The Cost of Hearing

"Aid for Deaf as Possible Cost-Saver, Too"
Author: Eric Nagourney
Publication: New York Times
Date: August 22, 2000

Although cochlear implants have helped thousands of deaf children to hear in the past ten years, two-thirds of insurance companies still do not cover the cost of the expensive technology, thus limiting access to cochlear implants to wealthier families. Insurance companies refuse to pay for the implants because of a lack of evidence to support the cost-effectiveness of the devices. Recently, however, a John Hopkins University study of 78 families of deaf children concluded that “Cochlear implants in profoundly deaf children have a positive effect on quality of life, at reasonable direct costs, and appear to result in a net saving to society.” As mentioned previously, a single implant costs over $10,000, but the report found that special education for a profoundly deaf child and the reduced work productivity of a deaf person would cost society over $1 million. Thus the report concludes that cochlear implants may save more than $50,000 in costs associated with deafness. In addition, the report also highlighted the improved quality of life among the children who received implants.

An important question to ask is: will the outcome of this study have any impact on the opinions of insurance companies regarding cochlear implant coverage? Although the report concluded that cochlear implants save society money, we shouldn’t forget that insurance companies are private corporations that seek to promote their own prosperity. To believe insurance companies would act to benefit society as a whole would be asking for too much utilitarianism from a private company. Other important questions are: do insurance companies cover special education for disabilities? If so, would a cochlear implant offset the cost of this? If this is true, it would surely be an incentive for insurance companies to pay for the implants.