> But because they were regulated as medical devices they often cost $3000 or more.

This is a rather miopic and biased opinion, one that is focused on supporting a personal assertion that regulation is bad instead of actually exploring why medical devices are expensive.

To start off, what is the difference between hearing aids and airpods? If your answer is "they are basically the same thing" then that should tell you more about what you might be getting wrong, and regulation ain't it.

> This has changed somewhat since 2022 now that they allow OTC hearing aids, although I believe they're still more expensive than airpods.

I don't think this means what you think it means. The regulatory change that introduced over the counter hearing aids only had an impact on what classified as prescription hearing aids. I'm practice you would buy any non-compliance device, except you couldn't get your health insurance foot the bill.

The impact of OTC hearing aids is that medical insurance can pay for your device if it's a lower tier one (low power, doesn't require fitting, etc).

But I stress that both then and now you could buy your hearing aid alternatives without requiring a doctor's prescription. You simply had to pay for it.

And that's not a regulatory problem.