New Hampshire is one of the friendliest states in the country for hearing aid coverage: a state law makes most private insurance plans pay at least $1,500 per hearing aid every five years for both kids and adults, and NH Medicaid also covers hearing aids. If money is still tight, NH Vocational Rehabilitation can help pay for hearing aids you need for work, and programs like ATinNH and NH-TEAP can get assistive devices and amplified phones into your hands for free or at a deep discount.
By Lilly Seay · Updated October 2026
NH Medicaid covers hearing aids for adults 21 and older under the state's rules (He-W 567). An adult qualifies for one aid with a hearing loss in both ears averaging 35 dBHL or worse (1,000 to 4,000 Hz), and that single aid does not need prior authorization. A second aid needs prior authorization and is covered only for college or job training, a job-related hearing need, or legal blindness. Medicaid pays for the least costly aid that meets your needs (or a pocket talker), a hearing aid evaluation once every 2 years, ear molds, and batteries. A replacement is covered when your hearing gets worse or the aid can't be repaired, but not when an adult's aid is lost. Most members get benefits through NH Medicaid Care Management plans.
Medicaid hearing aid coverage in New Hampshire vs. other states: compare all 50 states and DC.
Federal EPSDT law (42 U.S.C. § 1396d(r)(4)) requires every state — New Hampshire included — to cover hearing aids for Medicaid-enrolled children under 21 at no cost to the family. Children under 21 on NH Medicaid get hearing exams, hearing aids, fittings, and repairs under the federal EPSDT requirement whenever medically necessary. New Hampshire's CHIP program is folded into regular NH Medicaid (families apply once through the NH EASY portal or DHHS and children receive full Medicaid benefits through the same managed-care plans), so there is no separate CHIP benefit package to navigate.
Since January 1, 2011, state-regulated health plans must cover hearing aids for each ear as needed, plus the professional services to assess, select, and fit them, at no less than $1,500 per hearing aid every 60 months. There is no age limit — adults and children are both covered — and cost-sharing can't be worse than for other benefits. You may choose a more expensive hearing aid and pay the difference yourself. The statute excludes batteries, cords, and similar accessories, and only licensed audiologists, hearing instrument specialists, or physicians may prescribe and dispense the aids. Self-funded (ERISA) employer plans are exempt.
Statute: NH RSA 415:6-p (individual policies) and RSA 415:18-u (group policies)
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.
New Hampshire's market is small but unusually good for hearing coverage: state law makes fully insured plans from carriers like Anthem, Harvard Pilgrim, Ambetter, and WellSense pay at least $1,500 per hearing aid every 60 months for members of any age, and the three Medicaid Care Management plans deliver NH Medicaid's hearing aid benefit.
Anthem is one of four insurers on New Hampshire's 2026 marketplace, selling through Matthew Thornton Health Plan. As a state-regulated carrier, its fully insured NH plans must cover hearing aids at no less than $1,500 per aid every 60 months for adults and children under RSA 415:6-p and 415:18-u.
Centene operates on both sides of the NH market: Celtic Insurance Company sells 2026 marketplace plans under the Ambetter brand, while sister plan New Hampshire Healthy Families is one of the state's three Medicaid Care Management organizations administering NH Medicaid's hearing aid benefit. Its state-regulated marketplace plans are subject to New Hampshire's $1,500-per-aid hearing mandate.
A longtime New England carrier offering 2026 individual plans on New Hampshire's federally facilitated marketplace. Its fully insured NH plans fall under the state hearing aid mandate — at least $1,500 per hearing aid every 60 months, with no age limit.
WellSense sells 2026 marketplace plans in New Hampshire and is also one of the three NH Medicaid Care Management plans, so many Granite Staters encounter it in both roles. Medicaid members get hearing aid coverage under the state's rules, including prior authorization when an adult needs a second aid.
One of New Hampshire's three Medicaid Care Management organizations. It administers NH Medicaid benefits, including hearing aid evaluations every two years for adults 21+ and coverage of the least costly appropriate hearing aid (one aid needs no prior authorization; a second aid does).
Yes. NH Medicaid covers hearing aids for adults 21 and over who have a hearing loss in both ears averaging 35 dBHL or worse. One hearing aid doesn't need prior authorization. A second aid does, and it's covered only if you need it for college or job training, for your job, or if you are legally blind. Medicaid pays for the least costly aid that meets your needs, a hearing aid evaluation once every two years, ear molds, and batteries. Most members get their benefits through one of the three Medicaid Care Management plans (AmeriHealth Caritas, NH Healthy Families, or WellSense), so call your plan to get started.
Yes — New Hampshire is one of the friendliest states in the country on this. Since 2011, state-regulated health plans must cover hearing aids for each ear as needed, plus the professional services to assess, select, and fit them, at no less than $1,500 per hearing aid every 60 months (RSA 415:6-p and 415:18-u). There's no age limit, and cost-sharing can't be worse than for other benefits. You can pick a pricier aid and pay the difference. The catch: self-funded employer (ERISA) plans are exempt, and batteries aren't included.
NH Medicaid covers hearing aids if you qualify, and most private plans must pay at least $1,500 per aid every five years under state law — so start with the coverage you already have. Beyond that, the NH Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation can help pay for hearing aids you need to get or keep a job. Assistive Technology in New Hampshire (ATinNH) and the NH Telecommunications Equipment Assistance Program (NH-TEAP) can get assistive devices and amplified phones to you free or deeply discounted, and Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services offers community support.
Yes — and that's what makes it special. Many states only require hearing aid coverage for children, but New Hampshire's law has no age limit: adults and kids alike are entitled to at least $1,500 per hearing aid every 60 months from state-regulated insurance plans, covering the aid itself plus the professional services to assess, select, and fit it. Only licensed audiologists, hearing instrument specialists, or physicians may prescribe and dispense the aids. If your employer's plan is self-funded (common at large companies), it's exempt — ask HR which type you have.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.