You can get an annual eye exam using your medical insurance, but it would only include examining for eye conditions and would not cover a prescription for any type of corrective lenses. Learn More About Barnet Dulaney Perkins Affordability How Can I use Insurance for my Eye Exam? Only covers materials if you have a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA).īenefit can only be used one time per calendar year or one time every other year.Ĭan be used multiple times throughout the year. Vision InsuranceĬovers routine eye care services like eye exams and refractive services.Ĭovers medical eye care services, such as management of eye diseases.īenefits typically include an allowance toward glasses and/or contact lenses. A vision plan can save you a few hundred dollars each year. Instead of paying full-price at the time, you’re paying a discounted price each month. Refraction is a vision test performed by your eye doctor to check if you need prescription lenses.Ī typical vision plan includes a wellness eye exam, lenses and an allowance for contacts, frames or both. It doesn’t cover the treatment of diagnoses (like cataracts) but does cover the refraction portion and the wellness exam. It’s a supplemental, discounted program you pay into for preventive maintenance, so when it comes time for your eye exam, you have fewer and less expensive out-of-pocket costs.
It’s not really insurance so much as it is a benefit. The second is vision - vision insurance is a bit of a misnomer. Though it might dip into eye health, it has no coverage for routine vision services, like an eye exam. The first scenario is medical - medical insurance covers emergency care, surgery and eye conditions like glaucoma or infection.
What are the differences between vision and medical insurance?