Oregon is one of the friendlier states for hearing coverage. The Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) covers hearing aids — including batteries, fitting, and repair — for both adults and children, and state law also makes private insurers cover hearing aids for young people through age 25 (if still in school) with no dollar cap in the current statute. Free adaptive phone equipment is available to any Oregonian with hearing loss through the PUC's TDAP program.
By Lilly Seay · Updated July 2026
The Oregon Health Plan (OHP) covers hearing aids and related batteries, dispensing, fitting and repair, plus hearing exams by a licensed physician, audiologist, or hearing aid specialist, for adults as well as children — the OHP benefits page lists these with no age restriction. Most members receive benefits through a Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), and CCOs may require prior authorization or a referral; replacement intervals are set by OHA Prioritized List and CCO policy rather than stated on the member benefits page. Confirm details with your CCO or OHP Care Coordination at 800-562-4620.
Federal EPSDT law (42 U.S.C. § 1396d(r)(4)) requires every state — Oregon included — to cover hearing aids for Medicaid-enrolled children under 21 at no cost to the family. Children under 21 on OHP get hearing screenings, audiology, and hearing aids under the federal EPSDT guarantee. Oregon runs its CHIP program as part of the Oregon Health Plan — families apply once through ONE.Oregon.gov (or by calling 800-699-9075) and children are placed in OHP/CHIP based on income; nearly all Oregon kids qualify for some coverage under Oregon's expanded child eligibility.
State-regulated health plans must cover one hearing aid per hearing-impaired ear every 36 months (more often for enrollees under 19 if modifications cannot meet their needs) for enrollees 18 or younger, and for enrollees age 19-25 who are enrolled in a secondary school or accredited educational institution. Coverage includes ear molds (4+ per year under age 8, annually for ages 8-25), one box of replacement batteries per aid per year, diagnostic and treatment services (twice yearly under age 4, yearly after), bone conduction sound processors when necessary for appropriate amplification, assistive listening devices for those under 19, and repair or replacement parts regardless of the device's age. The current statute (last amended 2023, ch. 424) contains no dollar cap — older versions capped the benefit at $4,000 per aid every 48 months — and insurers cannot penalize audiologists when patients pay the difference above the benefit. Bilateral cochlear implants are separately mandated under ORS 743A.140, including fitting, programming, and repair. ERISA self-funded employer plans are exempt. No mandate for adults 26+ out of school.
Statute: ORS 743A.141
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.
Oregon's coverage landscape is unusually regional: six carriers sell 2026 marketplace plans (Providence and PacificSource exit after 2026), sixteen coordinated care organizations deliver Oregon Health Plan benefits — including its adult hearing aid coverage — and more than half of Oregon's Medicare beneficiaries choose Medicare Advantage plans from carriers like Providence, Kaiser Permanente, and Regence.
Statewide 2026 marketplace carrier and a leading Medicare Advantage competitor. Hearing aid benefits on its MA plans vary by plan, and its state-regulated commercial plans must follow Oregon's hearing aid mandate for members through age 25 under ORS 743A.141.
Offers 2026 marketplace plans in 11 Oregon counties and is a major Medicare Advantage carrier in the Portland area. Its state-regulated plans are subject to Oregon's under-26 hearing aid mandate; hearing aid coverage on other plans varies, so check plan documents.
A statewide 2026 marketplace carrier that will exit the individual market after 2026, while continuing its large Providence Medicare Advantage business. Hearing aid benefits on its MA plans vary by plan year and county.
Oregon-based insurer selling 2026 individual plans statewide. As a state-regulated carrier its plans must cover hearing aids for enrollees 18 and younger and for those 19-25 still in school, per ORS 743A.141.
Sells 2026 marketplace plans (exiting that market after 2026), offers Medicare Advantage, and its PacificSource Community Solutions CCOs serve OHP members in Central Oregon, the Columbia Gorge, and Marion/Polk counties — where OHP's hearing aid benefit for adults and children applies.
The largest of Oregon's 16 CCOs, serving OHP members in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties. OHP covers hearing aids, batteries, fitting, and repair for adults and children, with prior authorization or referral rules set by each CCO.
Yes — this is one of the best things about coverage in Oregon. The Oregon Health Plan covers hearing aids plus batteries, dispensing, fitting, and repair, along with hearing exams by a licensed physician, audiologist, or hearing aid specialist, for adults as well as children. Most members get their benefits through one of 16 coordinated care organizations (like Health Share of Oregon or PacificSource Community Solutions), and your CCO may require prior authorization or a referral first. Replacement timing follows OHA and CCO policy, so confirm details with your CCO or call OHP Care Coordination at 800-562-4620.
Yes, for young people through age 25. Under ORS 743A.141, state-regulated plans must cover one hearing aid per impaired ear every 36 months for enrollees 18 or younger, and for those 19-25 who are enrolled in school. The benefit includes ear molds, a box of replacement batteries per aid each year, bone conduction processors when needed, and repairs regardless of the device's age — with no dollar cap in the current statute. Bilateral cochlear implants are separately mandated under ORS 743A.140. Self-funded employer plans are exempt, and there's no mandate for adults 26 and older who are out of school.
If you qualify for the Oregon Health Plan, hearing aids, batteries, fitting, and repairs are covered at any age — that's the first door to try. Beyond that, the PUC's Telecommunication Devices Access Program (TDAP) provides free adaptive phone equipment to any Oregonian with hearing loss. If hearing loss is getting in the way of finding or keeping a job, Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation may help pay for hearing aids as part of an employment plan. And Access Technologies, Inc., the statewide assistive technology program, lets you borrow and try devices before committing.
Often, yes — and more than half of Oregon's Medicare beneficiaries choose Medicare Advantage, which is where hearing coverage lives since Original Medicare excludes hearing aids. Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, Providence, Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealthcare (through its UnitedHealthcare Hearing network), Humana (through TruHearing on select plans), and PacificSource all offer MA plans in Oregon with varying hearing benefits. Because allowances and copays differ by plan and county, compare each plan's evidence of coverage or call the carrier before open enrollment ends.
Yes, in most cases. Oregon's mandate under ORS 743A.141 doesn't stop at 18 — it covers enrollees ages 19 through 25 who are enrolled in a secondary school or an accredited educational institution, which includes college students. State-regulated plans must cover one hearing aid per impaired ear every 36 months, plus annual ear molds for ages 8-25, a yearly box of replacement batteries per aid, and repairs no matter how old the device is. The current statute has no dollar cap. The catch: self-funded employer plans follow federal law instead, so ask your insurer whether your plan is state-regulated.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.