The UFC – Que Choisir denounces the “scandalous rent” of hearing aid professionals. Because of the excessive prices they charge, 2 million hearing impaired people forgo this care.
“The scandalous rent of hearing aid acousticians”! This is the title of a survey published this Monday by UFC-Que Choisir which denounces significant drifts in the prices of hearing aid devices.
In fact, despite an average price of € 1,550 per device, or € 3,100 in the vast majority of cases of equipment for both ears, the average remainder payable by a patient is € 2,200. To explain it, these investigators recall that hearing aids are very little reimbursed by health insurance (120 € per device only) as well as by complementary health.
A quit rate of 58%
A unprecedented situation in Europe, according to the UFC, and which is damaging to many French people, since the study shows that no less than 2.1 million French hearing impaired people would not equip themselves “because of too high a cost”. This figure corresponds to a healthcare renunciation rate of around 58%.
Faced with this injustice experienced by many hearing impaired people, the consumers’ association wanted to know how we got there. The investigators affirm that the origin of these excessive prices is to be sought on the side of hearing aid professionals, “a profession which has a monopoly on the distribution of hearing aids”, they point out.
Thus, these professionals would take advantage of the situation to resell their devices 4.5 times their purchase price (327 €), achieving an average gross margin of 78%. And once the various expenses and salaries deducted, the net margin remains “very comfortable”, between 15% and 18%, according to survey figures. By way of comparison, it is 10% in the already “very profitable” optical sector.
A shortage of professionals
In addition, these professionals would also benefit from the shortage of hearing aid professionals in France. Due to their small number (3,091 for needs estimated by the study at 7,150 professionals), “they are in a position to obtain salaries two to three times higher than comparable health professions (nurses or physiotherapists, at an equivalent level of training) ”, it is written in a press release.
As a result, more than a third of the price (€ 534, or more than € 1,050 for the equipment of both ears) goes to the hearing aid acoustician in salary. “ How can we accept that the Ministry of Health can longer choose to preserve the economic income of 3,100 hearing aid professionals rather than reducing the non-equipment of 2.1 million hearing-impaired people ”, wonders in this regard the UFC- What to choose.
Three concrete solutions to take urgently
In this context, the association urges the public authorities to immediately implement three concrete solutions. The UFC-Que Choisir, for example, calls for an increase in the numerus clausus for hearing aid studies, the dissociation of reimbursement for hearing aids and associated services, and finally, full transparency on the capital and financial ties that unite hearing healthcare professionals and professionals. manufacturers.
Faced with this attack in order, the National Union of hearing aid professionals (UNSAF) was quick to react. In a Press release published on Monday, he says that the prices of hearing aids in France are in the low European average. That the number of hearing aid acousticians in France is “sufficient for a good service to patients”. Or that the salary of young hearing aid acousticians is close to that of other health professions (between € 2,000 and € 2,400).
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