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I feel for ya! Hearing aid batteries are expensive for two hearing aids. Medicare and Medicaid/All Kids Care will NOT cover hearing aids but they do cover hearing tests!
I found a good deal for my aid batteries from Krogers, priced at $3.79 a pack (RayOVac brand I think, the black and neon blue label), it is a double pack with six batteries each pack, so it is total of 12 batteries!
I have two hearing aids, so I "conserve" my aids by wearing just one on my dominant ear (the one you listen or tilt your ears to the source of sound more often than the other) and using one battery every week or two weeks if I turn it off on my "off" days such as getting out of shower, letthing my hair dry and your ear canals should be dry by then, reading time or computer time, napping, sleeping (I never heard of anyone sleeping it on, its so uncomfortable). While DD is at school, I can turn it off most of the day. I am thankful my husband is hearing so if someone is knocking on the door or phone ringing or alarm going off, he would let me know. Also conserving my aids will last a little longer, lifespan of hearing aids are roughly three years if used day in and day out. Then an overhaul of repairs if needed around year five. After that you would need new ones. My hearing aids are over five years old now and thanks to Medicare and Medicaid, I wont be getting any new ones. I need the strongest out there, more than the other type of canal hearing aids (ear plugs, as I call them LOL). Ear molds are paid out of pocket and done in the best manner. If you can save a few dollars, go to an individual dealer, not Beltone, or your audiologist/hearing aid supplier at the hospital, usually those mom and pop business will help a bit further.
I do not recycle those batteries. I know I should! However there are no hearing aid supplier that would take them anymore. It was not financially possible for them to take aids.
You can do a little more effort on the performance of your hearing aids, by getting those "hearing aid dryers", those blue and grey pellets in a jar that you put your aids to wick out the moisture ouf of them. You can do the homemade version of it, is taking those white packets that comes with purses, wallets, shoes that the manufactor insert them, put that package in a baby food jar, a thick porous sponge to fit inside circumfrence of the jar and put your aids in there overnight. And take a cotton swab with a spot of rubbing alochol, clean out the battery compartment of green gunk or what have yous. And clean the tubings of ear mold and connections (for behind the ear aids) as well. You would be surprised how dirty they can get in a short time.
Hope this helps!
Medicaid does cover for hearing aids but only 1 for adults unless they qualify for a 2nd. I got my new one Free but it costs to have them fixed if brake. As for kids, they are covered for 2 but once again, it costs if they break.
I been wearing hearing aids since i was 6 years old and my mom was VERY strict on keeping up with them, cleaning ear molds, battery compartments everything. Been almost 19 years now that I been using them.
