Many Anthem Medicare Advantage plans include a yearly hearing aid allowance (verified 2026 examples: $3,000 for prescription aids at $0 copay through the Hearing Care Solutions/TruHearing network), while Anthem employer and marketplace plans cover hearing aids only where a state mandate or the employer adds the benefit.
By Lilly Seay · Updated July 2026
Anthem's 2026 Medicare Advantage plans typically bundle a routine hearing benefit with real money behind it. Verified directly from official 2026 Summary of Benefits documents: the Anthem Medicare Advantage 2 (HMO-POS) plan H6988-010 in New York covers 1 routine hearing exam per year at $0 copay, plus each year either a $300 maximum plan benefit for over-the-counter hearing aids OR a fitting evaluation and a $3,000 maximum plan benefit for prescribed hearing aids, at $0 copay up to the maximum (a Medicare-covered diagnostic hearing exam has a $50 copay on that plan). Anthem's Full Dual Advantage D-SNP in Virginia (H4694-004) carries the same $300 OTC / $3,000 prescribed structure. The routine benefit is administered through a vendor network — Hearing Care Solutions, which merges into the TruHearing brand on January 1, 2026 — and the $0 copay applies in-network, so start with the benefit administrator. Amounts vary by plan and county, so always confirm the 'Hearing Services' row of your own Evidence of Coverage.
Anthem sells individual and family plans in its 14 states, and adult hearing aid coverage exists only where state law requires it. Within Anthem's footprint, three states mandate coverage for adults as well as children: Connecticut (all ages, one aid per ear every 24 months regardless of cost, expanded to adults effective January 1, 2020), Maine ($3,000 per ear every 3 years, all ages since January 1, 2020), and New Hampshire ($1,500 per aid every 60 months, all ages). Nevada is one of three states (with Arizona and Hawaii) whose ACA benchmark plan includes hearing aid coverage, so individual and small-group plans there must provide comparable coverage. Children-only mandates apply in Colorado (one aid per ear every 5 years, no dollar cap), Georgia (up to $3,000 per ear every 48 months, ages 18 and under), Kentucky ($1,400 per aid every 36 months, under 18, plus state employees), Virginia ($1,500 per aid, one per ear every 24 months, under 18 — you can pick a pricier aid and pay the difference with no penalty), and Wisconsin (no dollar cap, one per ear every 3 years, under 18, including cochlear implants); Missouri covers newborns only. California, Indiana, New York, and Ohio have no private-insurance hearing aid mandate. To check any specific Anthem plan, open its Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) and look at the 'Excluded Services & Other Covered Services' section for the words 'hearing aids.'
If your Anthem coverage comes through work, the answer depends on how the plan is funded. Fully insured employer plans issued in a mandate state must follow that state's hearing aid law — so a fully insured Anthem plan in Connecticut, Maine, or New Hampshire covers adult hearing aids, and plans in the children's-mandate states cover kids. Self-funded (ERISA) employer plans are exempt from state mandates: the employer decides the benefits and Anthem only administers the plan, so hearing aids are covered only if your employer chose to include them. Some employers do add a hearing benefit, and Hearing Care Solutions/TruHearing administers hearing benefits across commercial, employer group, group retiree, and Medicare Advantage product lines — so a benefit may exist even if you've never used it. Your Summary Plan Description or benefits portal, or your HR team, gives the definitive answer.
Anthem-branded Medicaid managed care plans operate in California (Medi-Cal through Anthem Blue Cross), Indiana (Hoosier Healthwise, Hoosier Care Connect, Healthy Indiana Plan), Kentucky, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Virginia (HealthKeepers Plus), and Wisconsin (BadgerCare Plus), with sister brand Wellpoint (formerly Amerigroup) serving other states. Hearing benefits follow each state's Medicaid rules, not a single Anthem policy: children under 21 get hearing aids in every state through the federal EPSDT requirement, while adult hearing aid coverage varies state by state. If you have an Anthem Medicaid plan, your member handbook or the member services number on your card can confirm your state's exact hearing aid benefit and prior-authorization rules.
Anthem members get hearing discounts through the SpecialOffers program inside the anthem.com member portal (Anthem uses SpecialOffers rather than the Blue365 program some other Blue plans use). Verified from official Anthem SpecialOffers flyers and the NationsHearing Anthem page: Amplifon gives Anthem members 25% off plus an extra $50 off one hearing aid or $125 off two, with a low-price guarantee, a three-year repair/loss/damage warranty, and a free two-year battery supply. NationsHearing offers hearing aids priced from $599 to $2,275 each with a free hearing test, a 60-day money-back guarantee, a three-year warranty, a three-year supply of batteries, and three no-cost follow-up adjustments — call 877-391-8625 (TTY: 711) to schedule. Exact offers vary by plan and state flyer, and these are discounts, not insurance — they don't require any hearing benefit on your plan and can still cut thousands off retail prices that often run $1,000 to $4,000+ per aid.
Two changes matter for Anthem members. First, TruHearing announced on April 17, 2025 that Hearing Care Solutions (HCS) — the long-time administrator of Anthem's hearing aid benefits — is merging into the TruHearing brand, with full integration effective January 1, 2026. Practically, this means Anthem members book hearing aid appointments through TruHearing's network going forward. Second, the Academy of Doctors of Audiology reported that starting July 1, 2025, Anthem began routing hearing claims — including diagnostic audiologic testing, mainly on Medicare Advantage plans — through the HCS/TruHearing arrangement across its 14 states, with some claims denied as 'misrouted' when submitted directly; the rollout has been inconsistent, but it's one more reason to start with the benefit administrator rather than walking into any audiology office. Anthem's parent renamed itself Elevance Health in June 2022, but your card and plan documents still say Anthem.
Sometimes — it depends entirely on which Anthem plan you have. Many Anthem Medicare Advantage plans include a real hearing aid benefit for 2026; verified plan documents show $0 copay up to a $3,000 yearly maximum for prescription hearing aids (or $300 for over-the-counter aids) through the Hearing Care Solutions/TruHearing network. Employer and ACA marketplace plans cover hearing aids only where state law requires it — Connecticut, Maine, and New Hampshire mandate adult coverage, and several other Anthem states mandate children's coverage. Original Medicare and many Anthem commercial plans exclude hearing aids entirely, so check your own plan documents before assuming either way.
Verified 2026 Anthem Summary of Benefits documents — a New York HMO-POS plan (H6988-010) and a Virginia Full Dual Advantage D-SNP (H4694-004) — show a common structure: one routine hearing exam per year at $0 copay, then each year either a $300 maximum plan benefit for over-the-counter hearing aids or a fitting evaluation plus a $3,000 maximum plan benefit for prescribed hearing aids, at $0 copay up to the maximum. Amounts vary by plan and county, though, and some plans skip hearing aids altogether — so confirm the Hearing Services section of your own Evidence of Coverage or call the number on your card.
Both names are correct, which confuses a lot of people. Hearing Care Solutions administered Anthem's hearing aid benefits for years across Medicare Advantage, employer, and group retiree plans. On April 17, 2025, TruHearing announced that Hearing Care Solutions is merging into the TruHearing brand, with full integration effective January 1, 2026. Practically, you'll now schedule your hearing exam and order hearing aids through TruHearing, and Anthem routes hearing benefits through that network — going outside it can mean the allowance won't apply. Call Member Services and they'll route you to the right scheduling line.
Only in certain states, honestly. Anthem's fully insured plans must follow state mandates: Connecticut requires coverage for all ages (one aid per ear every 24 months), Maine requires $3,000 per ear every 3 years for all ages, and New Hampshire requires $1,500 per aid every 60 months. Nevada's ACA benchmark plan includes hearing aids too. In Anthem's other states — including California, New York, Ohio, and Indiana — adult hearing aids are typically excluded unless your employer added a hearing benefit. Self-funded (ERISA) employer plans set their own rules regardless of state law, so check your SBC's 'Excluded Services & Other Covered Services' section or ask HR.
In most Anthem states, yes — thanks to state children's mandates and Medicaid. State-regulated Anthem plans must cover kids' hearing aids in Colorado (one per ear every 5 years, no dollar cap), Georgia (up to $3,000 per ear every 48 months), Kentucky ($1,400 per aid every 36 months), Virginia ($1,500 per aid every 24 months), Wisconsin (no cap, every 3 years, including cochlear implants), plus Connecticut, Maine, and New Hampshire, which cover all ages. Missouri covers newborns. Every Anthem Medicaid plan covers hearing aids for children under 21 through the federal EPSDT rule. California, Indiana, New York, and Ohio lack private-plan mandates, so coverage there depends on your specific plan.
You still have genuinely useful options. Log into anthem.com and open SpecialOffers, Anthem's member discount program: NationsHearing sells hearing aids to Anthem members for $599 to $2,275 each — including a free hearing test, 60-day money-back guarantee, three-year warranty, and three years of batteries — at 877-391-8625 (TTY: 711). Amplifon gives 25% off plus an extra $50 off one aid or $125 off two. Also consider FDA-regulated over-the-counter hearing aids for mild-to-moderate loss, often $300 to $1,000 a pair. And if you're near 65, note that many Anthem Medicare Advantage plans include an allowance of up to $3,000 per year.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.