As a hearing care physician, I was excited to learn about the FDA’s approval of the The latest AirPods from Applewhich will come with the ability to transform into hearing aids. If AirPods live up to their promise, people using them will have increased situational awareness and the ability to engage in conversations. This is more important than ever because the World Health Organization projects this 2.5 billion people will have some degree of hearing loss by 2050.

Hearing loss increased, particularly among the 12-34 age group, largely related to listening to music at unsafe levels. Since this group is already a large market for AirPods, integrating hearing aids with AirPods can help reduce the stigma associated with assistive devices.

While Apple’s move is a step in the right direction to address hearing loss, there is more we can do to make society more accessible and user-friendly for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Both my parents are deaf. My father taught at the oldest school for the deaflocated in Connecticut, where I lived in a sizable deaf community. However, I still remember significant accessibility challenges. I remember them pointing out how intimidating and unwelcoming the doctor’s office was to a deaf or hard of hearing person. Interpreter services were often not available (although medical offices became responsible for providing accessible communication (under the Americans with Disabilities Act, many offices still do not provide effective communication access).

When it came time for my own audiologist hearing evaluation as a first grader, I sat in a cold, padded room, pressing a button every time I heard a tone at different frequencies. I didn’t want to be left out among my peers, so despite my declining hearing, I refused to use an assistive listening device.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I became very aware of the worsening of my hearing problems. As I struggled to hear what my colleagues, patients and friends were saying hidden behind masksI realized I needed hearing aids. I was shocked at the expense. The cost of a pair of commonly prescribed hearing aids climb into the thousands. As a doctor, I could pay out of pocket, but most of my patients cannot afford that luxury.

Approximate 17% of American adults have some hearing loss, over 28 million can benefit from hearing aids. However, many insurance plans including traditional Medicare planscurrently does not cover this benefit. Paying out of pocket for hearing aids is unrealistic for many because, on average, families with deaf or hard of hearing make $15,000 less per year than other families without disabilities.

Having assistive hearing devices more easily accessible is a huge step forward in terms of access, but for those with more severe hearing loss who need more support, devices like Apple AirPods and other over-the-counter devices can not be enough. We must ensure access to the latest technology and appropriate tools for the effective use of hearing aids.

We must also remember that people who are deaf or hard of hearing continue to struggle significant accessibility barriersespecially in the health system. Video technologies used in place of in-person interpreters can be unreliable and difficult to operate. As a result, patients who are deaf or hard of hearing face long waiting times and the healthcare team cannot fully understand their medical needs. Communication barriers ultimately result in patients not fully understanding what is happening with their medical care. When patients cannot adequately communicate their health needs due to inaccessibility, they are unable to get the care they needexacerbating existing inequities.

When health systems and society do not accommodate people with hearing loss, they contributes to social isolation. This isolation can manifest itself in poorer long-term health outcomes such as dementia and premature mortality.

While I’m glad we have sophisticated hearing technology at more affordable prices, we must continue to optimize the healthcare environment so that people who are deaf or hard of hearing can receive the best possible healthcare.

This includes not only access to timely and appropriate sign language interpretation, but also captioning options, ASL-translated videos, assistive devices that facilitate appointment scheduling, and quiet environments that allow patients to better communicate with providers. We also need better training for all members of the healthcare team to understand the nuances involved in caring for deaf and hard of hearing patients. These steps are useful not only in the medical environment, but also in all social environments, so that the deaf and hard of hearing can be fully integrated into society.

Accessible hearing aids are a wonderful achievement that will significantly improve the lives of the hearing impaired. But let’s not forget that we still have more challenges to overcome. We should normalize accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing communities in our everyday lives.

James Huang, MD, is a board certified family physician and is fluent in ASL. He started Comprehensive Health Care for Deaf Adults and Children (CODA Clinic) at Unity Health Clinic in Washington, DC and is the director of student health services at Gallaudet University. He is a senior member of the Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity at George Washington University. The opinions expressed are his own.