Healthcare for Seniors: Navigating Complex Systems and Services
Healthcare for seniors may be daunting, especially since the industry has changed in recent years. For example, original Medicare has recently expanded from two parts
Medicare Vision Plans - Explained! Video Transcript
Medicare Vision Plans - Explained!
Hi, I'm Jessica Manion at My Healthcare Direct, and today I'm going to be going over Medicare Vision Plans.
If you're someone who's on original Medicare, you're going to have very limited coverage when it comes to your vision, because original Medicare doesn't cover things like routine eye exams, glasses, and contacts.
Advantage Plans and Standalone Vision Plans
One thing you're going to want to do is purchase a separate or Standalone Vision Plan. Now, if you're someone who's on a Medicare Advantage Plan, you may be in luck and have some vision benefits built into your Advantage plan. Now, not all Advantage Plans have vision coverage built into them. But as the years go by, more and more carriers are adding them to their plan benefits, so you definitely want to check your benefits each year to see if you have vision coverage.
Now, a lot of times, that coverage is pretty basic. However, it is better than nothing, and if you're still unsatisfied with the benefits that you receive with the Advantage Plan, you can also purchase a Standalone Vision Plan.
So, if you have original Medicare and you also have a Medicare Supplement, do you get vision coverage with that? Well, the answer is no. It works the same as original Medicare. So, if you're on original Medicare, you have purchased a Medicare Supplement Plan, you're going to also want to purchase a Standalone Vision Plan.
Manhattan Life
An example of this vision coverage that you can receive is through a company called “Manhattan Life,” and the great thing about them is it's actually a dental vision and hearing plan.
So, the benefit that you receive you can use
- towards all three
- just vision
- just dental
- or dental and vision.
You can mix it up however you want.
Benefits Vision Coverage
Let's go over the benefits of the vision coverage. You can see here that for basic things like an eye exam and the cost for glasses or contact lenses, they will pay a percentage once a deductible is met.
The annual deductible for this plan is 100 USD, so once you've spent 100 USD in the first year, they will cover up to 60% of your vision expenses, and you will cover the remaining 40. In year 2, it goes up to 70%, and in year 3, moving forward, it's 80% of the cost that they will reimburse you for.
Now, the big thing to note about this type of plan is that there is typically a waiting period, and in this case, it is for eyeglasses or contact lenses, and that's a 6-month waiting period. So, once you've had the policy for 6 months, you can order eyeglasses or contacts, and they will pay out at the correct percentage based upon what year you're in coverage.
If you have any more questions about vision plans and what options you have in your area, feel free to give us a call at 888-959-1028. You can also check out our website at www.myhealthcaredirect.com, and you can also like us on Facebook.
Why Get Vision Insurance
Eye disease can cause permanent damage if not addressed quickly; therefore, regular eye appointments are highly recommended for most adults and children. With vision insurance, your visits to the eye doctor will be less expensive on average, and the providers you have access to are likely to expand as well.
Eye Care Costs
Without eye insurance, you may have to pay as much as $200 for a new patient eye exam. Routine eye exams may cost a bit less, but a basic eye insurance package will likely allow you to save significantly in the long-term, with premiums ranging anywhere from $10 to $30 a month. At $16 a month, you would be paying $192 annually to uphold your policy. At that rate, purchasing glasses or contact lenses and services like eye exams will cost much less for an insured consumer.
When Not To Get Eye Insurance
We recommend that you always keep eye insurance, just to be safe, but there are some instances where it may not be necessary. If you don’t need any glasses or other corrective treatment, eye insurance may not be the best choice.
