Mississippi is a tough state for adults who need hearing aids: Medicaid covers them for kids and teens under 21 through EPSDT, but there's no regular adult hearing aid benefit and no state law requiring private insurers to cover hearing aids at any age. Your best routes as an adult are the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services, which can pay for hearing aids you need to work, and nonprofit or manufacturer assistance programs. Families of kids with hearing loss should start with Medicaid/CHIP and the State Department of Health's hearing resources.
By Lilly Seay · Updated July 2026
Mississippi Medicaid's Hearing Services rules (Title 23, Part 218) cover cochlear implants (unilateral and, in defined circumstances, bilateral) and implantable auditory osseointegrated devices (bone-anchored devices, only for beneficiaries age 5 and older with qualifying conditions) plus non-implantable AODs with prior authorization, along with batteries/repairs for those devices — but conventional hearing aids are not a covered adult benefit; hearing aid coverage flows only through EPSDT for beneficiaries under 21. Multiple recent surveys list Mississippi among the states with no adult Medicaid hearing aid coverage. Some home- and community-based waiver participants may get hearing-related assistive devices through waiver services. Delivered partly through MississippiCAN managed care. No 2024-2026 expansion identified.
Federal EPSDT law (42 U.S.C. § 1396d(r)(4)) requires every state — Mississippi included — to cover hearing aids for Medicaid-enrolled children under 21 at no cost to the family. Under EPSDT (Title 23, Part 223, referenced in Part 218 Rule 1.4), Mississippi Medicaid pays for all medically necessary services for beneficiaries under 21 — including hearing screenings, audiology, hearing aids, batteries, and repairs — without regard to standard service limits, with prior authorization. Mississippi also runs a separate CHIP program for uninsured kids up to age 19 in families over Medicaid limits (apply through the Division of Medicaid, 800-421-2408, or medicaid.ms.gov). The State Department of Health's Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program helps connect families of children with hearing loss to services.
Mississippi law does not require state-regulated private insurers to cover hearing aids for children or adults. SB 2339 of 2022 would have required coverage for deaf and hearing-impaired children under 21 and removed hearing aids from the state employee health plan's exclusion list, but it died in the Senate Insurance Committee, so no coverage requirement (amount or replacement cycle) exists. The Mississippi Speech-Language-Hearing Association confirms there is still no children's mandate and continues advocating for one as of 2026. Most private plans in the state do not cover hearing aids; ERISA self-funded plans would be exempt from any future mandate anyway.
Statute: None enacted (SB 2339 of 2022, which would have covered under-21s, died in committee)
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.
Mississippi has no hearing aid insurance mandate, so what's covered depends heavily on which market you're in: five insurers sell 2026 marketplace plans on healthcare.gov (including new entrant Oscar Health), three coordinated care organizations run MississippiCAN Medicaid, and national carriers dominate Medicare Advantage — the main place adults find hearing aid benefits.
Offers 2026 individual marketplace plans in Mississippi and is the largest Medicare Advantage carrier nationally. Its MA hearing benefits run through the UnitedHealthcare Hearing network; allowances vary by plan, so check plan documents.
Centene's marketplace brand in Mississippi; its sister company Magnolia Health is one of the three MississippiCAN Medicaid plans. With no state hearing aid mandate, marketplace plans generally don't cover hearing aids — check your plan documents.
Sells 2026 marketplace plans and serves MississippiCAN and CHIP as one of three coordinated care organizations, delivering EPSDT hearing aid coverage for Medicaid members under 21.
One of five insurers offering 2026 individual marketplace plans in Mississippi. Hearing aid coverage isn't required by state law, so it varies by plan — confirm before enrolling.
The second-largest Medicare Advantage insurer nationally; many of its MA plans include hearing aid benefits. Mississippi has the country's highest share of MA members in Special Needs Plans (about 46%), which often bundle extra benefits.
Sells individual plans only outside healthcare.gov, where premium subsidies don't apply. No Mississippi law requires it to cover hearing aids, so coverage is plan-by-plan.
Centene subsidiary serving MississippiCAN and CHIP; covers children's hearing aids under 21 through EPSDT. Conventional hearing aids aren't a covered adult Medicaid benefit in Mississippi.
The third MississippiCAN coordinated care organization alongside Magnolia Health and Molina, serving Medicaid and CHIP members statewide.
No — Mississippi Medicaid does not cover conventional hearing aids for adults. Its hearing services rules cover cochlear implants and bone-anchored (osseointegrated) hearing devices with prior authorization, plus batteries and repairs for those devices, but regular hearing aids are covered only for beneficiaries under 21 through EPSDT. Some home- and community-based waiver participants may qualify for hearing-related assistive devices through their waiver. If you're on a MississippiCAN plan — Magnolia Health, Molina Healthcare, or TrueCare — call your plan to ask exactly what hearing services apply to you.
No. Mississippi has no law requiring private insurers to cover hearing aids for children or adults — it's one of the states with no mandate at all. A 2022 bill (SB 2339) that would have required coverage for deaf and hard-of-hearing kids under 21 died in committee, and advocates are still pushing for a children's mandate. That means most marketplace and employer plans in Mississippi don't cover hearing aids, though some choose to. Check your plan documents or call the member line before assuming either way.
Start with the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services — its Vocational Rehabilitation program and Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing can pay for hearing aids you need to get or keep a job. Project START, the state's assistive technology program, can help with device loans and reuse. Families of children with hearing loss should start with Medicaid or CHIP, which cover kids' hearing aids under 21, plus the State Department of Health's hearing resources for families. Nonprofit and manufacturer assistance programs can help fill the remaining gaps.
Many do — Original Medicare doesn't cover hearing aids, but most Medicare Advantage plans add some hearing benefit. UnitedHealthcare and Humana, the two biggest Medicare Advantage insurers nationally, both offer plans with hearing benefits; UnitedHealthcare runs its through the UnitedHealthcare Hearing network. Mississippi also has the nation's highest share of Medicare Advantage members in Special Needs Plans — about 46% — and those plans often bundle extra benefits. Amounts and copays vary widely by plan, so check the Evidence of Coverage or call the plan before you enroll.
Yes. Children and teens under 21 on Mississippi Medicaid or CHIP have hearing aids covered through EPSDT, the federal benefit that requires states to cover medically necessary care for kids — including hearing screenings, hearing aids, and follow-up services. Most families get these services through one of the three MississippiCAN coordinated care organizations: Magnolia Health, Molina Healthcare, or TrueCare. If your child has hearing loss, ask your plan's member services how to get a hearing evaluation, and connect with the State Department of Health's resources for families of children with hearing loss.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.