Saving Costs on Contact Lenses with Insurance & Discount Plans

Vision is one of the most cherished senses for a person and as such, eye care should be an important consideration in all our lives, especially if you wear eye glasses or contact lenses or feel you may be in need of them. Just as medical examinations or physical checkups are considered important after a certain age, so are eye exams and the necessary corrective steps to ensure clear vision and healthy eyes and it is a wise idea to visit an optometrist at least once every year. All this can however add up to a significant amount of money and if you have vision insurance or a vision discount plan you need to be sure that you are availing the financial benefits available to you.

Vision insurance plans are offered by numerous personal insurance companies, many of which like eHealthInsurance can be found online. Getting approved for such a plan is usually quite simple due to the limited coverage and services that can be availed. Vision insurance plans usually cover regular eye exams and the purchase of contact lenses or glasses for a fixed number of times in a certain period. Make sure that your insurance plan includes preferred vision care providers and contact lens retailers in your area and if they do not, figure out how much out of pocket cost you would end up bearing.

It is also wise to use your Health Savings Account (HAS) or Flexible Savings Account (FSA) to cover any out of pocket expenses you need to make for services or products that are not covered entirely by the insurance plan. This is a good use of your pre-tax dollars especially in the case of your FSA where any unused money is not carried on to the following year.  It would be economical to plan your purchases to ensure that any surplus money in your FSA is consumed for whatever services or purchases need to be made before it lapses.

Discount plans are different in that they do not provide coverage against claims, but instead give discounts on services and products that are available through their network of participating eye care providers and stores. For example Alliance Health Card members are entitled to vision service programs provided by their network of eye care professionals, with no limit on the number of times a year their services can be used. A subscriber simply has to pay the bill minus the applicable discount when paying. Alliance Health Card members can select from over 45,000 vision providers in over 21,000 locations, including many of the larger retail chains. Members can save anywhere between 15% to 40% on eye exams, contact lenses and contacts accessories. Unlike most Vision Insurance plans, these discount plans do often cover more complex eye procedures as well.

So although contact lens coupons and discounts are great tools in saving cash it is important to know the other ways in which your eye care costs can come down.  Talk to people you know – friends, family, colleagues – before you decide on an insurance or discount plan. It may be wise to consult your optometrist as well.