Hearing aids
Being able to hear well is important to feel good and live your life the way you want. Sometimes a hearing aid is needed for this. The good news is that health insurance (partially) reimburses this.
The reimbursement varies depending on your age and the type of 'equipment': on one ear (mono), on both ears simultaneously (stereo), or on the ear not yet equipped (contralateral).
Health insurance reimbursement
- Every conventional hearing care professional can deliver a high-quality hearing aid at the rates stated below.
- Anyone who does not have an increased allowance will receive a reimbursement that is 25% lower with a non-conventional hearing care professional.
- The co-payment is higher if you purchase the device from a non-contracted hearing care professional , unless you are entitled to the increased compensation . If you choose a more sophisticated device, you will pay a supplement on top of the co-payment.
Hearing aid prescription
Contact an ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT doctor) to conduct hearing tests. Do the tests show that there is sufficient hearing loss to qualify for a refund? The doctor then makes a prescription to test one or more hearing aids.
Contact a hearing care professional . Present the prescription from the ENT doctor and complete the questionnaire . The hearing care professional will help you choose the right device and will fit you with a trial device for at least 14 days. A test report is drawn up stating the actual hearing gain.
The test report and the completed questionnaire (if applicable) must be submitted to the ENT doctor together with the prescription. They will prescribe a hearing aid for you if necessary.
Approval of the consulting physician
Before purchasing a hearing aid, the request for a refund must be submitted to the CM's consulting physician. This application consists of:
- an application form with both prescriptions from the ENT doctor (for testing the hearing aid(s) and for the hearing aid itself)
- the hearing care professional's test report
- the completed questionnaire (if applicable)
The advising doctor will communicate his decision in writing to you and your hearing care professional.
Hearing aid placement
After permission from the consulting physician, have your permanent hearing aid fitted by the hearing care professional.
You will then receive :
- a certificate of delivery, read and signed by you if approved and intended for CM.
- a detailed document to be kept by you, stating the reimbursement by the health insurance, the personal share and the supplements.
Request a refund
After delivery of the definitive hearing aid, CM will investigate your request for reimbursement. This from the moment we are in possession of:
- the certificate of delivery
- the application form with the approval by the advising doctor
How much will you get refunded?
Hearing aid in one ear
fee: 1,404.65 euros
reimbursement: 1,404.65 euros
co-payment: 0 euros
Hearing aid in both ears
fee: 2,782.28 euros
reimbursement: 2,782.28 euros
co-payment: 0 euros
Contralateral hearing aid
fee: 1,377.63 euros
reimbursement: 1,377.63 euros
co-payment: 0 euros
Hearing aid in one ear
fee: 909.92 euros
reimbursement: 856.00 euros
co-payment: 53.92 euros
Hearing aid in both ears
fee: 1,802.34 euros
reimbursement: 1,694.42 euros
co-payment: 107.92 euros
Contralateral hearing aid
fee: 892.42 euros
reimbursement: 838.50 euros
co-payment: 53.92 euros
Hearing aid in one ear
fee: 864.37 euros
reimbursement: 810.45 euros
co-payment: 53.92 euros
Hearing aid in both ears
fee: 1,712.12 euros
reimbursement: 1,604.20 euros
co-payment: 107.92 euros
Contralateral hearing aid
fee: 847.75 euros
reimbursement: 793.83 euros
co-payment: 53.92 euros
Then you pay a supplement on top of the co-payment.
Example : you are 66 years old and buy hearing aids for both ears, total price 2,000 euros. If the conditions are met, you will receive a refund of 1,604.20 euros and you will pay another 573.21 euros yourself. Of this, 107.92 euros is the statutory co-payment; the rest (465.29 euros) are supplements.
What are the conditions?
- You received prior approval from CM's consulting physician (also when purchasing a hearing aid in a neighboring country).
- You have a hearing loss of at least 40 decibels in the ear for which you need a hearing aid (in some exceptional situations a refund is possible for a hearing loss lower than 40 decibels).
- The device provides at least 5 decibels of hearing gain (in some situations only the added value of the device must be demonstrated). With two hearing aids there must also be sufficient gain compared to one aid.
- The device is on the list of products eligible for a refund.
- The follow-up (checking and adjusting your device) is included in the price you paid for the device. The hearing care professional offers a two-year warranty for manufacturing defects. This does not apply to cords, rear ear molds and shaped hearing molds.
- A new refund is only possible after three years (if younger than 18 years) or five years (if older than 18 years), unless there is a deterioration of 20 decibels or a switch is required from an air ducted device to a device with bone conduction (or vice versa).
Important
- The above procedure also applies when purchasing a hearing aid in a neighboring country. No reimbursement is possible without prior permission from the consulting physician. A foreign hearing care professional may not be sufficiently familiar with Belgian regulations to fully comply with them. In that case, there is a risk that one of the conditions (test conditions, approved devices, etc.) is not met, making a refund not possible.
- If no device is delivered after the mandatory test period because it does not provide a solution to your hearing problem, the hearing care professional can charge a fixed allowance for the material costs incurred. The health insurance provides reimbursement for this, so that in many cases you do not pay a co-payment.
