Quebec’s hearing aid plan for seniors only covers 1 ear. Critics are calling for change [Video]

Seniors experiencing hearing loss in Quebec are calling on the province to reverse a long-standing policy that compensates them for only one hearing aid, even if they need two — one for each ear.

“It’s an insult. It’s really not fair, and I think it should stop. It should be that you’re allowed to have two hearing aids,” Martha Perusse, a 71-year-old with hearing loss, told CBC in an interview.

For decades, Quebec’s health insurance board, the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ), has covered the cost of two hearing aids — one for each ear — for children 18 and under, adults who need hearing aids for their studies or work and people who are also visually impaired.

But for anyone else — mainly seniors and unemployed adults — the RAMQ only covers the cost of one hearing aid, even when someone requires them for both ears.

“How does that make any sense?” Marina Souranis, an NDG resident who wears hearing …