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- Medicare
- Andrea Feucht, 12 Sep 2024
What Vision Coverage Does Medicare Offer?
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If you are covered by Medicare (or soon will be), you probably know Medicare’s vision coverage is limited. Original Medicare only covers vision emergencies, like being admitted to a hospital with injuries to one or both eyes.
Routine vision checkups, eyeglasses and more aren’t covered by Original Medicare. One exception is that if you are high-risk for certain diseases, Medicare Part B will cover glaucoma screenings. But are glasses or contacts covered by Original Medicare? Definitely not. Learn more about what vision care is covered by Medicare to decide if you may need additional vision insurance coverage.
Government-provided Medicare (also called “Original Medicare”) consists of Part A (hospital coverage) and Part B (medical coverage). Medicare Part A is only intended to serve as hospital insurance for emergencies. For example, if you’re admitted to the hospital because of an accident involving your eyes, your plan benefits would apply; otherwise, you’re responsible for all costs.
What about Part B (medical coverage)? If you are considered high-risk for glaucoma, Medicare Part B does cover annual glaucoma screenings. These include those with diabetes or a family history of glaucoma, African-Americans over the age of 50, and Hispanics over the age of 65. Medicare Part B also covers cataract surgery, prosthetic eyes and special treatments for macular degeneration, but a 20% coinsurance cost typically applies to many of these treatments.
Beyond their Original Medicare, some individuals add a privately issued plan for more coverage, like a Medicare Supplement Plan (also called Medigap), or Part D (prescription drug plan). But Medigap does not include vision benefits, and Medicare Part D may only cover certain medicines for your eyes if prescribed by your doctor.
Much of this comes as a surprise to many — that while Part A and Part B include coverage for emergency situations or existing high-risk conditions, Original Medicare does not cover costs associated with important preventative measures. These include visits that can keep your eyes healthy, like routine vision screenings, prescription eyewear and eye exams.
What can you do to get the vision coverage you need? Many people choose between two options for their vision care needs:
1) Medicare Part C
Medicare Part C plans are offered by private carriers and replace your Original Medicare coverage. Some of these plans (also called Medicare Advantage plans) include additional benefits, like vision coverage and more, but they are not required to have any benefits beyond those contained in Original Medicare. If you have a Part C plan, verify your vision coverage and make sure it’s right for you.
2) Private Insurance Plan
To keep their coverage and costs simple to understand, many individuals with only Original Medicare choose to enroll in a private, individual vision insurance plan for coverage. This means they keep their regular government-provided health plan but add on the other benefits desired by choosing separate add-on plans. This could be vision only or vision plus dental and beyond.
The benefits of a private plan can be appealing — you choose the coverage you’d like, and you know exactly what premium you’ll pay. If your vision coverage is rolled into a Medicare Advantage plan, it might be difficult to know if you are paying too much for each benefit.
Perhaps you have only Original Medicare, or you have a Part C plan, but your vision benefits are minimal or not even clear. It’s possible that insurance through a company like VSP® Individual Vision Plans is a better match for you. To help you make sure you have the best vision insurance, there are a few points to consider.
Vision health is so important, because over time, changes in your vision can show up that affect daily life. Great vision insurance for retirees will make it easy to get annual eye exams with a large network of eye doctors. VSP, for example, has the nation’s largest network of private-practice optometrists — more than 38,000 vision providers nationwide. That means, there’s a good chance that your eye doctor is already in our network, or a new provider is located nearby.
Annual eye exams can keep your vision correction up to date, but they also include important screenings for eye problems, like cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma. Eye exams can even detect high blood pressure and the early signs of diabetes.
For those with Medicare who also need vision correction, private vision insurance will help to cover the cost of eyewear, lens enhancements or contact lenses without requiring a large premium. VSP Individual Vision Plans coverage, for example, starts as low as $13 a month.
Maybe you haven’t gotten your eyes checked in a bit and you know you probably need stronger correction. Our vision simulator can help you see what you’re missing, literally, with an outdated prescription.
But even if your eye prescription hasn’t changed, you may want to dabble in new eyeglass frames and styles to freshen up your look. Vision insurance can help you reduce the cost of new frames, whatever the reason.
Younger eyes might have seemed invincible, but our bodies change over time. While some changes are normal, maintaining good habits and getting the right kind of eye care from professionals is key to long-term health — and the right vision insurance can help. To get started, visit VSP to find a vision insurance plan that works best for you.
Check your Medicare Plan to see if your vision care needs are covered. And/or if a VSP Individual Vision Plan is right for you. VSP Vision Care does not coordinate benefits with Medicare.
Information received through VSP Individual Vision Plans’ social media channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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Healthy vision association discounts
Some plans can only be accessed through membership in the Healthy Vision Association (HVA), which helps its members see well and stay healthy.
For $1.50/mo, your membership will give you access to exclusive discount programs* on everyday goods and services including:
Plus, your membership supports vision-related charities too.
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*All rebates and special offers are subject to change