Nevada Medicaid covers hearing tests, hearing aids, batteries, accessories, and fittings for adults and kids, generally allowing a new hearing aid once every 24 months. Nevada has no state law forcing private insurers to cover hearing aids, but ACA individual and small-group plans in Nevada include hearing aids (one per ear every 3 years) through the state's benchmark benefits plan — check your specific policy. There's also a little-known state program that provides free hearing aids to hard-of-hearing children under 13 in families up to 400% of the poverty level, and Vocational Rehabilitation can buy hearing aids if you need them to work.
By Lilly Seay · Updated July 2026
Nevada Medicaid (Medicaid Services Manual Chapter 2000 - Audiology) covers hearing testing, hearing aids, batteries, accessories, fittings, repairs, and replacements for adults. Hearing aids are generally limited to once every 24 rolling months, with a minimum 12-month manufacturer warranty required. Prior authorization is required for hearing aids, BAHA systems, cochlear implant parts, and related supplies/repairs (Form FA-1; PA department 800-525-2395). Batteries are limited to one package of four per hearing aid per month for adults 21+ — more frequent requests need prior authorization. Audiological testing requires a physician referral. Most members in Clark and Washoe counties receive benefits through Medicaid managed-care plans, so authorizations may go through the MCO. Verify current limits with the Division of Health Care Financing and Policy, as MSM chapters are updated periodically.
Federal EPSDT law (42 U.S.C. § 1396d(r)(4)) requires every state — Nevada included — to cover hearing aids for Medicaid-enrolled children under 21 at no cost to the family. Children under 21 are covered under EPSDT — hearing screenings, exams, hearing aids, and replacements are covered when medically necessary, and children may exceed standard limits (like monthly battery caps) when medically necessary. Nevada's separate CHIP program is Nevada Check Up, which covers hearing services on similar terms; families apply through Access Nevada (accessnevada.dwss.nv.gov). Separately, state law (NRS 427A.610) gives hard-of-hearing children under 13 in lower-income families access to free hearing aids through the Aging and Disability Services Division.
Nevada has no state statute mandating hearing aid coverage in private plans for any age — NCHAM lists Nevada as 'No Legislation,' and Children Now's 2024 list of 32 states with children's hearing aid mandates does not include Nevada. However, Nevada's EHB benchmark plan includes hearing aid coverage of one hearing aid per ear every 3 years, so ACA-compliant individual and small-group plans in Nevada generally must include it. Large-group and ERISA self-funded employer plans are not required to cover hearing aids. Bills to create a children's mandate have not passed; instead, Nevada created a direct state program for young children (NRS 427A.610).
Statute: No statute; coverage flows from Nevada's ACA Essential Health Benefits benchmark plan
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.
Nevada's hearing coverage runs through a handful of carriers that wear multiple hats: Health Plan of Nevada, Anthem, SilverSummit, and Molina all sell Nevada Health Link marketplace plans and also serve as the state's four Medicaid managed-care organizations. Because Nevada's ACA benchmark plan includes hearing aids (one per ear every 3 years), individual and small-group plans from these carriers generally include that benefit, while Medicare Advantage hearing extras vary plan by plan.
A UnitedHealthcare company and one of Nevada's largest insurers, it sells Nevada Health Link plans and is one of the state's four Medicaid MCOs, so it administers Nevada Medicaid's hearing aid benefit (one aid per 24 months with prior authorization) for its members. UnitedHealthcare members generally access hearing aids through the UnitedHealthcare Hearing program; specific allowances vary by plan.
Anthem offers 2026 Nevada Health Link plans through HMO Nevada and its affiliates and is one of Nevada's Medicaid managed-care organizations. Its ACA-compliant individual and small-group plans generally include Nevada's benchmark hearing aid benefit of one aid per ear every 3 years — confirm details in your specific policy.
Centene's Nevada plan serves Medicaid members as SilverSummit Health Plan and sells marketplace coverage under the Ambetter brand. As a Medicaid MCO it follows Nevada Medicaid's audiology rules, including the 24-month hearing aid replacement cycle and prior authorization.
Molina joined Nevada's Medicaid managed-care program in 2022 and also offers 2026 marketplace plans on Nevada Health Link. Medicaid members get the state's standard hearing benefit — testing, aids, batteries, and fittings — administered through the plan.
CareSource is new to Nevada Health Link for 2026, one of ten carriers on the exchange after Aetna's exit at the end of 2025. As an ACA individual-market plan it is generally subject to Nevada's benchmark hearing aid benefit; check the plan's benefit summary for specifics.
Yes. Nevada Medicaid covers hearing tests, hearing aids, batteries, accessories, fittings, repairs, and replacements for adults, generally allowing a new hearing aid once every 24 months with a required 12-month manufacturer warranty. Hearing aids need prior authorization, audiological testing needs a physician referral, and adults 21 and over get one package of four batteries per aid each month. If you live in Clark or Washoe County, you likely get these benefits through a managed-care plan — Health Plan of Nevada, Anthem, SilverSummit, or Molina — so start by calling the number on your card.
Nevada has no state law forcing private insurers to cover hearing aids at any age. But there's good news hiding in the fine print: Nevada's ACA benchmark benefits plan includes hearing aids — one per ear every 3 years — so individual and small-group plans sold in Nevada, including Nevada Health Link marketplace plans, generally must include that coverage. Large-group and self-funded employer plans don't have to, though many choose to. Check your policy documents or call your insurer to confirm what your specific plan includes.
If you qualify for Nevada Medicaid, hearing aids are covered for both adults and kids — that's the first door to try. Nevada also has a little-known Children's Hearing Aid Program that provides free hearing aids to hard-of-hearing children under 13 in families earning up to 400% of the poverty level, run by the Aging and Disability Services Division. If hearing loss is affecting your ability to work, Nevada Vocational Rehabilitation can buy hearing aids for you. And the state's Communication Access Services can help with other assistive needs.
Generally, yes. Because Nevada's essential-health-benefits benchmark plan includes one hearing aid per ear every 3 years, ACA-compliant individual and small-group plans sold on Nevada Health Link are built on that benefit set. For 2026, ten carriers offer marketplace plans — including Health Plan of Nevada, Anthem, Ambetter (SilverSummit), Molina, SelectHealth, Hometown Health, and newcomer CareSource — though cost-sharing and provider networks differ. Before you buy or use a plan, check its summary of benefits for the hearing aid line item and any prior-authorization rules.
Yes — and it's one Nevada families often don't hear about. Under state law (NRS 427A.610), the Children's Hearing Aid Program through the Aging and Disability Services Division provides free hearing aids to hard-of-hearing children under age 13 whose families earn up to 400% of the federal poverty level. That's in addition to Nevada Medicaid and Nevada Check Up, which cover hearing aids for eligible kids. If your child has hearing loss and money is tight, contact ADSD to ask about the program — it exists precisely because Nevada has no private-insurance mandate for kids.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.