Figure 1
Hearing benefits filed nationally, 2026
Counts are plan segments filed with CMS, not members.
126
Plan segments filed
38.9%
Include hearing aids as a built-in benefit (%)
fewer than 5 plans
Median lowest copay per hearing aid (USD)
44.4%
Include a routine hearing exam (%)
| Plan segments | 126 | |
|---|---|---|
| Distinct contract-plans | 126 | |
| Mandatory aid flag count | 49 | 126 |
| Mandatory aid flag (%) | 38.9 | 126 |
| Median of reported minimum per-aid copays (USD) | fewer than 5 plans | 4 |
| Median of reported maximum per-aid copays (USD) | fewer than 5 plans | 4 |
| Routine exam flag (%) | 44.4 | 126 |
| OTC aid flag (%) | 0 | 126 |
| Zero reported minimum routine exam copays | 50 |
How to read these numbers (1)
n is the number of plan segments a share or median is computed on; it is blank for plain counts.
Figure 2
Coverage caps, by cap type
A cap is the most a plan pays toward hearing aids. It is not the price of a hearing aid.
- Per ear · Every three years$1,000n = 28
- Per ear · Every two years$550n = 11
- Both ears combined · Every yearfewer than 5 plansn = 4
- Per ear · Every yearfewer than 5 plansn = 2
| Per ear | Every three years | 28 | 1000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per ear | Every two years | 11 | 550 |
| Both ears combined | Every year | 4 | fewer than 5 plans |
| Per ear | Every year | 2 | fewer than 5 plans |
Figure 3
Hearing benefits by state
Shares count plan segments filed in each state, not people. A median is hidden when fewer than 5 segments report a value.
CaliforniaCA
- Plan segments
- 48
- Include hearing aids (%)
- 10.4%
- Include a routine hearing exam (%)
- 0%
- Median cap, main cap type (USD)
- $1,000
- Segments with that cap type (n)
- 5
- Median lowest copay per aid (USD)not reported
- —
- Segments reporting a copay (n)
- 0
| CA | 48 | 10.4 | 0 | 1000 | 5 | not reported | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO | 14 | 100 | 100 | no cap filed | no cap filed | not reported | 0 |
| DC | 4 | 100 | 0 | fewer than 5 plans | 4 | not reported | 0 |
| GA | 10 | 30 | 100 | fewer than 5 plans | 3 | not reported | 0 |
| HI | 6 | 0 | 66.7 | no cap filed | no cap filed | not reported | 0 |
| MD | 11 | 100 | 0 | 1000 | 11 | not reported | 0 |
| NV | 7 | 100 | 100 | no cap filed | no cap filed | fewer than 5 plans | 4 |
| OR | 4 | 0 | 100 | no cap filed | no cap filed | not reported | 0 |
| VA | 7 | 100 | 0 | 1000 | 7 | not reported | 0 |
| WA | 20 | 0 | 100 | no cap filed | no cap filed | not reported | 0 |
How to read these numbers (10)
- fewer than 5 plans
- Median hidden because fewer than 5 plan segments report it; the n column still shows how many do.
- no cap filed
- No plan segment filed a coverage cap (in state rows: in the stratum shown); this does not mean unlimited coverage.
- not reported
- No plan segment reported this value in its CMS filing.
- Original Medicare: Hearing aids and fitting exams (Reference): Medicare doesn’t cover hearing aids or exams for fitting hearing aids
- Medicare Advantage: Supplemental hearing benefit (Reference): Some Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C) offer extra benefits
- Count unit is contract-plan-segment, not unique available choices or people; SNPs included; no enrollment weighting.
- Missing cap does not mean unlimited or no coverage; copay endpoints are separate distributions, not a synthetic price range.
- No plan selection, enrollment links, individual bid_id, telephone number or retail device price.
- State rows: coverage-cap columns use the Per ear, Every three years stratum, the most frequent for Kaiser plan segments nationally; other strata are not shown by state. A median based on fewer than 5 plan segments is hidden.
- State-row shares count mandatory supplemental benefits only; a benefit sold as an optional package is not counted, so a low share does not mean no hearing coverage.
Does Kaiser cover hearing aids under Medicare Advantage?
Partly, and the split follows region more than plan name. We read the hearing section of every 2026 Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage filing at CMS that is not employer-only or PACE: 126 segments, each its own contract-plan.
- 49 segments (38.9%) list prescription hearing aids as a mandatory supplemental benefit, so every member of those plans has it. That national share mixes regions at 100% with regions at 0%, so read your own state row.
- 44.4% list a routine hearing exam, and 50 segments report a $0 minimum copay for it.
- 0% list over-the-counter hearing aids.
The remaining segments are not proof that their members lack hearing aid coverage. A 0% mandatory share is not the same as no coverage. Optional supplemental packages are filed in a separate part of the CMS archive (Section D) that our counts do not tally.
What the CMS figures show for Kaiser caps and copays
Where Kaiser builds hearing aids into a plan, it limits the plan's payment, and the period matters as much as the amount:
- 28 segments: a cap per ear every three years, median $1,000.
- 11 segments: a cap per ear every two years, median $550.
- 4 segments: one cap for both ears each year; too few segments for a median.
- 2 segments: a cap per ear each year; too few segments for a median.
We show each basis as filed and never turn a three-year cap into a yearly one. A cap is the most the plan pays, not what a hearing aid costs.
Per-aid copays are rare. Only 4 segments report one, all of them serving Nevada, and all four file the same range: $495 at the low end and $1,970 at the high end. Other segments with the benefit leave the copay field blank, which is not the same as a $0 copay.
Built-in benefit or paid add-on: reading the 38.9%
The CMS field we count answers one question: is the hearing aid benefit part of the plan for every member? A "no" there covers two cases that the field alone cannot tell apart:
- The plan has no hearing aid benefit at all.
- The plan offers hearing aids only through an optional package you add for a premium.
We have not tallied the optional rows, so this page cannot say which regions use the second route, and it gives no optional share, premium or cap.
If your region shows a low mandatory share, ask Kaiser for its optional benefit documents before you conclude that hearing aids are not covered.
How Kaiser coverage differs by state
Kaiser's filings split sharply between the states it serves:
- Colorado: all 14 segments include hearing aids and a routine exam. The state table shows no per-ear three-year cap for them; any cap they file uses another basis, and a missing figure does not make the benefit unlimited.
- Maryland: all 11 segments include hearing aids, each with a cap per ear every three years, median $1,000. None lists a mandatory routine exam.
- California: Kaiser's largest count in the file, 48 segments, but only 10.4% include hearing aids as a mandatory benefit and 0% a routine exam. 5 segments carry a per-ear three-year cap, median $1,000.
- Washington: 20 segments, 0% with mandatory hearing aids, though all list a routine exam. Oregon (4 segments) and Hawaii (6) also show 0% for hearing aids.
Nevada, Virginia and DC include aids in every segment; Georgia in 30%. A segment that serves several states counts in each. Pick your state in the table above.
What these numbers leave out
- Kaiser's hearing centers and audiology departments. They lead the results for this search, but their prices are not in the CMS file, and this page lists no device prices.
- Employer group Medicare plans and PACE, excluded from every count.
- Commercial Kaiser coverage through a job-based or individual plan, which follows that plan's contract; see hearing aid insurance by state.
- Members. Counts are plan segments, not weighted by enrollment.
- Small groups. In the state table, a median based on fewer than five segments is hidden.
- Original Medicare, which covers neither hearing aids nor the exams to fit them; see Medicare and hearing aids.
For the same CMS fields across every carrier, see Medicare Advantage hearing aid coverage.
Frequently asked questions
How much do hearing aids cost through Kaiser?
This page tracks plan terms, not device prices. In Kaiser's 2026 Medicare Advantage filings, the largest group, 28 segments, caps the plan's payment per ear every three years, with a median cap of $1,000. Only 4 segments, all serving Nevada, report a per-aid copay, and all four file the same range: $495 to $1,970.
Does Kaiser cover hearing aids for seniors?
Through Medicare Advantage, it varies by region: 49 of 126 Kaiser segments include hearing aids as a mandatory benefit in 2026. Every segment in Colorado and Maryland does; none in Washington, Oregon or Hawaii does. A segment without the built-in benefit may still sell it as an optional package; those rows are not counted here.
Does Kaiser Senior Advantage pay for hearing aids?
It depends on the region and on any optional package you add. In California, where the file lists 48 Kaiser segments, 10.4% include hearing aids as a mandatory benefit. In Maryland, all 11 do, with a median cap of $1,000 per ear every three years. Ask for the optional benefit documents for your area.
Sources
Figures come from the CMS Plan Benefit Package files for contract year 2026, hearing section, read in October 2026. The Kaiser group holds segments whose CMS parent organization contains Kaiser. Shares count mandatory supplemental benefits only; optional packages filed in Section D are not tallied, so a low share is not a finding of no coverage. A segment counts once in each state it serves.
Cost and coverage research, not medical advice. This page describes plan filings and does not recommend or sell any plan; confirm benefits, including optional packages, with Kaiser Permanente.