Delaware Medicaid covers hearing aids for kids and young adults under 21, but its own policy does not cover them for adults. One managed care plan, Highmark Health Options, offers adults one hearing aid per ear every 2 years as an extra benefit, so it's worth asking your plan. For private insurance, state law currently requires coverage only for dependents under 24 ($1,000 per aid per ear every 3 years), though a bill pending in 2026 would expand that to full-cost coverage for more people. Low-income seniors 65+ can also get hearing help at little to no cost through Nemours SeniorCare.
By Lilly Seay · Updated October 2026
Delaware Medicaid's own policy covers hearing aids only for members under 21. The DMAP Supplies and DME Provider Policy Manual (section 5.17) says 'The DMAP may cover hearing aids for individuals who are under 21 years of age,' so adults 21 and older have no state hearing aid benefit. One of the three Diamond State Health Plan managed care plans, Highmark Health Options, lists adult hearing aids as an extra benefit: one hearing aid per ear every 2 years plus 1 year of batteries for members 21 and older. That is a plan extra, not a state benefit, so it can change from year to year. We could not confirm whether AmeriHealth Caritas Delaware or Delaware First Health offer anything similar, so adults should ask their plan directly.
Medicaid hearing aid coverage in Delaware vs. other states: compare all 50 states and DC.
Federal EPSDT law (42 U.S.C. § 1396d(r)(4)) requires every state — Delaware included — to cover hearing aids for Medicaid-enrolled children under 21 at no cost to the family. Children under 21 get medically necessary hearing aids, exams, and fittings under EPSDT through the same managed care plans. Delaware's CHIP program is the Delaware Healthy Children Program (DHCP), a low-cost option for uninsured kids in families over Medicaid income limits; families apply through Delaware ASSIST (assist.dhss.delaware.gov).
Since Jan 1, 2009, state-regulated individual and group plans must cover up to $1,000 per hearing aid, per ear, every 3 years for covered dependents under age 24 (insurers may require a prescription; batteries, cords, and assistive listening devices like FM systems are excluded, and families can pay the difference for a costlier aid). Two expansion bills are in play: SB 117 (introduced May 2025, full-cost pediatric coverage under 24) has been stalled in committee since May 1, 2025, and SB 269 (introduced April 2026, replaced by Senate Substitute 1 on May 20, 2026) would require full-cost coverage of at least one hearing aid per ear every 3 years plus annual earmolds and cochlear implants — all ages on individual policies, dependents under 26 on group and state-employee plans — but neither had become law as of July 2026. ERISA self-funded plans are exempt.
Statute: 18 Del. C. §§ 3357 and 3571A
Remember: state mandates only reach state-regulated ("fully insured") plans. Self-funded employer plans — covering about two-thirds of insured workers — are exempt under federal ERISA law. One question to HR settles which kind you have.
Delaware residents mainly encounter three marketplace carriers for 2026 after Aetna's exit at the end of 2025: Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware, AmeriHealth Caritas, and Centene's Ambetter Health (Celtic). Medicaid runs through three managed care plans (Highmark Health Options, AmeriHealth Caritas Delaware, and Delaware First Health). Delaware Medicaid's own hearing aid benefit stops at age 21, but Highmark Health Options adds adult hearing aids as an extra benefit. Highmark, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, and Humana are the main Medicare Advantage options.
One of three carriers selling 2026 marketplace plans in Delaware, plus four Medicare Advantage plans averaging 4.0 stars. Its state-regulated plans must cover hearing aids for dependents under 24 ($1,000 per aid per ear every 3 years) under Delaware's mandate.
Highmark's Delaware Medicaid plan. Delaware Medicaid covers hearing aids only under 21, but this plan lists adult hearing exams and hearing aids as an extra benefit: its 2025 quick guide describes one hearing aid per ear every 2 years plus a year of batteries for members 21 and older. Prior authorization details are set by the plan, so confirm before scheduling a fitting.
Serves Diamond State Health Plan Medicaid members and also sells 2026 marketplace plans in Delaware. Delaware Medicaid covers hearing aids only for members under 21. We could not confirm whether this plan offers adults an extra hearing aid benefit, so call member services to ask.
Centene's Delaware Medicaid managed care plan, one of the three Diamond State Health Plan MCOs. It covers hearing aids for members under 21 under the state benefit. We could not confirm whether it offers adults an extra hearing aid benefit, so check your member handbook or call member services.
Centene's marketplace brand, sold in Delaware through its Celtic Insurance entity, is one of the three 2026 exchange carriers. As a state-regulated plan it must follow Delaware's hearing aid mandate for dependents under 24.
Exited Delaware's ACA marketplace at the end of 2025 along with all its other marketplace states, but still offers Medicare Advantage plans in Delaware. Hearing aid benefits vary by plan, so check the Evidence of Coverage.
Offers five Medicare Advantage plans in Delaware averaging 4.0 stars, with hearing benefits typically delivered through the UnitedHealthcare Hearing network. Humana also sells MA plans in the state. Specific allowances vary by plan.
Not as a state benefit. Delaware Medicaid's own policy manual covers hearing aids only for members under 21. There is one bright spot: Highmark Health Options, one of the three Diamond State Health Plan managed care plans, offers adults 21 and older one hearing aid per ear every 2 years plus a year of batteries as an extra benefit. We could not confirm whether AmeriHealth Caritas Delaware or Delaware First Health offer anything similar, so call the member services number on your Medicaid card and ask before you schedule a fitting. Plan extras can change from year to year.
Only for young people, and only partially. Since 2009, Delaware law (18 Del. C. §§ 3357 and 3571A) has required state-regulated individual and group plans to cover up to $1,000 per hearing aid, per ear, every 3 years for covered dependents under age 24. Insurers may require a prescription; batteries, cords, and FM systems are excluded, and families can pay the difference for a costlier aid. Two expansion bills are pending — SB 269 would require full-cost coverage of at least one aid per ear every 3 years plus earmolds and cochlear implants — but neither had become law as of July 2026. Self-funded ERISA plans are exempt.
Several doors are open. If you're on Medicaid, kids under 21 have hearing aids covered, and adults in Highmark Health Options can use that plan's extra hearing aid benefit (one aid per ear every 2 years). Low-income seniors 65 and older can get hearing help at little to no cost through Nemours SeniorCare. If hearing loss is affecting your ability to work, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation at the Delaware Department of Labor may help pay for hearing aids. And the Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative (DATI) lets you borrow and try assistive listening devices before you buy. For insured families, remember dependents under 24 get up to $1,000 per aid per ear every 3 years under state law.
Possibly — two bills are in play, but neither has passed yet. SB 117, introduced in May 2025, would require full-cost pediatric coverage for those under 24, but it has been stalled in committee since May 2025. SB 269, introduced in April 2026 and replaced by Senate Substitute 1 that May, goes further: it would require full-cost coverage of at least one hearing aid per ear every 3 years, plus annual earmolds and cochlear implants — for all ages on individual policies and dependents under 26 on group and state-employee plans. As of July 2026, neither had become law, so today's $1,000 under-24 mandate still applies.
For adults, the plan matters. Delaware Medicaid's own hearing aid benefit stops at age 21, but Highmark Health Options offers adults 21 and older one hearing aid per ear every 2 years plus a year of batteries as an extra benefit. We could not confirm whether AmeriHealth Caritas Delaware or Delaware First Health offer a similar extra, so call each plan's member services line and ask what's covered, how often you can replace aids, and which audiologists are in network near you. For kids under 21, every plan covers hearing aids.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.