Does Colorado Medicaid Cover Hearing Aids? Coverage for Kids and Adults

Health First Colorado, the state’s Medicaid program, covers hearing aids for members aged 20 and under but does not cover them for adults aged 21 and older. So the short answer to whether Colorado Medicaid covers hearing aids is: yes for children, no for most adults, with one narrow waiver exception and a handful of outside programs that help adults pay for devices.

What’s Covered for Children 20 and Under

Members aged 20 and under receive comprehensive hearing aid coverage, including the devices themselves, batteries, replacement parts, and fitting services.¹ Hearing aids are expected to last three to five years. A replacement is covered when a device is lost, stolen, no longer fits, or is no longer medically appropriate for the child.²

The children’s benefit reaches further than standard hearing aids:

Cochlear implants are covered for members aged 12 months through 20 years. Replacement components for an existing implant are covered at any age when the current part is non-functional and cannot be repaired.²
Bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) and softband devices are covered for members 20 and under, but always require prior authorization and a signed physician letter documenting medical necessity.¹

Hearing exams, evaluations, and newborn hearing screenings are included. There are generally no copays for audiology services. The exception is non-pregnant adults aged 19 and older treated in a hospital setting.¹

All audiology services require a written order, referral, or prescription from a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner, or an approved Individualized Family Service Plan for early intervention. Services must be rendered by a licensed audiologist, with limited exceptions for enrolled otolaryngologists and Colorado Home Intervention Program facilitators.³

Children in families whose income is too high for Medicaid but who still need affordable coverage may qualify for Colorado’s Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+), which also lists hearing aids among covered benefits.⁴⁵

What Adults Get, and Don’t Get

Colorado’s Medicaid regulations state it plainly: “Hearing aids for adults are not a covered service.”⁶ That applies to both the initial purchase and any replacement. Adults also cannot receive an initial cochlear implant surgery through Medicaid, and upgrading a functional cochlear implant system is not covered at any age.²

There is one narrow device-related exception for adults: replacement components for an existing cochlear implant are covered if the current component is non-functional and cannot be repaired.¹ That exception does not extend to hearing aids themselves.

Diagnostic audiology for adults is limited too. Hearing exams and evaluations are only covered when a concurrent medical condition exists, so an adult cannot get a routine hearing test through Medicaid without another qualifying health issue.²

The Supported Living Services Waiver

One exception to the adult exclusion runs through a Home and Community-Based Services waiver. Adults enrolled in the Supported Living Services (SLS) waiver can receive hearing aid coverage.⁷ The SLS waiver serves adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who live independently or with family, so this exception reaches a small population. Other HCBS waivers, such as those for brain injury or the elderly, blind, and disabled, were not confirmed to include hearing aid coverage in available program documentation.

If You Have Both Medicare and Medicaid

Adults who are dually eligible should not assume Medicare fills the gap. Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids or exams for fitting hearing aids, and beneficiaries pay 100% of those costs out of pocket.⁸ Some Medicare Advantage plans add a hearing benefit, but coverage varies by plan. Kaiser Permanente’s Colorado Medicare Advantage plans, for example, offer an optional supplemental package with a $500 allowance per ear every two years, but that supplemental package is not available to members enrolled in dual-eligible Medicare-Medicaid plans.⁹

Where Adults Can Turn Instead

Since neither Medicaid nor Original Medicare covers hearing aids for most adults in Colorado, several state and nonprofit programs try to fill the gap.

The Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation assists people with disabilities who are employed or actively seeking employment, and provides assistive technology for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Eligibility requires a documented disability that creates barriers to employment. To apply, contact a local DVR office to schedule an intake appointment.¹⁰
Hearing the Call — Colorado provides hearing aids on a sliding-scale fee to residents with household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines, cash savings of $10,000 or less, and retirement or investment assets of $50,000 or less. Applicants need a current audiogram and financial documentation, and approved participants must complete 10 hours of community service. Clinics are held several times a year in Arvada, Denver, Durango, and Longmont.¹¹
The Colorado Gerontological Society offers partial grants for hearing aids and exams to adults aged 60 and older in Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Gilpin, or Jefferson County. Priority goes to those with the greatest economic need. Applicants are placed on a waiting list and, when funding is available, receive a grant award letter to schedule an exam and fitting.¹²
Denver Health’s Audiology Clinic offers reduced-cost hearing aids for Colorado residents in the Denver metro area. A primary care physician referral is required, and all appointments are in person at the Outpatient Medical Center on Bannock Street.¹³
The Denver Lions Club provides funding for hearing aids and fitting fees for income-qualified individuals in the Denver metro area.¹⁴
The Marion Downs Center offers financial assistance for hearing tests and hearing aids to qualified applicants.¹⁴

Checking Health First Colorado Eligibility

If you’re not sure whether you or your child qualifies for Medicaid, the state publishes approximate monthly income guidelines. For a single adult aged 19 to 65, the threshold is roughly $1,735; for a family of four, it rises to about $3,564. Children have higher thresholds, and pregnant women qualify at higher income levels still.¹⁵ Applications are submitted online through the PEAK portal at co.gov/peak, and the state encourages people to apply even when income is close to the cutoff, since eligibility depends on more than income alone.¹⁶

One thing to keep in mind: qualifying as an adult does not mean hearing aids will be covered. The adult benefit gap stays in place, so adults who need devices should plan on the alternative programs above or out-of-pocket costs.

1
Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. Audiology Services
2
Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. Audiology Benefit Billing and Policy Manual
3
Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. Audiology Billing Manual
4
Denver Health. Child Health Plan Plus
5
Boulder County. Child Health Plan Plus
6
Colorado Secretary of State. Colorado Code of Regulations, Section 8.200.3
7
Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. Audiology Billing Manual, January 2026
8
Medicare.gov. Hearing Aids
9
Kaiser Permanente. Guide to Medicare Colorado
10
Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Deaf and Hard of Hearing
11
Hearing the Call. Colorado
12
Colorado Gerontological Society. Hearing Aid Grant Application
13
Denver Health. Audiology
14
Columbine Hearing Care. Hearing Aid Funding Resources
15
Health First Colorado. Do You Qualify
16
Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. Programs for Adults