We can all relate to the annoyance of not hearing something- conversations that drop away in a crowded restaurant or voices that trail off while watching a movie or theater performance. But that annoyance pales in comparison to the real physical and psychological harm that can result when hearing loss goes untreated.

In her recent piece in The New York Times, writer Jane Brody explores the escalating health and financial costs of untreated hearing loss, as described in two new research papers in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Given that half of those in their 70s, and 80% of people in their 80s, suffer from mild to moderate hearing loss, the toll of this scourge is enormous. In one paper, researchers found hearing loss associated with a significant increase in dementia, falls, depression and heart attack. In the accompanying paper, researchers found an association between untreated hearing loss and higher health care costs and hospital readmission rates. Together, these reports paint a bleak picture of the toll that hearing loss takes, on both the health and well-being of individuals as well as on the health care costs to society at large.

And yet, Medicare does not generally cover the costs of hearing aids. Given the significant financial costs associated with hearing loss, this makes no fiscal sense- it’s likely costing the Medicare program much more to deal with the medical consequences of hearing loss than it would to pay for hearing aids. And while the coming availability of lower cost, over-the-counter hearing aids will help address some of these problems, in fact, anyone who’s ever used a hearing aid knows that multiple fittings and adjustments are often necessary to get the devices working optimally. Paying for this extra service will still not be covered by Medicare, so low-income seniors may, in fact, find little benefit from these new over-the-counter devices. Bottom line? We need public policy that understands it’s cheaper for Medicare, and more humane for seniors, to have Medicare cover the costs of hearing aids and associated services than to allow patients to suffer the physical, emotional and financial costs of unaddressed hearing loss.