Washington's hearing aid mandate now reaches nearly all Premera and LifeWise state-regulated plans — hearing instruments every 36 months per ear with no dollar cap on plans issued or renewed in 2026 — while Alaska members rely on a standalone Dental-Vision-Hearing plan or member discounts, and Premera no longer sells Medicare Advantage.
By Lilly Seay · Updated July 2026
Premera exited the Medicare Advantage market on January 1, 2025, citing changing market conditions and financial pressures, so there are no Premera MA plans (and no MA hearing aid allowance) for 2026 — the roughly 32,000 affected Washington members had to choose new carriers. Its old MA plans had offered $1,000 per ear per year through Hearing Care Solutions, with the three lowest of six technology levels at $0 member cost; that benefit is gone. Premera still sells Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans in Washington and Alaska to more than 58,000 members, and Medigap follows Original Medicare, which does not cover hearing aids at all. What Medigap members do get is the TruHearing discount program: a hearing exam at no charge, fixed discounted pricing, a 2-year battery supply for non-rechargeable devices (up to 64 cells per ear per year), a 60-day evaluation period, and a 3-year warranty covering loss, damage, and repair.
Washington added hearing instruments to its essential health benefits benchmark plan (CMS approved the update in October 2024), so individual and small-group plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026 must cover prescription hearing aids — including bone conduction devices — plus the initial assessment, fitting, adjustment, auditory training, and ear molds. Under RCW 48.43.135 and Premera's own benefit guideline (1.01.528), coverage is one hearing instrument per ear with hearing loss every 36 months with no annual or lifetime dollar limit, in-network or out, and it is exempt from your deductible unless you have an HSA-qualified plan. Prior authorization may be required, and over-the-counter hearing aids (including the Hearing Aid Feature software used with compatible Apple AirPods Pro) are excluded. For children under 18, coverage requires medical clearance within the preceding six months from an otolaryngologist (or a licensed physician confirming no change since that evaluation). Premera sells 2026 individual plans in 9 WA counties (Franklin, Grays Harbor, King, Kitsap, Lincoln, Pacific, Pierce, Spokane, Yakima); LifeWise in 31.
If your employer buys a fully insured Premera plan in Washington, ESHB 1222 (2023) has required hearing instrument coverage on large-group non-grandfathered plans since January 1, 2024 — no less than $3,000 per ear with hearing loss every 36 months — and once a plan is issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, the dollar cap disappears entirely and small groups are included too. The honest catch: most workers at big employers are in self-funded plans under federal ERISA rules — KFF's 2025 survey found 67% of all covered workers, and 80% at firms with 200 or more employees, are in self-funded plans. Premera only administers those plans; the employer chooses whether hearing aids are covered, and state mandates do not apply. Some self-funded employers do add hearing aid coverage voluntarily. Check your benefit booklet or ask HR whether your plan is 'fully insured' or 'self-funded' — that one word decides your hearing benefit.
Alaska has no state law requiring private insurers to cover adult hearing aids, and Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska's standard individual plans generally treat hearing aids as an excluded service — check your plan's SBC to confirm. What Alaska does have is unusual: the state requires that all Alaska health plan members be informed about standalone Dental, Vision, and Hearing plans, and Premera sells one that any Alaska resident can buy with no health statement and no medical declines. Its hearing benefit pays 80% of allowed charges up to a $3,000 maximum per 3 benefit years, covering one hearing aid per ear every 3 benefit years plus physician and audiologist exams, with a written physician certification of hearing loss required. Annual contract prices in the 2024 brochure ranged from $914–$966 for the youngest members to $1,763 for ages 70–79 — check current rates before enrolling.
Premera plans include hearing discounts from three programs, useful whenever your plan has no hearing aid benefit or you've used it up. TruHearing (855-544-3123): save up to 60% on hearing aids — Premera members save an average of $980 — with a comprehensive hearing exam and provider consultation included. Amplifon Hearing Health Care (888-659-7107): an average of 62% off retail, a risk-free 60-day money-back trial, 2 years of batteries (up to 80 cells per device), and a 3-year warranty covering loss and damage. Hearing Care Solutions (866-344-7756): a free annual hearing exam, fixed discounted pricing across five technology levels, a two-year battery supply (up to 128 cells), and a three-year warranty covering loss, damage, and repair. These are discounts, not insurance, and can be discontinued at any time.
Three big shifts. First, Washington's ESHB 1222 (Chapter 245, Laws of 2023) took effect for plan years starting January 1, 2024, forcing large-group fully insured plans to cover hearing aids at no less than $3,000 per ear every 36 months. Second, Premera exited Medicare Advantage entirely on January 1, 2025, ending its $1,000-per-ear MA hearing benefit. Third, on January 1, 2026, hearing instruments became a Washington essential health benefit: as plans renew, individual and small-group members gain coverage, and the statute now prohibits any annual or lifetime dollar limit on the benefit. Premera updated its hearing aid benefit guideline (1.01.528) effective January 1, 2026 to add the new mandate language and pediatric criteria, with its latest annual review approved January 12, 2026. Note Premera does not run Medicaid plans — Washington Apple Health is served by other managed-care carriers, and Alaska Medicaid is state-run.
It depends on your state and plan type, but for Washington members the answer is increasingly yes. Washington law (RCW 48.43.135) has required fully insured large-group plans to cover hearing aids since 2024 — at least $3,000 per ear every 36 months — and as of January 1, 2026, individual and small-group plans get the benefit too, with no dollar cap at all as plans renew. Coverage includes the exam, fitting, adjustments, and ear molds. Alaska plans generally don't cover adult hearing aids, and self-funded employer plans set their own rules. Every Premera member gets hearing discounts — up to 60% off through TruHearing, an average 62% off retail through Amplifon, plus Hearing Care Solutions fixed pricing.
No — Premera left the Medicare Advantage market on January 1, 2025, so there are no Premera MA plans in 2026 and the old $1,000-per-ear annual hearing benefit is gone. If you moved to another carrier's MA plan, check that plan's Evidence of Coverage for its hearing allowance. Premera still sells Medicare Supplement plans in Washington and Alaska, but Medigap follows Original Medicare, which doesn't cover hearing aids. Medigap members do keep access to the TruHearing discount program: a free hearing exam, fixed discounted pricing, a 60-day evaluation period, batteries, and a 3-year warranty.
A lot. Since January 1, 2026, every state-regulated Premera and LifeWise plan issued or renewed — individual, small group, and large group — must cover hearing instruments, including bone conduction devices, once every 36 months per ear with hearing loss. The law now forbids any annual or lifetime dollar limit on the benefit, in-network or out, and the benefit is exempt from your deductible unless you're on an HSA-qualified plan. Coverage includes the initial assessment, fitting, adjustments, auditory training, and ear molds. Prior authorization may still be required, and the benefit applies as your plan renews, so early-2026 purchases on a not-yet-renewed plan may fall under old rules.
Ask HR one question first: is the plan fully insured or self-funded? If it's fully insured in Washington, state law requires hearing aid coverage — since 2024 for large groups (at least $3,000 per ear every 36 months) and, once the plan renews on or after January 1, 2026, with no dollar cap and small groups included. If it's self-funded, your employer — not Premera or the state — decides the benefits under federal ERISA rules, and most workers at large companies are in self-funded plans (80% at firms with 200+ employees, per KFF's 2025 survey). Some self-funded plans do cover hearing aids voluntarily, so check your benefit booklet's hearing section before assuming you're out of luck.
Alaska has no state mandate requiring hearing aid coverage in private plans, and standard Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska plans generally list hearing aids as an excluded service — check your SBC's 'Excluded Services' section to confirm. You have two solid paths. First, Premera's standalone Dental, Vision, and Hearing plan: any Alaska resident can enroll with no health statement, and it pays 80% of allowed charges up to $3,000 per 3 benefit years, covering one hearing aid per ear every 3 benefit years plus exams. Second, the member discount programs — up to 60% off through TruHearing, an average 62% off retail through Amplifon, and fixed pricing through Hearing Care Solutions.
No. Premera's benefit coverage guideline (1.01.528) and the Washington mandate both exclude over-the-counter hearing aids — and Premera's policy specifically names the Hearing Aid Feature software used with compatible Apple AirPods Pro as not covered. To use your insurance benefit, you need prescription hearing aids dispensed after a proper hearing evaluation showing documented hearing loss (Premera's medical-necessity criteria reference moderate loss of 40 to 60 dB). That's not all bad news: going the prescription route through TruHearing, Amplifon, or Hearing Care Solutions gets you professional fitting, follow-up care, a trial period, and a multi-year warranty that OTC devices rarely match.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.