Georgia is a tale of two ages: kids are well protected — state law makes most private plans cover up to $3,000 per ear every 4 years for children 18 and under, and Medicaid/PeachCare covers hearing aids for kids — but regular adult Medicaid does not cover hearing aids at all. The bright spot for adults is the Georgia Hearing Aid Distribution Program, which provides free hearing aids to lower-income residents through the Public Service Commission and Georgia Charitable Care Network. Vocational Rehabilitation and the Georgia Lions Lighthouse can also help adults who need aids to work or can't afford them.
By Lilly Seay · Updated July 2026
Georgia Medicaid does not cover hearing aids for adults — hearing aids are covered only for members under 21 through EPSDT. Adult members get limited diagnostic/medical ear care but not devices; Georgia's own DHS policy manual (PAMMS 2928) confirms Medicaid provides hearing aids only to minors and points adults 18+ to the state hearing aid distribution program instead. Care is delivered through Georgia Families managed care (CMOs including Wellpoint — formerly Amerigroup — CareSource, and Peach State Health Plan); some plans offer small value-added extras, so it is worth asking your plan. No adult benefit was added in 2024-2026.
Federal EPSDT law (42 U.S.C. § 1396d(r)(4)) requires every state — Georgia included — to cover hearing aids for Medicaid-enrolled children under 21 at no cost to the family. Under 21, hearing aids, audiological testing, fittings, ear molds, and repairs are covered as medically necessary through EPSDT (Georgia's Health Check program). Georgia's separate CHIP program is PeachCare for Kids (children up to age 19 in families up to ~247% FPL), which includes hearing services; families apply through Georgia Gateway (gateway.ga.gov). Children who don't qualify for Medicaid/PeachCare can use the Georgia Hearing Aid Distribution Program (income up to 400% FPL for pediatric patients).
State-regulated health plans must cover a hearing aid for covered individuals 18 years of age or under: up to $3,000 per hearing aid per hearing-impaired ear, with replacement of one aid per ear every 48 months. Coverage includes evaluations, fitting, dispensing, programming, servicing, repairs, maintenance, adjustments, ear molds, auditory training, and probe microphone measurements, covered on a continuous as-needed basis during each 48-month period; families may buy a pricier aid from any Georgia-licensed audiologist or dealer and pay the difference without penalty. ERISA self-funded employer plans are exempt. No adult mandate exists.
Statute: O.C.G.A. § 33-24-59.21 ("Hearing Aid Coverage for Children Act", enacted 2017)
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.
Georgia now runs its own exchange, Georgia Access, where eight insurers — including Ambetter from Peach State, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, CareSource, Kaiser Permanente, Oscar, and UnitedHealthcare — sell 2026 plans, and every state-regulated plan must cover children's hearing aids up to $3,000 per ear under Georgia's 2017 mandate. Adults face a tougher map: Georgia Medicaid's three CMOs cover hearing aids only for members under 21, leaving the state's free Hearing Aid Distribution Program as the main lifeline for lower-income adults.
Centene's marketplace brand in Georgia, one of the largest on Georgia Access. As a state-regulated plan it must follow Georgia's Hearing Aid Coverage for Children Act — up to $3,000 per hearing aid per ear every 48 months for members 18 and under.
Georgia's Blue Cross licensee (Elevance Health), selling 2026 Georgia Access plans. Its state-regulated plans are bound by the children's hearing aid mandate; adult hearing aid coverage is plan-specific, so check the Summary of Benefits and Coverage.
Serves Georgians on both sides: 2026 Georgia Access marketplace plans and Georgia Families Medicaid. On the Medicaid side, hearing aids are covered only for members under 21 through EPSDT, matching the state benefit.
One of Georgia's three Medicaid CMOs. Covers hearing aids for children under 21 via EPSDT; adult members get diagnostic ear care but no hearing aid benefit, because Georgia Medicaid doesn't cover adult hearing aids.
Elevance Health's Georgia Families CMO — the same company that uses the Wellpoint name for its Medicaid plans in some other states, though Georgia Medicaid still lists it as Amerigroup. Like the other CMOs, it covers hearing aids for kids under 21 only; some plans offer small value-added extras, so it's worth asking your plan what it adds.
Sells 2026 Georgia Access plans in metro Atlanta and Medicare Advantage plans in its service area. Its Georgia 2026 Medicare summary of benefits places hearing aid coverage in the optional Advantage Plus supplemental package (for an extra premium), so confirm whether your specific plan includes it.
Offers 2026 Georgia Access plans and is among Georgia's leading Medicare Advantage carriers. Its MA hearing benefit runs through UnitedHealthcare Hearing, with copays that vary by plan and technology tier — check the plan's Evidence of Coverage for exact hearing aid pricing.
No — Georgia Medicaid covers hearing aids only for members under 21, through the EPSDT children's benefit. Adults on Medicaid get limited diagnostic and medical ear care through their CMO (Amerigroup, CareSource, or Peach State Health Plan), but not the devices themselves — Georgia's own policy manual points adults 18 and older to the Georgia Hearing Aid Distribution Program instead, which provides free hearing aids to lower-income residents. It's still worth calling your CMO, since some plans offer small value-added extras, but don't count on a hearing aid benefit from regular adult Medicaid.
For children, yes; for adults, no. Georgia's Hearing Aid Coverage for Children Act (2017) requires state-regulated health plans — including Georgia Access marketplace plans from carriers like Ambetter, Anthem, and CareSource — to cover up to $3,000 per hearing aid per ear every 48 months for covered individuals 18 and under, including fitting, ear molds, repairs, and auditory training. There's no adult mandate at all, so adult coverage depends on your specific plan. One big exception: self-funded employer plans are exempt from the children's mandate under federal ERISA law, and many large employers self-fund.
Georgia has one of the better adult safety nets in the South. The Georgia Hearing Aid Distribution Program provides free hearing aids to lower-income residents through the Public Service Commission and the Georgia Charitable Care Network — it's the state's own answer to Medicaid not covering adult hearing aids. The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation also provides hearing aids to Georgians who can't afford them, the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency can help when hearing loss affects your job, and Tools for Life (the state's assistive technology program) lets you try devices before buying. Kids are covered through Medicaid, PeachCare, and the insurance mandate.
Up to $3,000 per hearing aid, per ear, every 48 months — that's the floor Georgia law sets for state-regulated plans covering children 18 and under. The benefit is broader than just the device: evaluations, fitting, dispensing, programming, servicing, repairs, adjustments, ear molds, auditory training, and probe microphone measurements are all covered on an as-needed basis during each 48-month period. And if you want a pricier aid, the law lets you buy from any Georgia-licensed audiologist or dealer and pay the difference without penalty. If your employer's plan is self-funded, though, the mandate doesn't apply — ask HR which type you have.
It's a state program that provides free hearing aids to lower-income Georgia adults — a genuine bright spot, since regular adult Medicaid here doesn't cover hearing aids at all. The program runs through the Georgia Public Service Commission in partnership with the Georgia Charitable Care Network, and Georgia's own Medicaid policy manual directs adults 18 and older to it. If you're an adult with hearing loss and a limited income, this program plus the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation are the two doors to knock on first, before pricing hearing aids out of pocket.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.