Nebraska Medicaid covers hearing aids for both adults and children. Adults can get one aid per ear every 4 years with a hearing evaluation and a physician's prescription, and most members get services through the Heritage Health managed-care plans. State law (the Children of Nebraska Hearing Aid Act) also makes private insurers cover up to $3,000 per hearing aid every 48 months for kids under 19. If you fall through the cracks, the Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing connects people to hearing aid banks covering every age group, plus a telephone-equipment voucher program through the Public Service Commission.
By Lilly Seay · Updated October 2026
Nebraska Medicaid covers hearing aids and related services for adults under 471 NAC 8. Adults 21 and older can get no more than one aid per ear every 4 years, only when medically necessary and prescribed by a physician (Form DM-5H documents the hearing loss), with an audiologist evaluation. Prior authorization is needed only for aids or assistive listening devices billed at $500.01 or more, accessories or repairs of $150 or more, and any replacement of a lost or stolen aid. A published Medicaid fee schedule sets rates, and if a member chooses a costlier model, they pay the difference. For nursing facility residents, batteries are covered only with the first fitting. Most members receive benefits through Heritage Health managed care plans.
Medicaid hearing aid coverage in Nebraska vs. other states: compare all 50 states and DC.
Federal EPSDT law (42 U.S.C. § 1396d(r)(4)) requires every state — Nebraska included — to cover hearing aids for Medicaid-enrolled children under 21 at no cost to the family. Children under 21 get medically necessary hearing exams, hearing aids, fittings, and repairs under EPSDT (Nebraska's Health Check benefit). Nebraska's CHIP operates as an expansion of Medicaid, so CHIP kids get the same full Medicaid benefit package; families apply through ACCESSNebraska (dhhs.ne.gov) and are served by Heritage Health plans.
Health plans delivered, issued, or renewed in Nebraska must cover hearing aids and related services — evaluation, fitting, programming, repairs, adjustments, ear mold impressions, auditory rehabilitation — up to $3,000 per hearing aid per 48-month period for children under 19. Plans must allow replacement within 3 months of dispensing if an aid fails to meet prescribed performance targets or can't be repaired, and may not deny or cancel coverage because of a child's hearing loss. Effective for plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2020. Insurers may seek an exemption if actual annual costs exceed 1% of premiums. No adult mandate; ERISA self-funded plans exempt.
Statute: Children of Nebraska Hearing Aid Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 44-5001 to 44-5005 (LB 15, 2019)
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.
Nebraska's landscape spans five 2026 marketplace insurers — all subject to the state's $3,000-per-aid children's hearing aid mandate — three Heritage Health managed-care plans carrying Medicaid's adult and child hearing aid benefit, and national Medicare Advantage carriers led by UnitedHealthcare and Humana.
One of five insurers offering 2026 marketplace plans. As a state-regulated insurer it must cover up to $3,000 per hearing aid every 48 months for children under 19 under the Children of Nebraska Hearing Aid Act.
A long-standing individual-market insurer in Nebraska offering 2026 plans; state-regulated, so the children's hearing aid mandate applies to its plans.
Took over Nebraska Total Care's marketplace enrollees for 2026; its sister Centene company Nebraska Total Care remains one of the three Heritage Health Medicaid plans.
Active across Nebraska: 2026 marketplace plans, the largest Medicare Advantage carrier nationally (hearing benefits via the UnitedHealthcare Hearing network), and its Community Plan is one of three Heritage Health Medicaid plans.
One of the three Heritage Health plans serving Nebraska Medicaid members. Nebraska Medicaid's hearing aid benefit applies through it for both adults and children, including the published fee schedule and prior authorization for pricier aids and lost or stolen replacements.
Centene's Nebraska Medicaid plan serving Heritage Health members; covers hearing aids under Nebraska Medicaid rules, with prior authorization for aids billed at $500.01 or more and for lost or stolen replacements.
Offers 2026 individual marketplace plans in Nebraska. Adult hearing aid coverage varies by plan since the state mandate covers only children under 19 — check plan documents.
Yes. Nebraska Medicaid covers hearing aids and related services for adults. Adults 21 and older can get one hearing aid per ear every 4 years when medically necessary and prescribed by a physician, with a physician's report on your hearing loss (Form DM-5H) and an audiologist's evaluation. Prior authorization is needed only for pricier items (aids billed at $500.01 or more, accessories or repairs of $150 or more) and for any lost or stolen replacement. Medicaid pays according to its published fee schedule; if you choose a costlier model, you pay the difference. Most members get benefits through a Heritage Health plan (Nebraska Total Care, Molina Healthcare, or UnitedHealthcare Community Plan), so call your plan or Nebraska Medicaid at 1-877-255-3092 with questions.
For children, yes. Under the Children of Nebraska Hearing Aid Act, health plans issued or renewed in Nebraska since January 1, 2020 must cover hearing aids and related services — evaluation, fitting, programming, repairs, ear mold impressions, auditory rehabilitation — up to $3,000 per hearing aid every 48 months for kids under 19. Plans can't deny or cancel coverage because of a child's hearing loss. There's no adult mandate, and self-funded employer plans are exempt. Marketplace carriers like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, Medica, Ambetter, Oscar, and UnitedHealthcare are state-regulated, so the children's mandate applies to them.
The Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NCDHH) is your best first call. It connects people of every age to hearing aid banks run with Lions Clubs, Sertoma, and HearU Nebraska. If you're low-income, check whether you qualify for Nebraska Medicaid, which covers hearing aids for both adults and children. The Nebraska Specialized Telecommunications Equipment Program (NSTEP), run through the Public Service Commission, offers vouchers for phone equipment, and Nebraska VR can pay for hearing aids you need to get or keep a job.
State-regulated plans must cover up to $3,000 per hearing aid per 48-month period for children under 19 — and that includes the services around the device: evaluation, fitting, programming, adjustments, repairs, ear mold impressions, and auditory rehabilitation. If an aid fails to meet prescribed performance targets or can't be repaired, plans must allow a replacement within 3 months of dispensing. If your family chooses an aid costing more than $3,000, you can pay the difference. Kids on Medicaid or CHIP have hearing aids covered too, through the Heritage Health plans.
Yes. Nebraska Medicaid's hearing aid benefit applies through all three Heritage Health managed-care plans: Nebraska Total Care, Molina Healthcare, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan. Coverage works the same way as regular Medicaid. Adults can get one hearing aid per ear every 4 years with a hearing evaluation and a physician's prescription, and prior authorization applies to aids billed at $500.01 or more and to lost or stolen replacements. Ask your plan's member services, or Nebraska Medicaid at 1-877-255-3092, what paperwork your audiologist needs to submit.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.