Group Vision Insurance
The gift of sight is one of our five basic senses. In order to assure we are able to make the most of this sense, we need to maintain it.
Having vision insurance is one way to lower the cost of eye maintenance. Employers often offer some form of group vision insurance to their full-time employees.
What is Group Vision Insurance?
As mentioned previously, group vision insurance is a plan that an employer purchases as a health benefit to their full-time employees, typically offered alongside a comprehensive group insurance plan.
Vision insurance covers eye maintenance—such as exams and glasses. Some vision insurance plans cover certain types of eye care, such as glaucoma exams and diabetic retina tests.
Typically, your group plan for vision insurance can be found within your benefit package, and may include coverage for dependents, as well. Those dependents are children under a certain age limit and spouses.
What Can it Cover?
A group vision insurance plan can cover several aspects of eye care.
This includes the following:
- Eye examinations
- Vision tests
- Corrective vision surgery (not LASIK)
- Contact lens
- Glasses
- Lenses for prescription eyeglasses
Your vision insurance plan might also offer the following at a discounted rate:
- Anti-glare/scratch-resistant coating on the lens
- Polycarbonate lenses for thinner, more durable lenses
- Progressive lenses
- Transition lenses/exposure to sunlight darkens them to sunglasses
Although group vision plans don’t cover LASIK eye surgery, most plans do have discounts available for laser eye surgery. In addition, there are limits to the coverage the plan provides.
A group vision care plan may also cover certain types of vision preventative care—typically with a small co-pay.
There may also be an allowance for eyeglass frames following the vision exam (if needed). If you want frames which cost over this allowance, you would need to pay the difference out of pocket.
Your company’s group vision plan will normally also cover a pair of prescription sunglasses.
However, the plan is not likely to cover sunglasses which are non-prescription if you purchase them from an in-network provider.
Some procedures which are considered elective could be covered under a group vision plan.
What Does it Not Cover?
Your group vision insurance policy will not cover certain things like LASIK eye surgery. A vision plan may also will not cover certain emergency eye issues—this may need to be handled by your medical insurance provider.
On the other hand, your health insurance policy does not cover the same issues your vision plan does.
If you have experienced an injury to your eye(s), or any emergency eye-related trauma or disease, you need to contact your health insurance provider.
Are There Policy Limits?
In the past, insurance plans had a limit placed on annual coverage and the dollar amount policyholders could spend.
However, vision insurance policies are no longer allowed to set annual dollar limits on what policyholders are allowed to spend.