FDA allows over-the-counter sales for hearing aids

Health care reporter Anjalee Khemlani details the FDA's ruling to enable Americans' access to affordable hearing aids.

Video transcript

DAVE BRIGGS: All right. Big news for the hearing impaired. The Food and Drug Administration today announcing it will allow hearing aids to be made available over the counter without the need for a prescription. Anjalee Khemlani here with what we need to know. Anj, what are we learning?

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: Well, Dave, you're right about that-- it is for those hearing impaired. But it's very specifically directed towards with mild or moderate hearing loss. So not everyone is going to be able to take advantage of this. It is also only applicable to those who are 18 and older.

So there still remains a portion of the population that will still need to be seeing a doctor, get an ear fitting, and get a very specific type of hearing aid. Now, the FDA does hope that this will increase competition and ensure that prices go down for these hearing aids-- also hoping that we can start seeing those on the shelves by mid-October at the earliest based on the date of this final ruling.

But of course, it will all be dependent on the manufacturers-- on when they can meet the criteria, meet the design requirements in order to roll out these hearing loss devices. But as it stands, definitely a win for those who are looking for these devices. And it should help millions of Americans who currently qualify, and could save them hundreds or thousands of dollars.