I am a non-tenure track philosophy lecturer, currently working two jobs to get by. One job offers me health insurance, the other does not. The insurance I have does not cover hearing aids. I have moderate to severe hearing loss (worse in the left ear than the right). This makes my work, and life in general, harder for me. It's hard to hear students in the classroom, hard to hear general conversation, diminishes my sense of the world around me, even adversely affects simple things like my ability to hear my cats purring around me, or my enjoyment of music (particularly Jazz).

The OTC/out-of-pocket costs for a professionally calibrated, reliable, durable, and fully functional set of behind-the-ear hearing aids is about $2500. I don't have this sum on hand, and it is not likely I will be able to afford it any time soon. I would be grateful for any assistance in raising the funds to buy the hearing aids I need.