Hearing Aids
FILE – Kim M. Smith, leader of the Utah Deaf Hospital Rights movement and president of the Utah Association of the Deaf, brushes her hair away from her hearing aid as she poses for a portrait Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, at Alta View Hospital in Sandy, Utah. Millions of Americans may be able to buy hearing aids without a prescription by this fall, under a long-awaited rule finalized Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, that’s intended to make the devices more accessible to people with hearing problems. The Food and Drug Administration said the new regulation cuts red tape by creating a new class of hearing aids that don’t require a medical exam, a prescription and other specialty services. Instead the devices will be sold online or over-the-counter at pharmacies and other retail stores. (Isaac Hale/The Daily Herald via AP, File)