Comment by codegeek | Hacker News Reader

Comment by codegeek | Hacker News Reader

I did some digging. A bill was originally introduced by Dem Senator Liz Warren but that one did not move further and instead became a "rider" on another bill known as the "FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017"

Here is the original bill "Over the Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017" from Liz Warren:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/670

The bill "FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017" that become the law:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2430

The section for OTC hearing aids says:

"(Sec. 709) The FDA must categorize certain hearing aids as over-the-counter hearing aids and issue regulations regarding those hearing aids. The regulations for over-the-counter hearing aids must: (1) provide reasonable assurances of safety and efficacy; (2) establish output limits and labeling requirements; and (3) describe requirements for the sale of hearing aids in-person, by mail, or online, without a prescription. The FDA must determine whether premarket notification is required for over-the-counter hearing aids to provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. State and local governments may not establish or continue in effect requirements specifically applicable to hearing products that are not identical to FDA requirements and that restrict or interfere with the servicing or sale of over-the-counter hearing aids. The FDA must update and finalize its draft guidance on hearing products. The guidance must clarify which products are medical devices."

It doesn't directly say that cost should be reduced but assuming it will go OTC, costs should go down ?

It really depends if the barrier to entry for manufacture of hearing aids goes down. If there's still a ton of red tape to bring a hearing aid to market, you might not see very many new entrants and so you wouldn't see prices drop dramatically.

Of course the cost of getting a hearing aid will only include a trip to the pharmacy and the device itself and not doctor visits and all that, so it still benefits people that need them.

Actually, the cost will likely include shipping and handling, as the manufacturers can sell direct to consumers. As I count it, that's at least 2 layers of middlemen that can be removed.

That sounds to me like manufacturers can now capture the profit that two layers of middle men once captured. Call it 1.5 to keep the price lower than going through the doctor

They could, but each middleman adds a minimum amount of additional cost. Cost which is now easy margin for new entrants to compete with, for very little extra work or profit loss.

Sure, but hopefully it'll make the barrier of entry easier. I've been noticing that the market does seem to work well when the barrier to entry is low. It seems feasible that simple hearing aids shouldnt be much more expensive than cheap earbuds after a few years.

Thanks for doing this research. It was helpful to see the actual text.

I don't think I've ever seen Elizabeth Warren referred to as Liz Warren before. Interesting. Are there places where that's common?

Agreed, at first I thought this was referring to someone else.

Thanksgiving maybe?

I don't even understand calling people you don't know personally by nicknames.

Yeah, like all those cads who say "Joe Biden" instead of "Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.". Who do they think they are?

Can you show me an example where she refers to herself as "Liz"? I can show you a ton where Joe Biden refers to himself as "Joe".

Her own supporters seem prone to chants like “Run, Liz, run” ('for president', I assume, not 'away'). So I think the nickname is fair game for everyone else unless she explicitly disapproves.

Odd. How do you refer to the current Senate Minority Leader? Or the President? Or the 42nd US President? Or the 39th?

He calls himself Mitch though. This is an unapproved nickname.

"I like Ike"

It's been common in politics for a century, even among supporters.

Funny you ask. I have no idea where I heard but I thought it is easier to type than the whole word. If you google Liz Warren, it auto completes to Elizabeth Warren so its def. a thing.

She's widely referred to as "Liz", especially by her political opponents. "Liz" is short for "Elizabeth" the way "Ted" is short for "Theodore".

Massachusetts?

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