The Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology dates back to FDR. It was disbanded by Nixon, brought back in a minor form by Reagan, and renewed by George W Bush, who redesigned it to report directly to the president. The council’s job is to report new developments, research priorities, science education, and policy recommendations.
In 2015 PCAST delivered a report to president Obama on the hearing aid industry. The intent was to reduce cost, increase access, and spur innovation and competition. It’s a complicated topic and, for such a brief report, they did a great job covering it. The PCAST presentation and discussion was led by Christine K. Cassel, MD, an expert on geriatric medicine, medical ethics, and quality of care.
Here’s the link to her presentation and the following Council discussion:
Dr Cassel’s presentation on Aging America and Hearing Loss
A few thoughts:
Cassel says that a pair of hearing aids can be as much as $8000. I’d expect hearing aids to cost not much more than $7000 for a pair. The important thing you need to realize is that you don’t have to spend that much. There are a lot of other excellent hearing aids that are lower, down to $2000 a pair. The difference is the quality of speech in a background of noise.
Eric Lander said that hearing aid technology is “dramatically less sophisticated” than a smart phone. I beg to differ. Correcting one of the 5 senses, especially treating losses, is more complicated that an operating system or app. The labor involved in fitting hearing aid is more like fitting braces than fitting glasses. Think about what it takes to get a phone. You walk in , buy it, and walk out. The level of expertise when you return for troubleshooting isn’t equivalent to a master’s degree or PhD – because it doesn’t need to be.
The final written PCAST report itself is here: