Casey Bond is a seasoned personal finance writer and editor. In addition to Forbes, her work has appeared on HuffPost, Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, U.S. News & World Report, TheStreet and more. Casey is also a Certified.
Casey Bond ContributorCasey Bond is a seasoned personal finance writer and editor. In addition to Forbes, her work has appeared on HuffPost, Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, U.S. News & World Report, TheStreet and more. Casey is also a Certified.
Written By Casey Bond ContributorCasey Bond is a seasoned personal finance writer and editor. In addition to Forbes, her work has appeared on HuffPost, Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, U.S. News & World Report, TheStreet and more. Casey is also a Certified.
Casey Bond ContributorCasey Bond is a seasoned personal finance writer and editor. In addition to Forbes, her work has appeared on HuffPost, Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, U.S. News & World Report, TheStreet and more. Casey is also a Certified.
Contributor Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
| Deputy Editor, Insurance
Updated: Feb 15, 2024, 5:19am
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An estimated 76% of American adults need vision correction, but even if you have perfect vision, regular eye exams can play a vital role in your health.
Eye examinations can detect diseases such as diabetes or glaucoma. Plus, modern life and prolonged exposure to digital screens can create eye issues.
Vision insurance helps cover the cost of caring for your eyes, particularly routine eye exams, prescription glasses and contacts. Some plans may also offer discounts for corrective surgery, such as LASIK.
Vision care isn’t generally covered by major medical plans, which is why separate vision insurance can play a key role in your health.
Vision Service Plan (VSP) is the largest vision insurance provider in the U.S. Coverage starts immediately, and you can use your benefits as soon as you sign up. Many plan options start as low as $13 per month.
You can get individual coverage directly from the company and many employers also offer VSP insurance as part of their benefits package.
You can usually buy vision coverage through an employer or directly from an insurance company. Coverage may be provided by a vision insurance company or as part of health insurance benefits.
You may pay a premium to have vision insurance, and a plan may cover the cost of eyeglasses, contacts, routine eye exams and other services related to the overall health of your eyes. These premiums are often much less expensive than those for health insurance.
There are two main types of vision coverage. Vision insurance, which is similar to health insurance, and a vision discount plan. Here’s how they differ.
Similar to a health insurance plan, vision insurance usually has a deductible, copay, coinsurance and premium. Some plans may require you to visit certain in-network eye doctors. Vision insurance providers may also offer an allowance on certain eye care products, such as eyeglasses. If the cost of the product exceeds the allowance, you pay the difference out of pocket.
Vision discount plansDiscount plans cover a percentage of your costs for exams and corrective eyewear. A discount plan isn’t insurance and won’t help pay for care, but a vision discount plan may cost less than vision insurance.
See More See LessVision insurance coverage varies by plan. Many vision insurance companies cover the cost of an annual eye exam if provided by an in-network provider. These policies may also offer help paying for glasses and contact lenses up to an annual maximum.
On the other hand, laser surgeries, including photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and LASIK, aren’t usually covered by vision insurance. Vision insurance considers those procedures elective surgery, but a vision policy may offer discounts on those policies.
Vision insurance starts at about $5 a month. The exact costs depend on what benefits are included, where you live, how many people are on your plan and other factors.
You can expect to pay around $5 to $30 per person, per month for vision insurance. Expect to pay more for policies that have more comprehensive benefits.
Cheaper vision plans tend to have bare-bones coverage. Family plans also have higher monthly premiums, though they can be more cost-effective than an individual plan if several people are on one plan.
Here’s a look at some of the best vision insurance companies and their starting premiums for an individual.
Most vision insurance plans offer basic vision benefits, including preventive eye care (namely, eye exams) and prescription eyewear, such as glasses and contact lenses.
Higher-end plans may also include coverage or discounts for specialty options, such as anti-glare or anti-scratch coatings, progressive lenses or transition lenses. Some policies may offer discounts on elective vision correction surgery, such as LASIK.
Vision insurance plans don’t cover everything related to eye care. Products and services that aren’t covered depend on the insurer and policy, but common exclusions include:
Vision insurance isn’t required, but it can be a good way to get help paying for your vision care.
Whether or not you need it depends on a few factors, such as how often you require eye exams and whether you need corrective lenses. If you don’t have vision problems and no family history of eye diseases, you may not need vision insurance.
You may also decide to get regular vision care without having vision insurance. You don’t need insurance to get vision care.
It’s a good idea to check with your eye doctor to see which vision insurance plans they accept. If your doctor doesn’t accept that type of vision insurance or isn’t considered in network, paying for that vision insurance plan likely isn’t worth it—unless you want to change eye doctors.
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ContributorCasey Bond is a seasoned personal finance writer and editor. In addition to Forbes, her work has appeared on HuffPost, Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, U.S. News & World Report, TheStreet and more. Casey is also a Certified Personal Finance Counselor. Follow her on Twitter @CaseyLynnBond.
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