The Basics of Vision Insurance

The Basics of Vision Insurance

Obviously, you need to be able to see well in order to live your everyday life. After all, struggling to read, write, move around or drive a car could clearly expose you to both safety risks and huge inconveniences. However, if you can receive regular vision care from a medical professional, then you will be able to continue to see better for longer and save yourself a lot of trouble.

Still, given the expense associated with medical care today, even routine vision care can be very costly. Therefore, you’ll want to have the appropriate medical benefits in place to cover these costs. Sometimes, vision care will be covered by your standard health insurance. However, in other cases, you will have to buy your vision benefits separately.

Carefully review your plan options with your health insurance agent to make certain that you have the right benefits at the right time.

How does my plan cover vision insurance?

If your eyes are giving you trouble, then the care you need might vary.

Some vision issues, such as poor eyesight, can be managed with corrective lenses or glasses.
Issues like cataracts, glaucoma or macular degeneration might only need maintenance at first but might eventually require more extensive medical intervention.
Emergency eye issues or injuries might require full medical treatment as opposed to vision maintenance.

Depending on the type of care you need, your standard health insurance might or might not cover you. Commonly, routine vision care, eyeglasses, contacts or specialty procedures like LASIK will not have coverage. Often, this care is only necessary for cosmetic reasons. However, vision surgeries, specialty or emergency care often will have coverage from your health plan. Still, your plan might have a different definition of what type of care that it deems medically necessary, and therefore covers.

In some cases, standard health insurance plans offer coverage for routine vision care. Additionally, most standard health insurers must offer vision coverage options for children aged 18 and under.

In other cases, however, you will have to buy your vision coverage from a specific, separate vision insurance policy. Sometimes, you will have the opportunity to buy this separate coverage at the same time you buy your standard health insurance. Many major health insurers partner with vision insurers to offer both health and vision benefits as packages to interested parties. However, you do not necessarily have to buy this combination of coverage if you feel that a different vision insurance benefit will be better for you.

Talk to your health insurance agent to learn more about the benefits offered for vision care. They explain to you exactly where your plan offers protection, and also help you determine where you might need to buy separate vision benefits.

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