Hearing Aids, the FDA, and Henry David Thoreau

David BoazThere ’s good news for people with impaired hearing: Hearing aids may soon be available over the counter, like reading glasses. But I was struck by something in this encouragingNew York Times report. The writer, Shira Ovide, is clearly enthusiastic about this new development. But notice her framing, first in the subhead of the article:Over ‐​the‐​counter hearing aids have the potential to showgovernment and tech companies at their best.And then throughout the article:These over ‐​the‐​counter hearing aids have the potential to prove that thebest efforts of government and technology companies can improve Americans ’ lives.…Medical professionals, patient advocates and tech executives that I ’ve spoken with are excited about the potential of over‐​the‐​counter hearing aids. They imaginethe government ’s blessing will spark new inventions from companies like Bose, Best Buy and Apple. And they believe that this could be the start of a golden age for hearing help. …the new marketopportunity that the government created may open the door to ideas we can ’t yet imagine.And what exactly is government ’s role in this exciting new world for 38 million Americans with hearing loss? Here’s a fuller description:On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration started the process — after a long wait — to create a new category ofgovernment ‐​approved hearing aids that Americans will be able to buy without a p...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs