TruHearing, NationsHearing, Amplifon: Medicare Advantage hearing aids

TruHearing, NationsHearing and Amplifon Hearing Health Care are hearing benefit administrators. Many Medicare Advantage plans hire one of them to run the hearing aid part of the plan. They are not insurers. TruHearing's own site states that it is not insurance ^[1], and Health New England says it partnered with NationsHearing to administer its members' hearing aid benefit ^[2].

Three things follow from that. You usually start by calling the administrator, not a clinic. The administrator sends you to a provider in its network ^[3]. And in the plan documents cited here, hearing aids bought outside that network weren't covered ^[2][7][9].

This guide explains how these networks work and what to ask before you pick a plan. Whether Medicare pays for hearing aids at all is covered in does Medicare cover hearing aids.

TruHearing vs. NationsHearing vs. Amplifon: the networks compared

Here is what each company says about itself and how its members get care. Your own plan's documents decide what you pay.

Network	What it is	How you book	How pricing usually works	Where to find in-network providers
TruHearing	Hearing benefit company that works with health plans, employers and unions; part of the WS Audiology group [1]	Call TruHearing (1-800-334-1807) or request an appointment online; a Hearing Consultant schedules your exam [4][5]	A copay per hearing aid for each technology level, set by your plan [6][7]	Call TruHearing or the number in your plan materials; it lists 8,850+ provider locations [5]
NationsHearing	Hearing benefit program of NationsBenefits that plans hire to administer hearing aid benefits [2]	Call your plan's NationsHearing line; a Member Experience Advisor schedules your test with a local provider [2]	A copay per aid for each technology level, in the plan example we found [2]	Your plan's NationsBenefits hearing web page or phone line [2]
Amplifon Hearing Health Care	Runs hearing programs for health plans, employer groups and unions [8]	Call a hearing care advocate, who helps book a clinic and sends activation details to you and the provider [8]	Varies by plan; in the plan example we found, a dollar allowance per ear, and you pay the rest [9]	Online clinic locator; every location on it is in-network for Amplifon benefits [10]
UnitedHealthcare Hearing	Runs hearing benefits for plans including UnitedHealthcare's individual Medicare Advantage plans [11]; its provider network is separate from the medical network [12]	Start by calling UnitedHealthcare Hearing (1-855-523-9355) [12]	Varies by plan; sign in to see your coverage [12]	ZIP code search on its provider search page [13]
Hearing Care Solutions	Became part of TruHearing on January 1, 2026 [14][15]	Calls now transfer to TruHearing [14]	Follows your plan's TruHearing terms	Through TruHearing

Two other names you may see. EPIC Hearing Healthcare is listed as a benefit program in the same provider network as UnitedHealthcare Hearing ^[11]; if your plan card names EPIC, call the number on the card. And if older paperwork mentions Hearing Care Solutions, that company now operates as part of TruHearing ^[15].

The company that runs your benefit can change from one plan year to the next. Check the hearing section of your plan's Evidence of Coverage, which spells out what the plan covers and what you pay ^[16], or call member services.

How the benefit works, step by step

The details below come from each administrator's own materials and from published plan documents. Plan examples carry their plan year. They show how benefits are built, not what your plan will charge.

1. Call the administrator first

TruHearing pairs you with a Hearing Consultant, who finds a credentialed provider and schedules your first exam. Teleaudiology options are also available ^[4]. Priority Health tells its members that all hearing appointments must be made through TruHearing directly ^[7].

NationsHearing's Member Experience Advisors help you choose a provider and schedule a hearing test ^[2]. Amplifon's advocates help you pick a clinic, then send you and the provider the information needed to activate your program ^[8].

That first call matters. In 2024 comments to CMS, the American Academy of Audiology said that in many plans you can't go straight to a clinic: you contact the administrator and are then referred to a participating provider ^[3].

2. Get the hearing exam

Plans handle the exam in different ways:

• Mass General Brigham Health Plan (2026, TruHearing): $0 exam copay, and a TruHearing network provider must do the exam ^[6].
• Health New England (2027, NationsHearing): an annual hearing test with an in-network provider at no out-of-pocket cost. If your last test was more than six months ago, the provider may want to test you again ^[2].
• Martin's Point Generations Advantage (2027, Amplifon): you need an audiology exam within six months before buying hearing aids. That exam is a separate Medicare Part B benefit with its own copay, such as $45 on the 2027 Prime plan ^[9].

3. Pick a technology level and pay your share

Administrators usually sell hearing aids at a few technology levels, with names like Standard, Advanced and Premium. Your plan sets your price for each level. TruHearing lists six manufacturers (Phonak, ReSound, Signia, Starkey, Widex and Oticon) plus its own brand ^[17]. NationsHearing says it offers aids from all major manufacturers ^[2].

These published plan examples show the range:

Plan example (plan year)	Administrator	What you pay	How many
Health New England Medicare Advantage (2027)	NationsHearing	Standard $499, Advanced $699, Premium $999 per aid [2]	Up to two aids per year [2]
Mass General Brigham Health Plan (2026)	TruHearing	Advanced $699, Premium $999 per aid [6]	Up to two aids per year [6]
PriorityMedicare Vital, Priority Health (2026)	TruHearing	Advanced $99, Premium $399 per aid [7]	One per ear every two years [7]
Martin's Point Prime, Select and Essential (2027)	Amplifon	$500 allowance per ear, per year; you pay the balance [9]	Ask the plan
Martin's Point Alliance HMO (2027)	Amplifon	$700 allowance per ear, per year [9]	Ask the plan

Look at the spread. A TruHearing Premium aid cost $999 in one 2026 plan and $399 in another ^[6][7]. The administrator's name doesn't set the price. Your plan does.

Read the fine print on cost:

• Copay or discount? The American Academy of Audiology warns that some plan benefits are really discounted prices, and what you pay may still be labeled a copay ^[3].
• Per aid, not per pair. The copays above are per hearing aid, so two aids cost twice as much.
• Extras can cost more. The Mass General Brigham 2026 flyer adds $50 per aid for a rechargeable option ^[6].
• Out-of-pocket maximum. Martin's Point says hearing aid costs don't count toward its plans' yearly out-of-pocket maximum ^[9].

To see what the same hearing aids cost without a plan, read how much hearing aids cost or try the hearing aid cost estimator.

4. Fitting, follow-up, trial, batteries and warranty

With TruHearing, your provider orders the aids, then programs and fits them at a second visit ^[4]. UnitedHealthcare Hearing ships prescription aids to your provider within 10 to 14 business days of payment ^[12].

Here is what each company's published materials say comes with the aids:

	Follow-up visits	Trial period	Warranty	Batteries
TruHearing	One year of follow-up visits [4]	60 days, no-risk [4]	3-year manufacturer warranty plus 3 years against loss or damage [4]	80 per non-rechargeable aid in the Mass General Brigham 2026 plan [6]
NationsHearing (Health New England, 2027)	Fitting plus three follow-up visits with the original provider in the first year [2]	60-day, 100% money-back guarantee; return or exchange [2]	3 years, with one-time loss and damage replacement; deductibles typically $150 to $200 per aid [2]	Up to 60 per ear per year for three years; not for rechargeable models [2]
Amplifon	Cleaning and adjustments for most programs [8]; $0 for one year in Martin's Point plans [9]	60 days, 100% money-back guarantee [8]	Covers repairs, loss or damage, with exclusions [8]	At least a 2-year supply for standard batteries [8]
UnitedHealthcare Hearing	Included visits; extra visits may cost a fee [12]	Ask your plan for the length	3-year extended warranty with one-time loss and damage replacement [12]	One-year supply, or a charging case [12]

Fees can still apply. The Mass General Brigham flyer notes that repairs and replacements are subject to provider and manufacturer fees ^[6]. Use the trial fully: wear the aids every day and go back for adjustments before it ends. Our guide to adjusting to hearing aids covers what the first weeks feel like.

Hearing questions to ask during open enrollment (Oct. 15 to Dec. 7)

Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7. A new plan starts January 1, and the plan must get your request to join by December 7 ^[18]. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can also switch between January 1 and March 31 ^[18].

Your plan's Annual Notice of Change arrives in September and lists changes that take effect in January ^[19]. Read its hearing section first. Medicare also advises checking, every Open Enrollment, whether your providers are in the plans you're considering ^[20].

Ask each plan you're comparing:

1. Which company runs the hearing benefit next year? Is it the same company as this year?
2. Is my hearing clinic in that company's network, not just the plan's medical network ^[3][12]?
3. Is the benefit a copay per aid, a dollar allowance or a discount price ^[3]?
4. What does each technology level cost per aid? Do rechargeable models cost more ^[6]?
5. How many aids can I get, and how often ^[2][7]?
6. Does the hearing exam cost anything, and does a network provider have to do it ^[6][9]?
7. How many follow-up visits are included, and for how long ^[2][4]?
8. How long is the trial, and are any fees nonrefundable if I return the aids?
9. What is the loss and damage deductible ^[2]?
10. Do hearing aid costs count toward the plan's out-of-pocket maximum ^[9]?

Get the answers from the plan's Evidence of Coverage or Summary of Benefits when you can. If you're weighing employer or retiree coverage instead, see private insurance and hearing aids. For state rules, see hearing aid coverage by state.

If your clinic isn't in network

Being in your plan's network isn't the same as being in its hearing network. The American Academy of Audiology told CMS that some audiologists are in-network with a Medicare Advantage plan but out of network with the company that runs its hearing aid benefit ^[3]. UnitedHealthcare Hearing, for example, describes its hearing provider network as separate from the medical network ^[12].

What happens next depends on your plan type:

• HMO plans. Expect no coverage outside the hearing network. Health New England says HMO members' hearing aids from other providers aren't covered ^[2]. Priority Health says there is no out-of-network coverage for routine hearing services ^[7]. Martin's Point says hearing aids must be bought through an Amplifon provider or there is no coverage ^[9].
• PPO plans. Medicare says PPO members can generally use out-of-network providers but usually pay more ^[20]. Hearing aid benefits can have their own rules, so check your Summary of Benefits. Health New England sends its PPO members there ^[2].

Your options:

1. Ask the administrator. Give them your clinic's name and address and ask whether it's in network for your plan.
2. Keep your clinic for medical testing. Part B covers diagnostic hearing exams that your doctor orders, and you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the deductible ^[21]. You may then need to buy aids through a network provider, who may retest you ^[2].
3. Pay your clinic directly. Compare its full price with your plan's copay plus fees. Our hearing aid cost guide shows typical prices.
4. Switch plans during Open Enrollment to one whose hearing network includes your clinic.

Networks change during the year, too. Medicare's provider network fact sheet says a plan can add or remove providers at any time, and a provider can leave a network at any time ^[20]. It also advises confirming that a provider is still in network when you schedule ^[20].

Finding an in-network provider

The administrator's own tools are the reliable way to confirm a clinic is in network:

• TruHearing: call 1-800-334-1807 or the number in your plan materials. Its site asks you to contact it to find a provider near you ^[4].
• NationsHearing: use your plan's NationsBenefits hearing page or call the number in your plan materials. Health New England members, for example, go to HNE.NationsBenefits.com/Hearing or call 1-877-465-9035 ^[2].
• Amplifon: use the clinic locator on its site or call (877) 846-7074 ^[10].
• UnitedHealthcare Hearing: search by ZIP code on its provider search page ^[13].
• Any plan: call the member services number on your plan ID card and ask which company handles hearing.

DrAuditory can't tell you which clinics are in a network. Our listings come from the federal NPI registry, which doesn't record hearing benefit networks, and networks change during the year ^[20].

What we can do is help you find clinics near you. Search our hearing provider directory or browse hearing clinics by state. Then call and ask: "Are you in the TruHearing (or NationsHearing, or Amplifon) network for my plan next year?" Clinics registered under the Amplifon name are on our Amplifon locations page, but a listing there doesn't confirm a clinic is in your plan's network.

If the clinic says yes, still book through the administrator when your plan requires it ^[7].