Vision Insurance - Yes or No

[crayonblue]

We pay about $450 per year for platinum VSP family plan. DH is self employed so this is what we pay privately. It covers a new pair of glasses (or contacts) for each family member per year plus exams, etc. It's WELL worth it for us since both girls have complicated prescriptions and we get their glasses through the eye doctor. DD1 wears hybrid contact lenses (a combo soft/gas permeable lens) and VSP covered a year supply which would have run us about $1,000. VSP also covered a pair of Coach and Michael Kors sunglasses for me since I had eye surgery.

[lmr1101]

Be sure to double check your health insurance as well. If you are part of the new 2014 health care reform plans there are additional pediatric vision benefits. It may help with some of the cost.

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[vonfirmath]

Our vision insurance is through DH's work, and it's pretty cheap. Probably less than $20/month. It covers lenses and exams yearly, and frames every other year for our whole family. It also includes a few extras like anti-glare and scratch resistant lenses.

A friend of mine, who works at the same place as DH, doesn't bother with the insurance. She gets her glasses from Costco every year, she says it's really easy and cheap.

...Costco is easy but I wouldn't call them cheap. Not when you have a close to -9 prescription. Its not the frames. its the lens that are so expensive. Unfortunately, no choice of vision insurance where I work

[kboyle]

i pay out of pocket for medical mutual eyemed (i think) and it's $8.62/mo for just me. I know the family plan wasn't crazy expensive. Dh doesn't need glasses this year and the kids had exams in May and the eye doc said he thinks they'll be good for 2 years since unless something comes up, which then i'll sign up the next kid or whomever needs glasses for ins.

[marymoo86]

Another vsp here. Family plan is $12 month and covers a good bit.

[lizzywednesday]

Yes, I have vision insurance through VSP. We're currently paying about $25/month for a family of 3, on COBRA.

I'm entitled to an annual exam, new frames every other year, and new lenses every year; with my buy-up, I am also entitled to a discount on prescription sunglasses. I also have a contact lens allowance of $250/year, which makes contacts more affordable.

I can use EITHER the contacts allowance OR the glasses benefit. While the glasses benefit is the better deal, I prefer wearing contacts, so that's what I get.

If you can get VSP, I've found it's the best vision plan out there. I get twitchy without vision coverage, as I've worn glasses since I was about 11, so being able to afford them (or contacts, though it's still a pretty penny!) is very important to me.

[MelissaTC]

We have BCBS vision through DH's employment. I have a teeny tiny script and use my glasses (sometimes) for night driving or reading. Both DH and M wear glasses full-time and DH's in particular, tend to cost a fortune. M is able to get Transition lenses since they are covered for youth dependents at 100%. That saved a ton!

[MSWR0319]

Our "insurance" is VSP, which seems like it's just a discount plan? It is cheap, but I don't know if it's a good deal, or is like PP said we should just do Costco. Right now, my husband is the only glasses wearer, but my old eyes are getting there!

We had VSP also. It covered our exams plus one pair of glasses/lens up to a certain dollar amount every two year (I can't remember the amount) or $150 worth of contacts each year which equated to 4 boxes. It put us ahead a bit when DH needed contacts. After he got PRK done, it cost us more to pay for the insurance than what we were getting out of it. Our medical insurance covers our exams, so that was of no benefit to us and I could get twice as many contacts for the same price (or a bit less) outside of the dr.'s office. Now, I do think the boys have a good chance of needing glasses at some point, which then it may be to our benefit to go back to VSP. If I ever decided to do Lasik, we would get insurance again also, because the VSP discount is totally worth it (at least the last time I checked).

[MSWR0319]

We pay about $450 per year for platinum VSP family plan. DH is self employed so this is what we pay privately. It covers a new pair of glasses (or contacts) for each family member per year plus exams, etc. It's WELL worth it for us since both girls have complicated prescriptions and we get their glasses through the eye doctor. DD1 wears hybrid contact lenses (a combo soft/gas permeable lens) and VSP covered a year supply which would have run us about $1,000. VSP also covered a pair of Coach and Michael Kors sunglasses for me since I had eye surgery.

Was it recently that they covered your sunglasses? DH used to get a pair of Oakley's yearly after his PRK, but the last time he went they said it wasn't covered anymore, which is when we dropped it because it didn't make sense for us if we weren't getting the extra pair of glasses.

[mg1278]

I have VSP through my work, and it's about $5/month for me and my husband to have coverage. I think it's pretty good coverage - as someone posted above, I'm able to get $150 of contacts each year, which is well worth what the amount I pay in!