Utah Medicaid covers hearing aids for children under 21 (and for pregnant members), but regular adults on Medicaid get no hearing aid benefit, and Utah has no law requiring private insurance to cover hearing aids at any age. The bright spot for families is the Children's Hearing Aid Program (CHAP), which provides hearing aids to financially eligible kids — originally ages 0-5, and expanded in October 2023 to a pilot covering children under 18. Adults can turn to Vocational Rehabilitation for work-related hearing aids and Relay Utah for free amplified or captioned phones.
By Lilly Seay · Updated July 2026
Utah Medicaid does not cover hearing aids for non-pregnant adults 21 and older — the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Services provider manual (updated Sept 2025) covers audiology/hearing aid benefits as federally mandated only for EPSDT-eligible members (under 21) and pregnant members. For pregnant members: prior authorization is required; a monaural aid is authorized with a 35 dB+ average loss (500/1,000/2,000 Hz) in one ear, binaural with 30 dB+ average loss in both ears (or blindness, where a monaural aid is contraindicated); the global rate includes the initial earmold, fitting, follow-up, and battery provision for 12 months; replacement every 5 years when medically appropriate (exceptions for accident, surgery, disease); repairs need no prior authorization. Most physical-health services run through Accountable Care Organizations (managed care) along the Wasatch Front. No 2024-2026 change adding a general adult benefit was found.
Federal EPSDT law (42 U.S.C. § 1396d(r)(4)) requires every state — Utah included — to cover hearing aids for Medicaid-enrolled children under 21 at no cost to the family. Members under 21 receive audiology exams, hearing aid assessment, aids, earmolds, fitting, follow-up, batteries, and repairs under EPSDT (Utah's CHEC program); hearing aids require prior authorization and replacement is authorized when medically necessary at a 3-year interval (sooner for accident/surgery/disease exceptions). Utah also runs a separate CHIP for uninsured children in families over Medicaid limits, administered by DHHS with hearing services among covered benefits; families apply for Medicaid/CHIP together at medicaid.utah.gov or through the Department of Workforce Services.
Utah has no statute requiring state-regulated private health plans to cover hearing aids for children or adults — the EHDI/infanthearing.org tracker lists only Utah's state-funded CHAP program (not an insurance mandate), and no 2025-2027 mandate was found. Coverage depends on the individual plan; ERISA self-funded plans would be exempt from any state mandate in any case.
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.
Utah has no hearing aid insurance mandate, so what you get depends entirely on which carrier and plan you pick. Six insurers sell 2026 marketplace plans, and four ACO health plans run most of Utah Medicaid — fittingly, hearing-benefits administrator TruHearing is headquartered right in Draper, Utah.
The Intermountain Health-affiliated insurer is one of six carriers on Utah's 2026 marketplace and runs one of the state's four Medicaid ACO plans, SelectHealth Community Care. With no Utah hearing aid mandate, hearing coverage varies by plan — check your benefits summary or call member services.
Regence and its affiliate BridgeSpan Health together account for two of Utah's six 2026 individual-market carriers. Utah law does not require hearing aid coverage, so any hearing benefit is plan-specific — review your policy documents to see what is included.
University of Utah Health Plans sells individual marketplace plans and operates Healthy U, one of the four Medicaid ACO options. For Medicaid members, hearing aids follow the state benefit: covered for children under 21 and pregnant members, not for other adults.
Molina is one of Utah's four Medicaid ACO plans, and its marketplace footprint has shrunk to a couple of southwest Utah counties. As a Medicaid plan it follows Utah's rules — hearing aids for children under 21 and pregnant members only.
One of the four ACO health plans Utah Medicaid members choose from in the state's mandatory managed-care counties. Hearing aid coverage follows the state Medicaid benefit, which excludes non-pregnant adults 21 and older.
The nation's largest Medicare Advantage carrier is a common choice among the roughly 25 MA plans available to the average Utah beneficiary. UnitedHealthcare runs member hearing benefits through its UnitedHealthcare Hearing program; coverage and hearing aid pricing depend on your specific plan, so sign in or call to check.
No — Utah Medicaid does not cover hearing aids for non-pregnant adults 21 and older. Coverage exists for children under 21 through EPSDT and for pregnant members, who can get a hearing aid with prior authorization when hearing loss meets the state's criteria (a 35 dB or greater average loss for one aid, 30 dB or greater in both ears for two). The covered rate includes the earmold, fitting, follow-up, and a year of batteries. If you're an adult who needs help, look at Vocational Rehabilitation and the state programs below instead.
No. Utah has no law requiring private health insurance to cover hearing aids for children or adults — one of the gaps that makes hearing care harder here than in neighboring states with mandates. That means coverage depends entirely on the plan you or your employer chose, and self-funded employer (ERISA) plans set their own rules anyway. Some plans do include a hearing benefit or a discount program, so it's always worth calling the number on your insurance card and asking specifically about hearing aids, exams, and fittings before you buy.
Utah's brightest spot is the Children's Hearing Aid Program (CHAP), which provides hearing aids to financially eligible kids — originally ages 0-5, and expanded in October 2023 to a pilot covering children under 18. For adults, the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation's Vocational Rehabilitation program can fund hearing aids when hearing loss affects your ability to work. Relay Utah provides free amplified and captioned phones, and the Utah Assistive Technology Program (UATP) can help with device loans and low-cost options. Each program has its own application, so start with the one that fits your situation.
CHAP is a state-funded program that provides hearing aids to children in financially eligible Utah families — a real lifeline, since Utah has no insurance mandate and Medicaid only covers kids and pregnant members. The program originally served children from birth through age 5, then expanded in October 2023 with a pilot covering children under 18. It is a direct state program, not an insurance requirement, so you apply through the Utah Department of Health and Human Services rather than through your insurer. If your child has hearing loss and money is tight, CHAP is the first door to knock on.
The four ACO plans — Health Choice Utah, Healthy U, Molina, and SelectHealth Community Care — all follow the same state Medicaid benefit, so switching plans won't unlock adult hearing aid coverage. Children under 21 and pregnant members are covered through any of them; other adults are not. Repairs to a covered hearing aid don't need prior authorization, and replacements are allowed every five years when medically appropriate. If you're pregnant or your child needs hearing aids, call your ACO's member services line to start the prior-authorization process.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.