Question re hearing aid/smartphone/audiobook combo

[Jim Lane]

I'm doing a complete tech overhaul. Right now I have no hearing aid; my cell phone is a $20 flip phone; and, because I have to spend a lot of time on buses and can't read on the bus, I listen to recorded books on CD's on a personal CD player, often unable to hear them well enough because of background noise.

I'm resigned to getting a hearing aid. Despite the hideous expense, I really need it. What I want to do is have a complete package: a hearing aid that communicates directly with a new phone (my understanding is that there are compatible pairings with wireless communication), and also be able to download and listen to recorded books. I don't want to discover that one component doesn't work with another.

Does anyone have experience with this kind of interaction, and can you recommend (or disrecommend) any particular hardware options, for HA or phone? Thanks!