A tax credit legislation currently in discussions in the House and Senate would make hearing aids significantly more affordable. This is extremely promising news, considering that barely a quarter of the nearly 36 million Americans who could benefit from the use of hearing aids actually use them.

Senate measure 109 and House measure 1646 would both provide a tax credit of up to $500 every 5 years. The Senate measure is free of age restriction, while the House measure restricts the credit for those taxpayers older than 55 or purchasing hearing aids for a dependant.

Considering the high cost of hearing aid and lack of readily available insurance that covers them, this is promising news.