With more vision insurance options than ever before, there are a few basics you need to know - regardless of whether your vision insurance plan is part of an employer health benefits package or one you choose yourself.
Plan to Maximize Your Vision Coverage
The myriad of options available to you in vision plans can be overwhelming. If your vision plan is through your benefits package at work, check out the insurance company literature and website, and your HR department, to learn more about what is, and isn’t, covered. If you are choosing your own insurance provider, take the time to comparison shop and review the plans carefully.
Alberta Health does fund all eye examinations for patients under 18 and over 65, including routine comprehensive annual exams.
They also provide full coverage for medically necessary visits, which include:
- Retinal examination and diagnostic imaging for diabetic patients
- Monitoring and treatment for chronic eye diseases such as glaucoma and uveitis
- Foreign body requiring assessment and/or removal
- Pre-and Post-operative surgical care
- Eye or eyelid infections, abrasions, red or pink eye, pain or sudden vision loss
Vision Benefits Package
Many employee health insurance plans include vision insurance, usually with a fixed set of benefits related to eye health and maintenance including routine eye exams and testing, corrective eyewear, and in some cases, even benefits that reduce the cost of eye surgery.
Today, many health insurance plans provide the consumer with the flexibility to personalize the level of coverage they want to allocate to vision, dental, prescription etc so you can tailor the benefits to your own needs. The introduction of flexible health spending accounts in past years increases the level of customization.
Vision Discount Plans
This type of vision insurance offers a flat discount for a number of vison-related services, such as eye exams, glasses and contact lenses. You simply contact one of the participating eyecare clinics who honour the discounts and pay the difference yourself.
Vision Insurance Planning
A little planning can go a long way if you use your vision insurance to the maximum benefit by fully understanding specifically what is covered or not covered under your plan, and by discussing options with your eye care professional to see how to best apply your particular vision coverage.
This planning includes fully understanding what Alberta Health covers, such as an unexpected eye injury or the onset of certain eye diseases.
As they say, use it or lose it - vision insurance benefits do expire.
Your vision insurance benefits likely have an expiration date and if you don’t use them - you will lose them. In addition, many of the flexible health spending accounts don’t allow your benefits to roll over into the next year, so if you don’t spend what you’ve allocated, you may risk of losing that money entirely. Since you’re contributing your hard-earned dollars toward your vision coverage, you probably want to book that annual eye exam or see your eye care professional if you experience any changes in your vision.
The eye care professionals at Blink are happy to discuss how to best manage your vision benefit plans, so call us or check out our website today!
Contact Us
Have any questions about your vision insurance? We're here to help. Give us a call at any of our West Springs, Creekside or Crowfoot offices to book your appointment.