Financial issues can be more acute for the hearing impaired beyond their dealings with advisors.

With hearing aids averaging $2,400 (and often the need is two), a hearing aid or two can be the most expensive purchase after a home and a car.

Add to that the cost of a Federal Food and Drug Administration-mandated medical evaluation to get a hearing aid.

In addition, Medicare and most private insurance plans don’t pay for them.

More affordable hearing aids could become a reality soon because of bipartisan legislation appearing to make its way through Congress that would let some types be sold over the counter.

An affordable alternative to a hearing aid (caveat: when it does the job), is a personal sound amplification product. PSAPs can run as low as $20 to about $500.

There is also savings because a PSAP can be obtained without going to a doctor, unlike a hearing aid.

But a hearing expert employed by Consumer’s Reports said the cheap ones can make hearing disorders worse by heightening fire engine and other loud, sharp noises.

On the positive side, a review in the March issue of the magazine found the $350 SoundWorld Solutions C550+ could be helpful for someone with early or mild or moderate hearing loss.

Another iffy cost saver is a used hearing aid. Hundreds are available on eBay, but a buyer may not be able to find a professional willing or able to adjust it.

A risk of PSAPs and hearing aids is that users can find them so uncomfortable they put them away and never use them, as is frequently the case with other health wearables such as glasses and dentures.

One turnoff is itching because the ear canal is covered by extremely delicate skin.

Summer can be a double whammy because the heat and humidity can increase sweating and distort and weaken the sound quality of the devices.