Regence Medicare Advantage plans include hearing aids for $499–$999 per aid through TruHearing, and Washington plans plus Oregon individual plans now cover hearing aids under state law — but Utah and Idaho Regence plans still exclude them for adults.
By Lilly Seay · Updated July 2026
Regence's 2026 Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO plans cover up to two prescription hearing aids per year through TruHearing, with a $0 copay hearing exam when TruHearing schedules it with a TruHearing network provider. Your copay per aid is $499 (TruHearing Standard, average retail $1,719), $699 (Advanced, average retail $2,720) or $999 (Premium, average retail $3,250) — a savings of roughly $1,220 to $2,251 per aid. The purchase includes a 60-day risk-free trial, one year of follow-up visits, 80 free batteries per non-rechargeable aid and a 3-year warranty that covers repairs plus one-time loss-and-damage replacement; a rechargeable option adds $50 per aid on select styles. You must start with TruHearing at 1-855-205-6338 — visiting a provider without going through TruHearing first can mean no coverage. Regence sells Medicare Advantage plans in Washington, Oregon and Utah; members in eastern Washington are served by affiliate Asuris Northwest Health, which also lists a Medicare Advantage hearing aid benefit administered through TruHearing (confirm your plan's copays at asuris.com).
Washington made hearing aids a legal requirement for every health plan issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026 — a 2025 law (SSB 5262, amending RCW 48.43.135) extends the mandate to individual and small-group plans and bans any dollar limit, and the state's updated essential health benefits add an annual hearing exam plus one hearing aid per ear with hearing loss every three years, at any age. In Oregon, Regence's own 2026 individual policy covers hearing aids at 20% coinsurance in-network, one aid per ear every 36 months, plus one box of replacement batteries per aid per year, ear molds, assistive listening devices and cochlear implants (routine hearing exams are not covered, and out-of-network hearing aid claims pay nothing). Oregon's statute (ORS 743A.141) names children 18 and under and students 19–25, but Regence's 2026 Oregon policy language has no age limit — adults get the same benefit. Regence's 2026 Utah individual policy explicitly excludes hearing aids of every kind except cochlear implants. Idaho added children's hearing aids to its benchmark plan in 2020 (one aid per ear every 36 months for dependent children) but has no adult mandate, so adult hearing aids are generally excluded there. Always check your policy's hearing section or the SBC's "Excluded Services & Other Covered Services" box.
If your Regence card comes from a fully insured Washington employer with 51 or more employees, state law (ESHB 1222) has required hearing aid coverage since January 1, 2024 — at least $3,000 per ear with hearing loss every 36 months. For plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, that dollar figure disappears entirely: carriers must cover hearing instruments every 36 months per ear with no lifetime or annual dollar limit, and the benefit isn't subject to your deductible unless you're on an HSA-qualified high-deductible plan. Washington small-group plans join the mandate in 2026 too. Fully insured Oregon groups must cover hearing aids at least for children 18 and under and enrolled students through 25 under ORS 743A.141; Utah and Idaho have no adult mandate, so most fully insured plans there exclude adult hearing aids unless the employer buys coverage. Self-funded employer plans (common at large companies) are governed by federal ERISA law and exempt from state insurance mandates — Regence only administers them, and the employer decides whether hearing aids are covered, so ask HR or call the number on your card. Regence-administered Washington public-employee plans are covered: UMP (PEBB) moves from $3,000 per ear every three years to one prescribed hearing aid per ear every 36 months at the allowed amount for 2026.
All Regence members — even on plans that exclude hearing aids — get the Regence Advantages discount program at no extra cost. It includes two hearing options: TruHearing Choice (30%–60% off name-brand hearing aids, with a hearing exam, one year of follow-up visits, a 60-day risk-free trial, 80 free batteries per non-rechargeable aid and a 3-year warranty — call TruHearing at 1-800-334-1807) and Amplifon Hearing Health Care (an average of 56% off retail on over 2,800 hearing solutions, with a 60-day risk-free trial, one year of follow-up care, two years of batteries and a 3-year warranty — call 1-888-787-6009). These are discounts, not insurance, so they don't count toward your deductible — but for a Utah or Idaho member paying cash, they can cut thousands off the price of a pair, and you can pay with HSA or FSA dollars.
Three big shifts hit Regence's footprint recently. First, Washington's large-group mandate took effect January 1, 2024 (at least $3,000 per ear every 36 months), and a 2025 law removed the dollar figure for plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026 in favor of one hearing instrument per ear every 36 months with no dollar limits. Second, that same law plus Washington's essential health benefits update extended hearing aid coverage to individual and small-group plans starting January 1, 2026 — the biggest expansion of hearing coverage in Regence's history. Third, a class-action lawsuit (E.S. v. Regence BlueShield, W.D. Wash. No. 2:17-cv-01609) over Regence's old hearing aid exclusions in Washington ended in a $3 million settlement: members who paid out of pocket for hearing aids not covered by Regence between October 30, 2014 and December 31, 2025 could file claims at wahearingaidsettlement.com, with objection and approval deadlines in March 2026. Meanwhile, Regence's 2026 Medicare Advantage TruHearing copays ($499/$699/$999) held steady.
It depends on your plan and your state. All Regence Medicare Advantage plans cover hearing aids in 2026 — you pay $499 to $999 per aid through TruHearing, up to two aids per year. In Washington, every plan issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026 must cover one hearing instrument per ear every 36 months, with no dollar limits. Oregon individual plans cover one aid per ear every 36 months at 20% in-network coinsurance. In Utah, Regence individual plans exclude hearing aids (cochlear implants are the exception), and Idaho requires coverage only for dependent children — though every member gets 30–60% discounts through Regence Advantages.
In 2026, Regence Medicare Advantage members pay a flat copay per aid through TruHearing: $499 for TruHearing Standard, $699 for Advanced, or $999 for Premium — compared to average retail prices of $1,719 to $3,250. The plan covers up to two aids per year, and your hearing exam is a $0 copay when TruHearing schedules it. The price includes a 60-day risk-free trial, a year of follow-up visits, 80 free batteries per non-rechargeable aid and a 3-year warranty; rechargeable models add $50 per aid. The one rule that trips people up: you must call TruHearing first at 1-855-205-6338, or the benefit may not apply.
Yes, on most plans now. Since January 1, 2024, fully insured Washington employer plans (outside small group) must cover hearing aids at no less than $3,000 per ear every 36 months. For plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, a 2025 state law goes further: every Washington health plan — individual and small group included — must cover one hearing instrument per ear every 36 months, with no lifetime or annual dollar limits, at any age, and generally not subject to your deductible. The gap: self-funded employer plans follow federal ERISA law and set their own rules — ask HR or call Regence to confirm yours.
Oregon: yes on individual plans. Regence's 2026 Oregon policy covers hearing aids at 20% coinsurance in-network — one aid per ear every 36 months, plus a box of replacement batteries per aid each year, ear molds and assistive listening devices. Oregon's statute names children and students up to 25, but Regence's 2026 policy has no age limit, so adults get the benefit too. Utah: no — the 2026 Regence Utah individual policy excludes hearing aids except cochlear implants. Idaho: dependent children get one aid per ear every 36 months under the state benchmark, but there's no adult mandate. Utah and Idaho members can still save 30–60% through Regence Advantages.
Call TruHearing before you do anything else — that's the whole trick. Medicare Advantage members call 1-855-205-6338 (TTY 711, 8am–8pm Monday–Friday); members using the Regence Advantages discount call TruHearing customer service at 1-800-334-1807. A TruHearing consultant checks your benefit, schedules a hearing exam with a licensed network provider near you, and handles the ordering. After your exam, you order the aids, then return for fitting and follow-ups, which are included for a year. If you visit a provider without going through TruHearing first, your exam and aids may not be covered at the benefit price.
Not as insurance — but you're not on your own. Every Regence member automatically gets Regence Advantages, a free discount program with two hearing partners: TruHearing Choice (30%–60% off major-brand aids, including a hearing exam, 60-day trial, one year of follow-ups, 80 batteries per non-rechargeable aid and a 3-year warranty) and Amplifon (an average of 56% off retail, with two years of batteries). These discounts don't count toward your deductible, but you can pay with HSA or FSA dollars. Also worth knowing: Washington members whose Regence plans excluded hearing aids between late 2014 and 2025 were covered by a $3 million class-action settlement — proof these exclusions are disappearing.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.