Will hearing healthcare be affordable in the new millennium.

Calculations of the needs of healthcare, hearing healthcare included, are usually based on clinical data rather than on valid prevalence figures. According to our recent population study, the number of citizens needing hearing aids in Finland will be twice the figure usually presented, 280 000 for the country as a whole (population 5.1 million). The penetration of hearing aids was only 41%. Taking this and the ageing of the population into account, the economic challenges of hearing healthcare will be alarming in the new millennium.