What Is Vision Insurance Vs Health Insurance In Montana?

We understand that insurance can be overwhelming. It can become confusing with many different providers and different types of insurance cover available. As a wise person once said, “health is wealth,” including your vision. Your eyes enable you to see loved ones, experience the world’s beauty, and carry out your daily routine, but we often take them for granted. Insurance helps you to prioritize and invest in your vision while staying within your financial means.

Two types of insurance cover your eyes – vision and health insurance. We’ll explain their differences, benefits, and why they’re both important.

Why Is Insurance Important?

Routine eyecare can become more expensive when accidents or injuries occur, leading to additional visits to eye doctors and for treatment. If you have an eye disease or condition or are at risk of developing one, insurance can help ensure access to the necessary care for maintaining healthy eyes.

If you have a family, insurance can also help provide peace of mind knowing their eyes are regularly examined and looked after. While different insurance plans have varying coverage levels, it’s essential to understand what your plan covers.

What is vision insurance vs health insurance?

Many of our patients ask, “What is vision insurance?”. Like health and medical policies, vision insurance policies have various options, each offering different levels of coverage. It’s a specific type of insurance designed to cover routine eye check-ups, glasses, and contact lenses.

Depending on your plan, it may also cover additional services such as vision therapy or treatment for certain eye conditions. The benefits of vision insurance are clear – it helps to reduce the cost of routine eyecare and provides access to preventative eyecare to preserve good vision in the long term.

Health insurance in Montana is designed to cover medical expenses related to illness or injury, including doctor visits, hospitalizations, and prescription medications. While vision insurance covers preventative care, including eye exams and some corrective measures, it doesn’t include coverage for medical conditions such as glaucoma or injuries to the eye.

Now that you understand the differences between vision and health insurance, how can you maximize your benefits? We encourage you to check your plan details to determine the covered services and take advantage of your annual insurance benefits before they run out.

Flexible Spending Accounts

Did you know that some employers offer employees Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)? These are sometimes called cafeteria plans, and they let you save money in a pre-tax account for extra medical expenses like eye exams, glasses, contact lenses, and even laser vision correction surgery. You can use FSAs alongside your vision insurance to help cover any out-of-pocket costs. It’s worth checking with your place of employment’s benefits administrator to find out if you’re eligible to help you save even more money on eyecare.

How To Choose Your Insurance Plan

If your employee package does not include vision insurance, we advise exploring available policies for individuals or families. As time spent in front of screens increases, the likelihood of requiring glasses or contact lenses for your family also rises. Generally, purchasing family insurance proves more cost-effective than individual coverage, too.

Consider your personal preferences for glasses or contact lenses as well. Are you satisfied with the standard options? Do you want specialized features such as light adaptive, anti-glare or impact-resistant lenses? This may influence the level of coverage you opt for.

Get In Touch With Our Eye Doctors in Helena, MT

We’re well experienced in dealing with insurance providers and accept several types of vision insurance. We will always endeavor to inform you about exam and treatment costs at the beginning of your appointment, taking the time to go through your options so we can find the best solution to suit your budget and eyecare needs.

Don’t forget that if you already have vision insurance, it runs out on December 31^st, so be sure to use all your benefits by then. As the end of the year is fast approaching, it also means that it’s the perfect time of year to re-evaluate your insurance needs and make any necessary changes.

Contact us today for advice on how to choose your insurance plan and to find out what works best for you. Or, for more information, visit our insurance information page, where you can learn more about what vision and insurance plans we cover at our eye doctor’s office in Helena, MT.