Medicare Advantage plans include real hearing aid coverage through TruHearing ($399–$999 copay per aid, two per year; $0 on Highmark Wholecare D-SNPs), but most commercial and marketplace plans exclude adult hearing aids unless an employer adds the benefit or a state rule (Delaware's under-24 mandate, New York's marketplace benefit) applies.
By Lilly Seay · Updated July 2026
Highmark's 2026 Medicare Advantage plans cover hearing aids through TruHearing, which administers both the routine hearing exam and the hearing aid benefit. Instead of a dollar allowance, you pay a flat copay per aid for TruHearing-branded devices: in the 2026 Summaries of Benefits, TruHearing Advanced runs $399–$699 per aid and TruHearing Premium runs $699–$999 per aid depending on your plan and region — West Virginia's Freedom Blue PPO lists $399/$699, western New York's Senior Blue HMO plans list $499–$599/$799–$899, and western Pennsylvania's Complete Blue PPO and Delaware's Freedom Blue PPO list $699/$999. Every plan we checked covers up to 2 aids per year, and routine hearing exams run $0–$45 (1 per year). Several 2026 PPO plans — including Freedom Blue PPO in West Virginia and Delaware and Complete Blue PPO in western Pennsylvania — also include a $500 annual allowance toward hearing aids outside the TruHearing Advanced/Premium lineup. You must buy through a TruHearing provider — call 1-800-334-1807 to schedule. Your exact copay is in your plan's Summary of Benefits or Evidence of Coverage under 'Hearing Services.'
If you have both Medicare and Medicaid, Highmark's D-SNP plans are far more generous. The 2026 Highmark Wholecare Medicare Assured plans in Pennsylvania cover TruHearing Advanced aids at a $0 copay (2 aids every 3 years) with a $0 routine hearing exam each year — book through TruHearing at 1-844-763-4240 (TTY: 711). The purchase includes a 60-day trial period, a 3-year extended warranty for repair or replacement of lost or damaged aids, and batteries for non-rechargeable models; ear molds and hearing aid accessories are not covered. In Delaware, Highmark Health Options Duals (HMO SNP) covers a $0 routine hearing exam each year plus 2 hearing aids (1 per ear) every 3 years, also scheduled through TruHearing at the same number.
For adults on Highmark marketplace plans, hearing aids are generally not covered — Pennsylvania and West Virginia have no hearing aid insurance mandate for adults or children (neither state appears on the American Academy of Audiology's list of the 27 states that require children's hearing aid coverage). Delaware is the exception in Highmark's footprint: state law (Del. Code Title 18 §3357 and §3571A) requires individual and group plans to cover up to $1,000 per hearing aid, per ear, every 3 years for covered dependents under age 24 — and you can pick a costlier aid and pay the difference. New York requires standard marketplace plans to cover a single purchase of hearing aids (including repair and/or replacement) for one or both ears once every 3 years — the requirement is written into the state's model contract language. To check any specific plan, open its Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) and read the 'Excluded Services & Other Covered Services' box — hearing aids are listed there by name as covered or excluded.
If your Highmark coverage comes through work, the answer depends on how the plan is funded. Fully insured plans must follow the mandates of the state where they're written — which in Highmark's territory only guarantees Delaware's under-24 benefit ($1,000 per aid per ear every 3 years). Self-funded employer plans are governed by federal ERISA law, set their own benefits, and Highmark only administers them — so hearing aids are covered only if your employer chose to include them. Some employers add a voluntary hearing rider or a TruHearing-style benefit; ask HR for the full Schedule of Benefits, since riders sometimes don't appear on the standard SBC. Every Highmark member, regardless of employer plan design, keeps access to the Blue365 TruHearing discount below.
Highmark runs Medicaid plans in Pennsylvania (Highmark Wholecare, serving 14 western and 13 central Pennsylvania counties), Delaware (Highmark Health Options, part of Delaware Medicaid), and West Virginia (Highmark Health Options West Virginia, a Blue-branded Medicaid MCO that began covering members August 1, 2024). Hearing benefits follow each state's Medicaid rules, and children in all three states get hearing aids when medically necessary under the federal EPSDT guarantee. Highmark Health Options Delaware's current benefit list includes both hearing exams and hearing aids — check the member handbook or call Member Services for frequency limits and any prior-authorization rules. Wholecare (PA) members can call 1-800-392-1147 (TTY: 711) to confirm their hearing benefit.
Highmark members can register free for Blue365 (blue365deals.com), where TruHearing sells its hearing aids at fixed member prices across Basic, Standard, Advanced, and Premium technology levels. TruHearing's published example: an Advanced aid costs Blue365 members $1,250 versus a $2,720 average retail price — a savings of $1,470 per aid — with savings on other models ranging from roughly $330 to $1,470 depending on technology level. The price includes a hearing exam with a TruHearing network provider, one year of follow-up visits for fittings and adjustments, a 60-day trial, 80 free batteries for non-rechargeable models, and a 3-year manufacturer's warranty with one-time loss-and-damage replacement. Appointments must be scheduled through TruHearing at 1-855-253-9141 to qualify. TruHearing also discounts its over-the-counter hearing aids by more than 20% for Blue365 members.
Highmark completed its affiliation with HealthNow New York on March 1, 2021, rebranding the Buffalo and Albany Blues as Highmark BCBS of Western New York and Highmark Blue Shield of Northeastern New York — so western New Yorkers now see the same TruHearing benefit design as Pennsylvania members. On August 1, 2024, Highmark Health Options West Virginia began covering members, bringing a Blue-branded Medicaid option (with hearing benefits under WV Medicaid rules) to the state alongside the three existing MCOs. For 2026, Highmark's Medicare Advantage plans keep the TruHearing flat-copay model, and several PPO plans — Freedom Blue PPO in West Virginia and Delaware and Complete Blue PPO in western Pennsylvania — include a $500 annual allowance toward hearing aids outside the TruHearing Advanced/Premium lineup.
It depends on which Highmark plan you have. Highmark's 2026 Medicare Advantage plans cover hearing aids through TruHearing — you pay a flat copay of $399–$999 per aid (up to two per year), and Highmark Wholecare's dual-eligible D-SNP plans charge $0. Most employer and marketplace plans do not cover adult hearing aids unless your employer added the benefit or a state rule applies — Delaware requires coverage for dependents under 24, and New York marketplace plans include a hearing aid benefit. Highmark's Medicaid plans in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia cover hearing services under each state's rules. Check the 'Hearing Services' section of your plan documents or call the number on your ID card.
In 2026, you pay a flat copay per TruHearing-branded aid rather than using an allowance: $399–$699 for TruHearing Advanced models and $699–$999 for TruHearing Premium, depending on your plan and region — West Virginia's Freedom Blue PPO sits at the low end ($399/$699) and western Pennsylvania's Complete Blue PPO at the high end ($699/$999). The plans we checked cover up to two aids per year, and TruHearing purchases include a 60-day trial, a 3-year warranty, and batteries for non-rechargeable models. Several PPO plans add a $500 yearly allowance toward non-TruHearing aids. Your exact copay is in your Summary of Benefits.
TruHearing. It's the independent company that administers both the routine hearing exam and the hearing aid benefit on Highmark's Medicare Advantage plans in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and New York, and on Highmark's D-SNP plans. Covered aids are TruHearing-branded Advanced and Premium models, and you must schedule through TruHearing — 1-800-334-1807 for Medicare Advantage, 1-844-763-4240 for D-SNP members — and see a TruHearing network provider to get the covered copay. TruHearing also runs the Blue365 hearing aid discount that Highmark members can use even when their plan has no hearing benefit.
It depends on your state. Delaware law requires Highmark's individual and group plans to cover up to $1,000 per hearing aid, per ear, every 3 years for covered dependents under age 24 — and you can choose a pricier aid and pay the difference. New York requires standard marketplace plans to cover a single hearing aid purchase (including repair or replacement) every 3 years. Pennsylvania and West Virginia have no state hearing aid mandate, so commercial coverage there depends on your specific plan — though children on Medicaid or CHIP get medically necessary hearing aids under federal EPSDT rules. Always check your plan's SBC to confirm.
You still have a real discount. Highmark members can register free for Blue365, where TruHearing sells its hearing aids at fixed member prices — for example, TruHearing Advanced aids run $1,250 versus a $2,720 average retail price, a savings of $1,470 per aid, with savings on other models ranging from roughly $330 to $1,470. The price includes a hearing exam with a TruHearing network provider, a year of follow-up visits, a 60-day trial, and a 3-year warranty with one-time loss-and-damage replacement. Register at blue365deals.com, then call 1-855-253-9141 to schedule. TruHearing also discounts its over-the-counter aids by more than 20%.
The 2026 Highmark Medicare Advantage plans we reviewed cover up to two TruHearing aids every calendar year — one of the more frequent replacement schedules in Medicare Advantage. Highmark Wholecare's D-SNP plans in Pennsylvania cover two aids every 3 years at a $0 copay, and Highmark Health Options Duals in Delaware also covers two aids (one per ear) every 3 years. Under Delaware's commercial mandate, dependents under 24 get up to $1,000 per aid, per ear, every 3 years, and New York marketplace plans cover one purchase every 3 years. Your Evidence of Coverage or member handbook states your plan's exact schedule.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.