All the upsetting news about hearing loss in America is falling on deaf ears. Who cares about not hearing when just having a hearing about, say, Russian interference in our elections is so much more important to our well-being?

Is it? Listen to another mess we're in: About 35 million American adults and children have hearing loss, and according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, fewer than 25 percent of all people who need hearing aids actually get them. Say what?

I got mine about 10 years ago, and I've been shouting — make that whispering — their praises ever since. I knew it was a healthy-lifestyle issue when I couldn't always understand what my yoga teacher was saying as she strolled around the studio. Was she asking for a down dog or a pigeon? A low lunge or a forward bend?

Flash-forward and here I am, loving my ears, so grateful for my ears, wondering why they're still so darn expensive and aren't covered by Medicaid when almost two-thirds of Americans older than 70 have meaningful hearing loss.

Lucky for me, May has been declared Better Hearing and Speech month, making this the perfect time to share some high notes and low notes of what I will now call the Hearing Loss Scandals.

WHY IS IT A SCANDAL? I'm not saying that people who are deaf don't enjoy marvelous and healthy lifestyles. Of course they do. But adults and children who experience untreated hearing loss are in a different category, a rapidly growing category of people who are more likely to experience "accelerated rates of cognitive decline." Hearing loss is linked to a lower capacity to do mental tasks, to dementia, even to changes in the brain structure itself. People who struggle to hear are more likely to say they experience poor physical and mental health, and they tend to be more socially isolated, another road to nowhere when it comes to living your best life.

WHY DON'T MORE PEOPLE WEAR AIDS? One reason is that they don't realize they need them. The loss is gradual; they find workarounds; it's not a priority. Denial is another reason, and so is the fear of being seen as "old" or "lame."

Remember those '50s movies with people holding ear horns the size of Harry & David fruit baskets to their ears? That's over. The new aids are practically invisible and come in designer colors, with or without stripes.

One of the saddest reasons people don't get the help they need from hearing aids is cost. Technology is bringing down the price of devices in every sphere — TV, computers, everything small screen — but not in your ear. They are still crazy expensive — name brand pairs can be $6,000 and more — making them unaffordable for most people on fixed incomes or limited budgets.

It needn't be this way. The New York Times' Paula Span reported last year that the Department of Veterans Affairs negotiated with manufacturers of good devices and got the price down to $400 per aid — a big bargain, considering all the benefits.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? Besides saving your brain and improving your health? When you can't hear well, you're always straining. Or you drop out of the conversation altogether. With aids, you can relax and participate. "Yuge" difference!

WHAT ARE THE CONS? There are always con men who sell inadequate devices, so you have to do your homework and buy the best technology you can afford. Also, getting them properly adjusted can take time. It's a process. You need to work closely and patiently with a medical professional in the field, not rely on a hearing aid salesman (nothing against hearing aid salespeople).

ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE. The Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017 has been introduced by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. This welcome bipartisan effort is designed to bring down costs and create a more consumer-friendly market. Yes, a kind of miracle.

But if you're one of the millions who can't hear well, please don't wait for Congress to act. Take action now. Get tested; get help; and if you have any reason to be suspicious, get your kids tested, too.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! TUNE IN TO THE TRUTH

"With long-standing hearing loss, rehabilitation is much harder. The earlier you address it, the easier it is and the more successful you can be." — Dr. Frank Lin

Marilynn Preston is the author of Energy Express, America's longest-running healthy lifestyle column. Her new book "All Is Well: The Art {and Science} of Personal Well-Being" is available now. Visit Creators Publishing at creators.com/books/all-is-well to learn more. For more on personal well-being, visit www.MarilynnPreston.com.