Ha! Yes they should

Whoever they are, I doubt they like themselves very much.

It is. They tend to hide this until the hard sell, but here’s a little bit of info that I could find: https://www.bootshearingcare.com/hearing-aids/hearing-aid-prices/

There’s more info that’s only revealed after your second hearing test, when they put the “platinum plus” software driven device on your ears, then reveal the pricing in a handily confusing leaflet. It’s similar at Specsavers where I went after, thinking “is this real? Surely they’re not all like this”

I’ve lost hearing young due to a health condition. The sales model for hearing aids is depressingly close to the Black Mirror episode with Rashida Jones.
The hearing aid costs 15 per month on “basic”, rising through eight different tiers, to “platinum plus” at 120 per month. The hardware doesn’t change, only the software. So if you want to be able to hear nature sounds, that’s an extra 10 per month. An extra 20 to hear conversations in the car. It’s 50 if you want to be able to go to a concert, and so on.
The hearing aid itself is capable of doing all of that, all the time, but the functionality is just switched off.
The term is 4 years and then it becomes obsolete and receives no further updates; you have to get a new one.
This is in the UK.

I love this. I don’t know why, but I love it. It’s like looking at a Beskinski, or reading Lovecraft. It taps into a really primal part of my imagination. Thanks for sharing

Does reading medicine books count too? Since we’re all driving human bodies 24/7? Or is it just turtles down to the bottom of the tech layer.