patients who were experiencing age-related hearing loss. The data did not include patients whose data also indicated the use of a hearing aid.
Next, the researchers matched these patients with others who were extremely similar to them on 25 data points, including “demographic characteristics, baseline health conditions and measures of health care utilization, such as inpatient hospitalizations and readmissions within 30 days, emergency department visits, days with at least one outpatient visit and health care costs” (https://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2018/patients-with-untreated-hearing-loss-incur-higher-health-care-costs-over-time.html).
Using these matched data points, researchers then analyzed healthcare costs and utilization trends at 2, 5, and 10-year markers.
The Results
The results of this study were quite astonishing. Firstly, it only took about two years after hearing loss diagnosis for patients to begin incurring healthcare costs at a more rapid rate than their peers without hearing loss. At the 10-year mark, those with untreated hearing loss experienced 50% more hospital stays, had a 44% higher risk of hospital readmission, were 17% more likely to have had an emergency room visit, and had about 52% more outpatient doctor’s visits compared to those without hearing loss.
In terms of costs, those with untreated hearing loss experienced about 46% more cost, equating to about $22,434 per person over the course of the decade. Interestingly enough, of the $22,434 extra incurred by those with untreated hearing loss, only about $600 of that was actually directly for hearing loss issues. The almost $22,000 left was incurred because of conditions related to hearing loss such as dementia, depression, and an increased risk of falling.
Further Findings
A sister study was completed analyzing the same data sets from the OptumLabs warehouse. This study adds to the growing body of research connecting untreated hearing loss to a myriad of secondary medical conditions. In this particular study, those with untreated hearing loss experienced “3.2 more dementia diagnoses, 3.6 more falls and 6.9 more depression diagnoses per 100 people over 10 years. Over 10 years, those with untreated hearing loss had an estimated 50 percent greater risk of dementia, 40 percent greater risk of depression, and almost 30 percent higher risk for falls compared to those without hearing loss” (https://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2018/patients-with-untreated-hearing-loss-incur-higher-health-care-costs-over-time.html).
Treating Hearing Loss
In general, leaving hearing loss untreated can have a profoundly negative impact on your mind, body, overall health, and wallet. Getting your hearing loss treated with hearing aids mitigates many of these comorbidities, as well as their associated monetary costs. If you think you may be experiencing some of the early signs of hearing loss, we want to hear from you. Reach out to our friendly team today.
