Got my hearing aids last August after a few decades of progressive hearing loss. I didn’t shoot at all between my youth in Iowa and 20yr later in NH, and had lost hearing in between, so it wasn’t shooting that contributed. No exceptionally noisy stuff in between either. Congenital hearing loss, they call it - those bad Irish genes. We’re supposed to die by 50 from smoking and drinking too much.
Some hearing aid dispensers (Costco, etc.) are minimally trained in audiology - they just need a PhD Audiologist on staff who might not even see patients but just signs off on reports. Skip those places and get an established practice with a PhD Audiologist in a joint ENT practice.
NH mandates all insurers cover $1500 per hearing aid ($3000 for a pair) every 5 years. So, I could get some top-shelf Phonak Behind-the-Ear Audeo Marvel aids for only $1500 out of pocket, including f/u visits for a year. A new audiology exam yearly is covered by insurance and if the analysis changes, another year of f/u visits is covered to adjust the aids. In MA, mandatory coverage is only for under 21yr age, so you’re out of luck - sorry.
I got custom molded plugs by a guy who travels to gun shows and gun shops. They’re great. Indoors, I plug and muff, like you do.