Congress actually passed a law in 2017 ordering them to sell them over the counter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over-the-Counter_Hearing_Aid_A...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over-the-Counter_Hearing_Aid_A...
Rollout and re-regulation was very slow, with additional hearing aids being made available over the next few years but with the FDA seemingly maintaining a fairly strong regulatory hand.
The Biden administration pushed the FDA to fully implement the law and gave a 120-day deadline. I'm sure work was already in progress, but the FDA pushed and met the deadline which brings us to today.
IMO this is a case where politics worked. Biden gets a "win" by touting this as more affordable healthcare and helping the middle class. Trump will I'm sure take credit for signing it into law, and republicans will highlight it as a win for deregulation.
In the end though, this should be an unvarnished good for millions with hearing impairment that can't afford hearing aids, but also for many companies who can now innovate without onerous FDA testing requirements.
I was never a Trump supporter for reasons. But I was disappointed in him nonetheless.
I thought Trump, not being beholden to the traditional powers that be and having followers that would literally get arrested for him, would be able to bully his way into getting things done that he supported that no other Republican could.
He spoke out publicly against the drug companies and their prices and wanted up front pricing from the medical industry, believed in criminal justice reform (along with Rand Paul and the Koch brothers), and a few other measures I agree with.
But he let his petty grievances get in the way.
Yes I am well aware that the architects of the mess that criminal Justice is on the federal level was spearheaded by Clinton and Biden back in the day.
And he did. He got Roe overturned (with an assist from Mitch McConnell).
The stuff Trump wanted to do himself he had much less success with.
Also, he did free a lot of federal inmates https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/589600-thousands...
That isn’t by itself meant to be a criticism. But politically, he couldn’t even fight the rhetoric from the right.
And I didn’t know the transparency rule ever made it through.
But, he didn’t get a law passed. It was administrative meaning it would be easier to fight in court (which is happening) and another administration could overturn it.
Again, with his political clout over his base, he could have brow beat enough Republicans and the Democrats wouldn’t dare oppose it. He didn’t focus his energy on getting laws passed in support of the parts of his agenda that’s traditionally not conservative.
He didnt spend time getting laws passed because he couldn't figure out how to wrap his transactional thinking into a larger program designed to accomplish things - in his mind every deal is a one off, and it cant really merge deals into a larger direction.
Let's be honest, all politicians think at transactions, but he might be lacking a strong internal belief, to help him tie some not so great transactions for "the greater good".
I worry about politicians who think about things in an excessively ideological eye, because the ideologues are immune compromising.