perhaps the real deterrent is the overwhelming odor of dogshit upon entry?

great, now I have to figure out which of my coworkers wrote this about me =)

Ironically, Costco sells hearing aids already. The problem is, the person customizing the software for you may or may not be truly skilled. These things make Unix look easy (I should know, haha)

So my mini BTE ears (Rexton Cobalts) are about the size of a pinto bean, feature wireless bluetooth audio, house a battery that lasts for a week at 14 hours per day, is made to withstand being in a moist environment 14 hours per day for about 5 years, has a speaker that can generate crystal clear audio from about 400Hz to about 5kHz, amplified about 90dB (yeah, I am basically stone deaf), and the speaker is about the size of the tip of a pen. It has enough DSP power to dwarf a laptop from 10 years ago.

Really, someone's surprised that these things cost a lot? Yes, the markup is unbelievable, but these are not your grandfather's hearing aids.

Try again. You will have to search high and low to find ANY insurance company that will pay for hearing aids. Unlike people who need glasses, people who have hearing problems are very commonly discriminated against with little repercussion.