My name is Marilyn Baker, and I have horrible allergies. I’m 42 years old and have been suffering from allergies since I was a child. I have seasonal and environmental allergies. Allergies plague me year round. When I was young, my parents even moved to a dryer area in the hope of helping me. Over the past eight years, I have done extensive research both through doctors and online. I have managed to come up with some combinations that have helped me a great deal. My allergies aren’t gone, but they have become manageable. I do have to have allergy shots, but I also use some natural remedies. I am happy to be able to share my findings with you here on my blog. I hope you can find some of this of value.
When it comes to eye care, there can be some confusion regarding how insurance works. Most people believe that medical insurance offers no coverage for vision care, but that's not entirely accurate. While you do need to have a separate vision plan in order to cover some routine aspects of eye care, there are also situations in which your medical coverage will apply to treatment. Which insurance card you should pull out when you visit the eye doctor depends on why you're there.
Routine Eye Exams. Vision check-ups, or routine eye exams, fall under your vision insurance plan. This usually means a once-yearly visit to an eye clinic like Elk Grove Optometry to test your vision and screen for eye problems.
Along with this routine visit, your vision plan usually covers all or part of the purchase of corrective lenses, either glasses or contact lenses. How often you can get new lenses covered depends on the rules of your plan, but every two years is common.
Accidental Eye Damage. If you've scratched your cornea or any other similar accidental damage to your eyes, you can see an eye doctor and bill the visit to your medical insurance. This is because, unlike a routine eye exam, there is a medical reason for the visit to the doctor. Visits of this nature won't count against your yearly limit on covered visits under you vision plan, so you can still have your routine check-up as needed.
Treatment for Diseases of the Eye. Common diseases that affect the eyes, such as glaucoma, can be treated by an eye doctor under medical insurance coverage. As long as the visit to the doctor is for treatment or assessment of such a disease, it will be considered a medical necessity and thus covered by your insurance.
Other Medically Necessary Eye Care. Any complaint regarding your eyes that is deemed to require medical treatment may be covered by medical insurance. This can include dry or itchy eyes and unusual vision problems that are outside the realm of routine care.
Before you visit your doctor, it's a good idea to check with your insurance company to find out what is considered a medically necessary reason for visiting an eye doctor. In some cases, such as with dry or itchy eyes, you may be referred to another specialist such as an allergist. Be sure to check what type of specialist your insurance covers before you go.
How Much Is Covered. How your insurance will provide eye care coverage depends on your particular plan and the type of treatment you need. In some cases, you may simply pay your specialist co-pay. In others, you maybe covered for a percentage of the cost of the visit. It's important that you review your policy to know what type of coverage you have before visiting a doctor so that you can be prepared for your portion of the cost.
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