Q: Why did you join the effort to change the way hearing aids are regulated and sold in the United States?
A: One in seven Americans has untreated hearing loss. And yet millions of people don’t access hearing assistive devices despite experiencing hardship and frustration in daily life. In fact, an estimated 30 million Americans have significant hearing loss and only a fraction who may benefit from hearing aids buys them. Why? Too many people are inconvenienced by the hurdles they must go through to access hearing aids and many others are priced out of the market. The required medical evaluations and hearing aids that are bundled together often cost consumers thousands of dollars out-of-pocket. Reducing regulatory burdens would benefit consumers by unlocking innovation in hearing health technology and get more options and products into the marketplace. It’s the genius of free enterprise. Driving up competition helps drive down prices to help serve more people with mild to moderate hearing loss. Until recently, government regulations prevented over-the-counter sales and required consumers to receive a professional diagnosis to obtain them. The prestigious National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine determined in a 2016 report that “no evidence or clinically meaningful benefit” for these regulatory requirements. What’s more, the study concluded that the diverse needs of people with hearing loss were not being addressed. That’s why I helped lead a bipartisan effort in Congress to make it easier for new technology to reach the market. People with mild to moderate hearing loss ought to be able to buy hearing aids online or off-the-shelf, much like Americans who choose to buy “readers” eyeglasses at their local drugstore without a prescription. If technological advances are able to help millions of Americans with hearing loss, the government should not stand in the way. Our legislation directs the FDA to create a category of over-the-counter hearing aids that sets performance, safety and labeling requirements to protect consumers. I’m glad the president signed our bill into law this summer, and I’ll keep up my oversight work to make sure the FDA effectively implements new guidelines and quality standards within the next three years. The sooner we can get safe and effective products to market to help more Americans, the better.
Q: Who will benefit from this new law?
A: Sooner or later, hearing loss becomes a fact of life in the aging process. Ultimately, every single American stands to benefit because aging is the number one cause of hearing loss. The National Institutes for Health says age-related hearing loss affects one in three U.S. adults between ages 65 and 74. And for millions of people in the workforce, hearing impairment may be closely related to one’s occupation, from farmers, musicians and dental professionals, to construction, aviation and factory workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 10 million people in the U.S. have noise-related hearing loss. In addition to noise exposure from everyday activities in our homes and communities that contribute to hearing loss throughout our lifetimes, the CDC also estimates that 22 million people go to work in a setting with potentially damaging noise levels. Raising awareness to prevent hearing loss is just as important as reducing barriers to help Americans who have hearing loss. Don’t forget, hearing loss is often permanent. It affects daily life and makes even a simple conversation frustrating. In August I continued my 37th year meeting with Iowans in each of Iowa’s 99 counties. I hear a lot of frustration and get a lot of feedback about gridlock in Washington, D.C. Partisanship doesn’t stop my efforts to solve problems. All the political noise makes me work even harder to make the government work better for Iowans. Whereas this new law may not capture headlines or web clicks, it has the potential to make a meaningful difference in the everyday lives for millions of Americans with mild to moderate hearing loss.
Q: Are farmers more affected by hearing impairment?
A: Many studies show that the second-most common cause for hearing loss is prolonged exposure to damaging noise. As a lifelong family farmer, I know first-hand how loud combines, drying bins and hog barns can be. I also spent a decade on the factory floor as a sheet metal shearer and assembly line worker. Noise exposure in the workplace is a fact of life for many of us. According to the University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, studies show that farmers are at a higher risk for developing hearing impairments than the rest of the population. It reports that of the two percent of Americans who live on a ranch or family farm, approximately 440,000 have a form of hearing impairment. Farm families also should be aware that noise-induced hearing damage begins early on the farm: nearly 70 percent of teen-agers who live or work on the farm show signs of early noise-induced hearing loss. The University of Kentucky report also notes that farmers may experience hearing loss in the left ear because the right ear typically is shielded when the driver looks over his or her right shoulder. For many farmers, especially at younger ages, prevention is worth a pound of cure. The CDC recommends hearing protectors, such as ear plugs, canal caps or earmuffs, to reduce extended exposure to damaging noise. The CDC also advises that sustained exposure to noise above 85 decibels can cause permanent hearing loss. Noises from everyday farm work that can exceed that level are caused by grain dryers, chain saws, squealing pigs, combines and tractors, among others. The CDC says that a 25-year-old farmer can have the hearing of a 50-year-old who has not been exposed to harmful noise damage. Raising awareness about the importance of hearing health and taking steps to prevent hearing loss are too important to ignore. I encourage farm families to include hearing health in their farm safety measures during harvest season and every day of the year. Extended exposure to damaging noise may lead to early onset tinnitus – ringing or buzzing in the ears – and permanent hearing loss. For more information about hearing protection on the farm, go to https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2007-175.
The Hearing Loss Association of America and the AARP support the bipartisan “Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act” of 2017, co-sponsored by Senators Chuck Grassley and Elizabeth Warren.
