Archive for June, 2022

Vision Insurance – Do You Need It?

June 14th, 2022

Although it is unquestionably imperative to have good vision, it may or may not be critical to have vision insurance. Many consumers overvalue this coverage and pay too much for it.

To know whether you get what you paid for when you purchase vision coverage, it is imperative to know what eye coverage covers and what it doesn’t include. Having knowledge of the limitations of vision coverage is necessary to determine whether you should pay extra for the coverage.

You should know what the extra coverage will include. Vision coverage covers expenses that are associated with prescription eye glasses or contacts. Typically vision or eye insurance will cover an eye examination. It may also cover part of the cost of prescription lenses.

You should also know what it doesn’t cover. Vision insurance does not cover the expenses associated with eye trauma or diseases that impact the eye. Medical insurance will usually cover these health care costs.

Neither your optical insurance nor your medical coverage is likely to include coverage for laser eye surgery. Surgery to improve vision is usually specifically excluded by medical coverage policies. This is different from surgery to restore vision.

The standard health care insurance policy will exclude coverage for corrective lenses. Typical health care insurance policies don’t cover for the eye exams necessary to get corrective lenses. Corrective lenses can be either prescription contacts or prescription eyeglasses.

Medical expenses associated with eye injuries and diseases that affect sight are still paid for as part of the health benefit. A separate eye or vision coverage rider is not necessary to have eye injuries covered. Many consumers pay extra for vision or eye coverage because they believe that their medical policy will not cover anything associated with sight.

When comparing medical coverage policies that include vision or eye insurance, be sure to see how extensive their coverage is. Since some eye care insurance policies will only cover the cost of the examination, those policies are less valuable than insurance plans that will not only cover the exam but will also pay towards glasses.

Another issue to consider is the availability of eye care professionals. Most vision plans will limit the places you can go to have your eye exam to network providers. You should make sure that there are optometrists or optometrists near you and that you will feel comfortable using those optometrists or optometrists.

It is a waste of money to pay for eye care coverage only to find that none of the in network eye doctors are ones you can or want to visit. Often consumers will routinely check to make sure that their physicians are in the network, but will forget to check for dentists and optometrists.

Knowing the value of the added coverage is essential if you are going to make the right choice. If the eye or vision insurance only includes an annual exam, you should call an optometrist and ask what a vision examination costs. If the policy also pays something toward glasses you should add that to the cost of the exam. Multiply the cost by the number of family members that will be covered. Then divide that cost by 12 of your policy premiums are being paid monthly. This will allow you to properly compare the extra cost of having eye or vision coverage with the additional cost for the coverage.

Eye insurance is often worth the additional costs, but sometimes it won’t be. Frequently people will compare different plans that are otherwise the same and choose the one that has eye care coverage without the properly weighing the costs and benefits. Now you know how to look at the costs and benefits and only pay extra if the additional coverage is worth the additional price.

Individual Vision Insurance – Some Eye-Popping Statistics, and the Need for a Good Vision Plan

June 14th, 2022

There is no doubt whatsoever that across the world, vision health is becoming poorer each passing year. This is more so in America: in a country battling an obesity epidemic, how could eye health be any better? Compound our poor health in general with increased use of televisions, computers, and other ‘screen based devices’, and you can see why our vision health is going southwards.

As of now, there are over 2.5 million visually impaired people in the US – that is, those that have very limited vision (if at all). This number does not include 1 million blind. That more than 3/4th or nearly 75% of people between 25-64 require some kind of vision correction equipment (read: glasses, lenses) is a testimonial of the declining state of our nation’s vision health.

Some even more troubling facts: one in four school going children have undiagnosed vision problems. It is also estimated that vision problems cost the American economy upwards of $50 billion every year.

Keeping all these statistics in mind, it seems only natural that most people list vision care plans as their most desired insurance benefits, besides a general health plan. Insurance companies too have risen to meet this demand. Today, getting an individual vision insurance plan is quite affordable, costing only a few dollars each month. Group vision insurance plans tend to be even cheaper, and more and more employers are offering this benefit to their employees.

An individual vision insurance plan basically provides cover for most vision related problems. These can range from regular eye exams and doctor visits, to partial payment for corrective glasses and contact lenses. Some policies even provide coverage for surgical procedures such as LASIK.

The cost of visiting an eye doctor, or getting a pair of glasses made can be quite high, as anybody with vision problems will testify. A single pair of glasses can run into hundreds of dollars. Taking care of your vision can cost upwards of several thousand dollars, depending on the severity of your vision problems. It makes quite sense then to invest in an individual vision insurance plan that will cover a major chunk of these expenses.

In most cases, a vision insurance plan can be added on top of your existing medical plan for only a few dollars more each month. Families can also opt for a group plan that will decrease the monthly cost even further.

A vision insurance plan is a great investment for the future, whether you are single or have a family. Vision problems will only compound in the future as eye health only deteriorates with age. A solid individual vision insurance plan will cover most expenses related to keeping your eyes healthy, and some procedures, such as regular eye exams, may also be helpful in detecting symptoms of other serious diseases like diabetes.

If you’ve ever visited an eye doctor, you know how expensive vision care can be. But did yo