Louisiana Medicaid pays for hearing aids, earpieces, batteries, and repairs for kids through age 20, but the state plan does not cover hearing aids for adults 21 and older — though some Healthy Louisiana managed-care plans (like Louisiana Healthcare Connections) add a hearing aid as an extra benefit, so it's worth checking your specific plan. Private state-regulated insurance must cover at least $1,400 per hearing aid per ear every 36 months for children under 18. Adults 50+ with modest incomes have a real gem: the Louisiana Commission for the Deaf's Hearing Aid Program provides digital hearing aids at no cost.
By Lilly Seay · Updated July 2026
The official LDH Medicaid Services Chart limits hearing aid coverage to beneficiaries 0 through 20 years of age; the state plan does not cover hearing aids for adults 21+. Adults do get covered hearing exams through Healthy Louisiana managed-care plans, and some MCOs add hearing aids as a value-added benefit — e.g., Louisiana Healthcare Connections covers members 21+ for one hearing exam per year and one hearing aid every two years, including earpieces and batteries. LDH circulated a draft managed-care hearing aid clinical policy in December 2025 (Humana LA.CLI.045.001), so plan-level rules may continue to evolve; confirm with your specific plan.
Federal EPSDT law (42 U.S.C. § 1396d(r)(4)) requires every state — Louisiana included — to cover hearing aids for Medicaid-enrolled children under 21 at no cost to the family. Covered under EPSDT for ages 0-20: hearing aids plus related ancillary equipment such as earpieces and batteries; repairs are covered if Medicaid paid for the aid. All services require prior authorization, which the DME provider arranges. Louisiana's CHIP program is LaCHIP (covers uninsured kids up to age 19); families apply through Louisiana Medicaid online, by phone (1-888-342-6207), or at local offices, and services are delivered through Healthy Louisiana health plans.
State-regulated insurers, HMOs, and the Office of Group Benefits must cover hearing aids for covered children under 18 when fitted by licensed audiologists or hearing aid specialists with prior physician medical clearance and audiological evaluation; the benefit may be limited to $1,400 per hearing aid for each hearing-impaired ear every 36 months (mandate effective Jan 1, 2004). A 2018 amendment (Act 151, adult provisions effective Jan 1, 2019, existing plans by Jan 1, 2020) lets any covered individual — including adults whose plan voluntarily covers hearing aids — choose a higher-priced aid and pay the difference without penalty. Adult coverage itself is not mandated. ERISA self-funded plans are exempt.
Statute: La. R.S. 22:1038
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.
Louisiana Blue dominates the state's commercial market, Humana and UnitedHealthcare-owned Peoples Health lead Medicare Advantage, and five Healthy Louisiana plans now run Medicaid after UnitedHealthcare's contract ended at the close of 2025. Because the state plan doesn't cover adult hearing aids, which Medicaid plan you pick — and whether it adds a hearing benefit — genuinely matters here.
The state's biggest commercial insurer, selling 2026 marketplace plans both as Blue Cross Blue Shield of LA and through its HMO Louisiana subsidiary. As state-regulated plans, they must cover hearing aids for children under 18 up to $1,400 per aid per ear every 36 months; adult hearing coverage varies by plan.
Centene's Louisiana marketplace brand, tied to Louisiana Healthcare Connections, one of the five Healthy Louisiana Medicaid plans. LHC adds an adult hearing benefit the state plan lacks: members 21+ get one hearing exam per year and one hearing aid every two years, including earpieces and batteries.
Holds Louisiana's largest Medicare Advantage contract by enrollment (about 194,000 members as of mid-2026), with MA hearing benefits typically administered through TruHearing. Humana Healthy Horizons is also one of the five Healthy Louisiana Medicaid plans, and LDH circulated a draft managed-care hearing aid clinical policy through Humana in December 2025.
Louisiana's second-largest Medicare Advantage carrier by enrollment, administering 17 MA plans serving every Louisiana parish in 2025. Hearing aid allowances vary by plan, so check the specific plan's Evidence of Coverage.
Sells 2026 individual marketplace plans and Medicare Advantage plans in Louisiana, with MA hearing aids covered through the UnitedHealthcare Hearing network. Its Medicaid contract ended December 31, 2025, and LDH reassigned its Healthy Louisiana members to the five remaining plans effective January 1, 2026.
One of the five Healthy Louisiana Medicaid plans (alongside Aetna Better Health of Louisiana and Healthy Blue). It delivers the state-plan hearing aid benefit for children through age 20; any adult hearing extras are value-added benefits, so confirm directly with the plan.
For adults 21 and older, Louisiana's Medicaid state plan does not cover hearing aids — the official LDH services chart limits hearing aid coverage to ages 0 through 20. But don't stop there: some Healthy Louisiana managed care plans add hearing aids as an extra benefit. Louisiana Healthcare Connections, for example, covers members 21+ for one hearing exam per year and one hearing aid every two years, including earpieces and batteries. Plan-level rules are still evolving — LDH circulated a draft managed-care hearing aid policy in December 2025 — so call your plan and ask what it offers.
Only for children. Louisiana law (La. R.S. 22:1038) requires state-regulated insurers, HMOs, and the Office of Group Benefits to cover hearing aids for covered children under 18 — the benefit may be limited to $1,400 per hearing aid per ear every 36 months — when fitted by a licensed audiologist or hearing aid specialist after physician clearance. Adult coverage isn't mandated, though a 2018 amendment lets anyone whose plan does cover hearing aids choose a pricier model and simply pay the difference. Self-funded employer (ERISA) plans are exempt, so families with Louisiana Blue, Ambetter, or UnitedHealthcare plans should confirm how theirs is regulated.
If you're 50 or older with a modest income, the Louisiana Commission for the Deaf's Hearing Aid Program is a real gem — it provides digital hearing aids at no cost. Louisiana Rehabilitation Services can help pay for hearing aids you need to get or keep a job, and LATAN (Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network) helps you try devices and find funding. Children through age 20 get hearing aids, earpieces, batteries, and repairs through Medicaid, and some Healthy Louisiana plans like Louisiana Healthcare Connections add an adult hearing aid benefit. Stack these options before paying out of pocket.
The lineup changed for 2026: UnitedHealthcare's Medicaid contract ended December 31, 2025, and LDH reassigned its members to the remaining plans effective January 1, 2026. Louisiana Medicaid members now choose among Aetna Better Health of Louisiana, AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana, Healthy Blue, Humana Healthy Horizons, and Louisiana Healthcare Connections. Adult hearing benefits vary because they're value-added extras, not state-plan benefits — Louisiana Healthcare Connections, for instance, covers an annual hearing exam and a hearing aid every two years for members 21+. If hearing coverage matters to you, compare plans on that specific benefit before you pick.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.