Missouri made a big change: since August 28, 2025, MO HealthNet (Missouri Medicaid) covers hearing aids and cochlear implants for adults, not just children, pregnant women, and blind Missourians as before. The adult hearing aid benefit is limited, though: one aid every 4 years, two only for adults who are blind, and prior authorization for every aid. Kids on MO HealthNet have hearing aids covered through EPSDT, and state law also makes private insurers cover hearing aids for children under 18. If you're low-income but not on Medicaid, the Hearing Aid Distribution Program run by the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing can help pay for aids when funding is available. It's worth applying even when funds are short, since applications are kept on file.
By Lilly Seay · Updated October 2026
Since August 28, 2025, SB 79 amended RSMo 208.152 so MO HealthNet covers hearing aids for adults, not just children, pregnant women, and blind participants as before. The adult benefit is limited. The April 2026 MO HealthNet Hearing Aid Provider Manual allows adults one new hearing aid plus related services once every 4 years, and two aids (one for each ear) for adults 21 and older only in cases of blindness. Every hearing aid and dispensing fee needs prior authorization, and repairs plus post-fitting adjustments are capped at 3 per rolling year. MO HealthNet Managed Care plans must cover hearing aid services too, so members can use the benefit through their plan.
Medicaid hearing aid coverage in Missouri vs. other states: compare all 50 states and DC.
Federal EPSDT law (42 U.S.C. § 1396d(r)(4)) requires every state — Missouri included — to cover hearing aids for Medicaid-enrolled children under 21 at no cost to the family. Children under 21 are covered under EPSDT, which Missouri calls the Healthy Children and Youth (HCY) program — hearing exams, hearing aids, fittings, and repairs are covered when medically necessary. Missouri's CHIP program is part of MO HealthNet for Kids; families apply through the Family Support Division (mydss.mo.gov) and most children are enrolled in a MO HealthNet Managed Care health plan.
Health benefit plans delivered, issued, continued, or renewed in Missouri on or after January 1, 2022 must cover hearing aids for children under 18 at the same scope as MO HealthNet covers for children (replacement as medically necessary, roughly every 5 years, instead of the old rule of one pair from birth to 18). No adult mandate. The statute exempts supplemental policies (accident-only, specified-disease, Medicare supplement, long-term care, short-term plans, etc.), and ERISA self-funded employer plans are outside state regulation.
Statute: RSMo § 376.1228 (SB 432, 2021)
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.
Missouri residents see a crowded field: eight insurers on the 2026 marketplace, four MO HealthNet Managed Care plans that now deliver the state's new adult hearing aid benefit under 2025's SB 79, and Medicare Advantage carriers led by UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and St. Louis-based Essence Healthcare.
Sells 2026 marketplace plans as Healthy Alliance Life and runs Healthy Blue, one of Missouri's four MO HealthNet Managed Care plans. As a state-regulated insurer, its plans must cover hearing aids for children under 18 under RSMo 376.1228.
Centene's Missouri family: Celtic Insurance sells Ambetter marketplace plans, while Home State Health is a MO HealthNet Managed Care plan and also operates Show Me Healthy Kids, the statewide plan for children in foster care.
Active in all three Missouri markets: 2026 marketplace plans, one of the four MO HealthNet Managed Care plans, and the largest Medicare Advantage carrier nationally, with MA hearing benefits delivered through the UnitedHealthcare Hearing network.
The regional Blue plan serving the Kansas City metro's individual market for 2026. As a state-regulated insurer it's subject to Missouri's children's hearing aid mandate.
Offers 2026 individual plans in Missouri under both the Medica and Medica WellFirst names; state-regulated, so the child hearing aid mandate applies to its plans.
Together with UnitedHealthcare it accounts for roughly three-quarters of Medicare Advantage enrollment in the Kansas City area. Most of its MA plans include hearing aid benefits; amounts vary by plan, so check the Evidence of Coverage.
A Medicare-only insurer serving Missouri and Illinois for over 20 years; its plans list hearing coverage among their core extra benefits alongside dental and vision. Details vary by plan.
Yes, with limits. Since August 28, 2025, MO HealthNet covers hearing aids for adults under SB 79, not just children, pregnant women, and blind participants as before. The April 2026 MO HealthNet Hearing Aid Provider Manual allows adults one new hearing aid plus related services once every 4 years, and two aids only for adults who are blind. Every hearing aid needs prior authorization, and repairs plus post-fitting adjustments are capped at 3 a year. If you're in a managed care plan (Healthy Blue, Home State Health, or UnitedHealthcare), call it to ask how to get started.
For children, yes. Health plans issued or renewed in Missouri since January 1, 2022 must cover hearing aids for kids under 18, matching what MO HealthNet covers for children — including replacement when medically necessary, roughly every five years (RSMo 376.1228). There's no mandate for adults, and the law doesn't reach self-funded employer plans or supplemental policies like Medicare supplement or short-term plans. Marketplace insurers such as Anthem, Ambetter/Celtic, Blue KC, Medica, Oscar, Cox, and UnitedHealthcare are state-regulated, so their child coverage must follow the mandate.
If you're low-income, first check whether you qualify for MO HealthNet. Since August 2025 it covers hearing aids for adults (one aid every 4 years, with prior authorization), and kids are covered too. Beyond Medicaid, the Hearing Aid Distribution Program run by the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing helps pay for hearing aids when funding is available. Apply even when funds are short, since applications are kept on file. Missouri Assistive Technology's TAP program helps with telephone equipment, and Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation can cover hearing aids you need for work.
All of them. Missouri Medicaid's hearing aid benefit applies whichever MO HealthNet Managed Care plan you're in: Healthy Blue, Home State Health, UnitedHealthcare, or Show Me Healthy Kids, the plan for children in foster care. Since August 28, 2025, that includes hearing aids for adults, not just children. The April 2026 provider manual allows adults one hearing aid every 4 years (two only for adults who are blind), and every aid needs prior authorization. Call your plan's member line to ask how to get a hearing evaluation and what your audiologist needs to submit.
Most do, though details vary by plan. Original Medicare doesn't cover hearing aids, but Medicare Advantage plans usually add a hearing benefit. In Missouri you'll see national carriers like UnitedHealthcare and Humana — together they hold roughly three-quarters of Medicare Advantage enrollment in the Kansas City area — plus St. Louis-based Essence Healthcare, a Medicare-only insurer that lists hearing coverage among its plan benefits. UnitedHealthcare runs its benefit through the UnitedHealthcare Hearing network. Allowances and copays differ from plan to plan, so compare each plan's Evidence of Coverage during enrollment.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.