Having worn hearing aids a long time (don't turn sh*t up to 11), I should point out that they require setting per-ear and one can have multiple programs (voice, music, ...). My fear of rechargeable aids is that with serious+ loss they'd burn through batteries in a (very) short time and if they're not replaceable it makes the aids disposable. Fitting is helpful as it's also done for mid-high earphones.

This will have to be paid for somehow, and somebody has to do the tests to know what to set. Same as glasses. So we should be able to get the raw aids at a lower cost and then deal with the extras. Costco sells reduced priced aids, so there's a little flexibility in the industry.

For my last set pre-covid, there were behind-ear (big), in ear (small) and in ear canal (very small). If you saw True Lies, their "radios" were probably dummy in-ear-canal aids. As I'm not blessed with a 15+ dex and like other posters I don't mind being see so the behind ears are ok. They can be hidden as dangly earrings with a sheath to make it interesting if you'd like. Otherwise, it's a bloody conservative industry re: colors. I wanted blue and red so it matched stereo wires :-).

And my attempt at bluetooth connectivity for phone calls failed as the things could not stay sync'd during conversations. Better to just use a headset.