The Hearing Industries Association

What The Hearing Industries Association does

The Hearing Industries Association (HIA) is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit trade association founded in 1955 that represents hearing aid manufacturers, cochlear implant companies, and adjacent hearing health technology suppliers serving the United States market. HIA's functional mandate spans four pillars: product innovation advocacy, public policy representation (including the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act and OTC hearing aid rulemaking), patient safety standards, and consumer education delivered primarily through BetterHearing.org. The organization does not manufacture or sell products and has no proprietary technology, software, APIs, or AI systems; instead, it operates an Innovation Showcase that surfaces and contextualizes member-company products such as Oticon's BrainHearing platform, Starkey's Genesis AI with on-chip DNN acceleration, ReSound Vivia's neural-network speech processing, Phonak's Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast-enabled Lumity line, Signia's Integrated Xperience multi-stream architecture, and OTC offerings including Jabra Enhance Plus.

HIA's business model is membership dues-funded by its roster of hearing industry manufacturers and suppliers, with no disclosed pricing tiers, commercial product revenue, or consumer-facing monetization. Its commercial surface is indirect: a Find a Professional directory funnels consumer demand toward member-affiliated hearing healthcare professionals (audiologists, hearing instrument specialists, and ENTs), and the MarkeTrak research program produces the industry's principal longitudinal consumer tracking dataset on hearing aid adoption and satisfaction. Strategic priorities currently emphasize OTC category expansion, Medicare audiology access reform, and consumer-facing education to address the gap that only one in five people who could benefit from hearing aids actually use them, while showcasing AI-differentiated product innovation across member companies.

Name

The Hearing Industries Association

Legal name

Hearing Industries Association

Website

https://betterhearing.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Hearing Industries Association is a 1955-founded, Washington, DC-based nonprofit trade association representing hearing aid manufacturers and suppliers, advocating on policy, publishing MarkeTrak consumer research, and educating consumers through BetterHearing.org.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association / Industry Advocacy

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Hearing Enhancement / Assistive Listening Audio Devices (CRACANAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Assistive Hearing & Communication Access (Captioning, Hearing Support, Transcription) (EDAFAKAC)

Keywords

• Trade association
• Hearing healthcare advocacy
• Industry market research
• Consumer hearing education
• Professional locator services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Hearing Industries Association (HIA) is a nonprofit trade association that represents companies involved in the hearing aid and hearing health technology industry. Its core offerings are industry advocacy and policy representation on behalf of hearing aid manufacturers, the MarkeTrak consumer and market research program for the U.S. hearing aid market, and a consumer-facing education website (betterhearing.org) that helps the public understand hearing loss, hearing aids, and find hearing care professionals. HIA does not manufacture or sell hearing aids itself; member companies produce and distribute those products through licensed hearing healthcare professionals and, for OTC devices, retail channels.

Product overview

The Hearing Industries Association (HIA) is a trade association representing hearing aid manufacturers and the hearing health industry. The HIA website (betterhearing.org) serves as an informational and educational resource for consumers about hearing health, hearing loss, and hearing aid technology. The Innovations section showcases new hearing technology products and features from HIA member companies including Oticon, GN (ReSound), Starkey, Phonak, Signia, Widex, Cochlear, and Oticon Medical. The site also provides educational content on hearing health topics, resources for finding hearing care professionals, and industry research such as the MarkeTrak survey. HIA itself is not a product manufacturer and does not offer proprietary software products, APIs, or AI-powered technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MarkeTrak Industry Research Program
• Federal and State Policy Advocacy
• Better Hearing Consumer Education Website (betterhearing.org)
• Hearing Healthcare Professional Locator Directory
• Member Innovations Showcase

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 to 3 of every 1,000 babies born in the U.S. have hearing levels outside the normal range
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• OticoncoreOthersOticon is a member company of the Hearing Industries Association. As an HIA member, Oticon participates in industry advocacy, market research initiatives like MarkeTrak, and benefits from the association's policy representation on hearing healthcare issues.
• PhonakcoreOthersPhonak is a member company of the Hearing Industries Association. As an HIA member, Phonak participates in industry advocacy, market research initiatives like MarkeTrak, and benefits from the association's policy representation on hearing healthcare issues.
• StarkeycoreOthersStarkey is a member company of the Hearing Industries Association. As an HIA member, Starkey participates in industry advocacy, market research initiatives like MarkeTrak, and benefits from the association's policy representation on hearing healthcare issues.
• WidexcoreOthersWidex is a member company of the Hearing Industries Association. As an HIA member, Widex participates in industry advocacy, market research initiatives like MarkeTrak, and benefits from the association's policy representation on hearing healthcare issues.
• SigniacoreOthersSignia is a member company of the Hearing Industries Association. As an HIA member, Signia participates in industry advocacy, market research initiatives like MarkeTrak, and benefits from the association's policy representation on hearing healthcare issues.
• ReSoundcoreOthersReSound is a member company of the Hearing Industries Association. As an HIA member, ReSound participates in industry advocacy, market research initiatives like MarkeTrak, and benefits from the association's policy representation on hearing healthcare issues.
• GN HearingcoreOthersGN Hearing (parent company of ReSound and Beltone) is a member company of the Hearing Industries Association. As an HIA member, GN participates in industry advocacy, market research initiatives like MarkeTrak, and benefits from the association's policy representation on hearing healthcare issues.
• AmplifoncoreOthersAmplifon is a member company of the Hearing Industries Association. As an HIA member, Amplifon participates in industry advocacy, market research initiatives like MarkeTrak, and benefits from the association's policy representation on hearing healthcare issues.
• EarlenscoreOthersEarlens is a member company of the Hearing Industries Association. As an HIA member, Earlens participates in industry advocacy, market research initiatives like MarkeTrak, and benefits from the association's policy representation on hearing healthcare issues.
• RayovaccoreOthersRayovac is a member company of the Hearing Industries Association. As an HIA member, Rayovac participates in industry advocacy, market research initiatives like MarkeTrak, and benefits from the association's policy representation on hearing healthcare issues.
• ON SemiconductorcoreOthersON Semiconductor is a member company of the Hearing Industries Association. As an HIA member, ON Semiconductor participates in industry advocacy, market research initiatives like MarkeTrak, and benefits from the association's policy representation on hearing healthcare issues.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA): NHCA focuses on noise-induced hearing loss prevention and occupational hearing conservation. It is comparable as a hearing-health-focused organization but addresses prevention rather than treatment, making it a thematically adjacent peer.
• Hearing Health Matters: Hearing Health Matters is an online media publication covering the hearing healthcare industry. While not a trade association, it plays a comparable information-broker role in the hearing ecosystem, sharing industry news, research, and policy coverage with HIA's audience.

Direct peers

• Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA): HLAA is the leading US consumer advocacy organization for people with hearing loss. While HIA represents manufacturers and HLAA represents consumers, they operate in the same hearing health advocacy ecosystem, co-engage on policy, and HIA participates in HLAA's annual convention.
• International Hearing Society (IHS): IHS represents hearing instrument specialists and is another trade association in the US hearing healthcare channel. It shares overlapping policy goals with HIA, particularly around provider scope-of-practice legislation.
• Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA): ADA is a US professional association for audiologists focused on autonomous practice and Medicare direct access. It shares HIA's policy interest in expanding audiologist scope of practice and patient access to hearing care.
• American Academy of Audiology (AAA): AAA is the US professional association for audiologists — a key downstream channel for HIA member products. Both organizations operate in the hearing health space with overlapping policy advocacy on Medicare access and provider scope-of-practice issues.
• European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (EHIMA): EHIMA is the European counterpart trade association for hearing instrument manufacturers, representing many of the same global members as HIA (including GN, Sonova, WS Audiology, Demant). It is the most directly comparable organization in structure, mission, and membership overlap.

Others

• Coalition for Hearing & Balance: Coalitions and ad-hoc advocacy groups in hearing and balance healthcare operate alongside HIA on overlapping policy goals. They are thematically related ecosystem participants rather than direct competitors.

Broad incumbents

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA): ASHA is a larger professional association covering audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and broader hearing/speech professionals. It is comparable as a hearing health advocacy body but with a much wider scope and larger organizational footprint than HIA.

Regional players

• British Hearing Aid Manufacturers Association (BHAMA): BHAMA is a UK-based trade association for hearing aid manufacturers operating under the British and Irish Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association framework. It is a regional equivalent to HIA focused on the UK/Ireland market rather than the US.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/better_hearing
• Facebookfacebook.com/betterhearingHIA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/betterhearing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Hearing Industries Association