hearing aids losing connectivity with iOS 16.6.1

I just lost connectivity this morning. I updated to 16.6.1 when it first was available and had no problems. Now, out of the blue, my hearing aids won't pair with my iPhone and won't connect to the app for my brand (Jabra).

Found a thread with this issue from iOS 16.5 and followed recommended solution - it worked (turn off bluetooth and disconnect bluetooth from iPhone, reboot, turn back on).

But, WHY is this happening suddenly and without any updates? I saw that iOS17 is available but I haven't updated.

APPLE get this bug fixed!! People with hearing loss cannot use the phone if it won't connect to hearing aids!!