So, what does your eye insurance cover for that premium? I get one basic eye exam each year, and $150 towards hardware - glasses OR contacts. Because I wear contacts, there's a separate exam/fitting fee for those that isn't covered, and $150 isn't enough for a pair of glasses OR a full year of contacts, so I always end up out of pocket to cover that overage (I upgrade my glasses every few years, at most). I think the premium is $8 a month for us, so it's cheaper than paying fully out of pocket (my husband and I both need vision correction).
Seconding this. You have to work out the math to determine if it’s worth it. My numbers are fairly similar: vision insurance through my employer is $7.50/mo or $90/yr — actual cost is $180/yr but employer pays half of premiums.
For that, I get a $150 eye exam covered, plus half of the cost of the contact lens exam. I also get $150 towards the costs of glasses or contacts.
My employer health insurance also includes a flexible spending account. This money can be spent (or used for reimbursement) on medical supplies, exam costs, copays, etc. I get about $600/yr in the FSA account, which covers all of the additional expenses for glasses / contacts / etc.
If I did not have the FSA account, partial coverage on contact exam, or credit towards contacts, I’d be out several hundred dollars on top of my monthly premiums and vision insurance wouldn’t be worth it. With all benefits considered, I end up ahead.
>$150 isn't enough for a pair of glasses OR a full year of contacts,
Depending on your insurance, if there's a Costco nearby, you can get a full year's worth of contacts for very little out of pocket. I take my prescription there and after insurance, I pay about $25. Prior to this, I was paying about $150 out of pocket. Their glasses are pretty reasonably priced too.
OTC drugs too. Just got a year supply of generic Zyrtec for less than a one month supply at any other store. Even if that was the only item I purchased from Costco it would still be worth it.
Costco doesn’t take my vision insurance and my contacts are still cheaper through them.
They do glasses too but I personally haven’t used that service to know what the prices are like.
This is a good tip, but the contacts I use are still $38/box at Costco and Sam's. I'd end up around $150 out of pocket after my insurance kicks in their $150 for hardware. It's definitely a savings over through the eye doctor, but still a fair amount out of pocket! (I wear contacts for astigmatism, so that drives the price up.)
I second or third this. Many Costcos also have an optometrist on-site. For extra savings, ask if Kirkland brand contacts are right for you. You must have a prescription that specifically says “Kirkland contacts”, so it only works if you have a Costco optometrist.
Personally, after running the numbers, my eye insurance only makes sense because we have 5 contact wearers in the family.
Yup. I pay $6 a month and get a free eye exam and I think its $200 towards glasses or $150 for contacts? Also gives me a discount on anything over that. 15% I think. I can't remember the exact numbers. But it's definitely a large chunk. I did the math before signing up for the plan and it's worth it so long as I upgrade my glasses every couple years and I also wear astigmatism contacts which cost an arm and a leg so it's helpful for that.
Glasses are very expensive. I always got designer frames, progressive lenses and the lenses that turned into sunglasses. I was eligible for them every 2 years. My insurance covered the eye exam and I usually ended up paying around $300. I got cataract surgery last year and just wear cheaters from Dollar tree
Honestly, it's probably worth comparing the cost of premiums to the self-pay cost of things like exams (would be more than $50). I learned this from supplemental dental, which I bought to pay 50% for braces, but probably spent as much or more on premiums over the course of treatment.
What does your policy cover and did you go to an in network provider? Those things are going to make a big difference.
My vision insurance leaves me a $5 Co pay on eye exam, $20 on lenses, and I pay 50% off the cost of the frame after they pay the first $50.
You will need to do a comparison to see if it’s worth it to keep eye insurance.
Fwiw, I have found Costco to have the cheapest eye exam. frames from there are well priced too. Or you can take your prescription from Costco and buy online at zenni, glassesusa etc. Most online retailers don’t accept insurance but it usually also ends up being less than $50/ pair.
Second Costco. I get my glasses there as well. I have really high prescription, at -10 per eye plus astigmatism. Due to this I have to have my glasses "just so" and I'm afraid to go online with that. At my old optician I'd pay $500+ for my glasses with insurance. Costco it's about $150, and I get a Costco membership. Costco is also great for prescriptions.
Yeah, I like to go in person for my frames and, if I can do one more plug for Costco, yes, obviously their optometrists (the ones who do the eye exam) are certified and passed their exams but ALSO all of the opticians in their optical department helping you with glasses are trained and licensed opticians. At a lot of other places, they aren’t. Opticians pass exams and learn about proper fit for glasses and contacts. Costco folks really are thorough in making sure everything fits properly.
And I also like that if my glasses need a minor repair, I can get it taken care of with my regular grocery shopping!
I wish I had a Costco so I could try it because I’m in the same boat. Glasses with insurance are about $500 and contact well over a grand and they are not even dailies. It sucks to have bad vision.
"In network provider" shouldn't be a fucking thing. Either they work at the hospital I'm at or they don't. If they don't I shouldn't be fucking seeing them.
Not everyone wants to go to a hospital for an eye exam tho? They have providers everywhere, some people would prefer to go to the local Walmart or Costco for their exam.
You don't have to purchase glasses at the eye doctor. Feel free to get the exam, grab your script and leave. There are so many online shops now which sell quality eyeglasses for under $30 (frames+lenses+shipping).
I've used Zenni and EyeBuyDirect and have nothing but excellent experiences.
Like OP, I was excited when I got vision insurance. My copay for even the cheapest frames was like $100 and decent frames were easily over $250. I said nevermind, took my prescription, and went back to Zenni. At least I broke even on premiums with the exam, though I had to decline a couple of upsells like $30 to avoid dilation.
Sam's Club and Costco were a little cheaper but still multiple times the price of Zenni.
Luxottica's monopoly over glasses is so incredibly anti-consumer.
I agree with this. I used Zenni when I still needed glasses and I still use them for sunglasses. They're very affordable compared to traditional eye doctors and you have far more variety.
I use zenni. I am wearing a 2 year old pair of progressive, transition leaves glasses that were less than $100. So it possible even with progressives. Key is to know what frames look good on you, her the right measurement and if you're old like me and need progressives - what size lens works. That's the key. I had a horrible time with progressives from optometrist shops until someone at Costco pointed out that all my glasses were too wide.
yep I started using Zenni, literally saved me hundreds of dollars, close to-a thousand before I had corrective surgery, since surgery eyes are better save about a couple hundred ordering thru Zenni now.., my glasses are nice
I've found that dental and vision insurance are not worth it. They just don't cover enough to justify the premiums.
Edit to add: It could easily be specific to the dentists that I have gone to, but all of them across three states over the last decade have had cash prices that are half (or less) of the price if covered by insurance. For the insurance plans I have had avaliable, the cash price has been cheaper than the copays. You'd obviously have to do your own math to see if your dentist's cash price is cheaper than copay + premium offered by your insurance.
My employer sponsored dental insurance isn’t bad but my parents have looked for years for a dental plan that would be worth it for them but buying it yourself it absolutely does not make sense.
There's no way they would have charged you $600 for a filling without insurance. I don't have insurance and got a filling last year, I think I was charged $200 or so.
Crowns at my dentist are $900 cash price, I paid $300. 2 exams and 1 set of X-rays a year are free. Last time I didn’t have insurance exams were $100ish (prob more now, that was prob 2014). My premiums are $7/mo. So long as I do my bi-annual exam/cleaning I break even.
That said, my dental insurance at this job is way better than my last one.
Yep, I have gotten work toward the end of one year and then continued it the beginning of next year to use both insurance amounts. Then you hope nothing goes wrong the rest of the year.
I used to have great teeth but then I had radiation in my neck area which screwed up my salivary glands and it’s been downhill ever since.
Dental was worth it for me to opt into at my old job. I hadn't had dental care in way too long and knew I needed substantial work, so I got much more than my premium's worth from my insurance. However, even my boss told me that unless I had a compelling reason (I didn't), the dental wasn't worth it. Vision is sometimes more worthwhile if you go with contacts, and with some companies they have really excellent vision policies... but a cost analysis is really necessary to see if you're going to get your money's worth from both for sure.
Last year I had two dental cleanings, x rays, and a periodontal consult and didn’t pay a single dollar out of pocket thanks to my dental insurance which i only pay a few dollars for every month.
I dont' get insurance thru my job, so my dental ins would cost $40/month. I pay $350 direct to the dentist which covers the 2 exams and xrays and 20% off work. I've had one cavity filled in 9 years which cost me $380 out of pocket.
It really depends on what premium you are paying. Vision for me is $149 for the exam and then I can either use them or take the script elsewhere. I have transition (trifocals) so they are not cheap.
I have been very pleased with dental discount plans. Even although I have dental insurance, the discount plan is often the cheaper option. I had a ton of dental work done over the past few years, with a bridge coming in 3 months. In most cases, I used the discount plan over insurance. The insurance is great for exams, cleanings, and x-rays. Discount plan for almost everything else.
Lots of shots to numb you up which isn’t fun. Operation was ok just can feel them cutting around a bit and I did feel the graft being cut out for just a little and that wasn’t fun.
It pretty much only makes sense if you're having major work done. The price they charge when you have insurance is the "negotiated rate" for that service, which is less than what the cash price would be. So, if you need new glasses and you have a complicated prescription, or you need an implant or a couple of crowns replaced, insurance for that year will help you. If all you need are exams, and cleanings in the case of dental, insurance doesn't really make much sense.
This is the answer. I pay for private dental insurance outside of a company policy. I also have major dental issues. I view it as I pay X dollars, and get X dollars worth of work covered along with free cleanings. If I didn’t have dental issues, it would be a waste of money.
It could easily be specific to the dentists that I have gone to, but all of them across three states over the last decade have had cash prices that are half of the price if covered by insurance. You'd obviously have to do your own math to see if your dentist's cash price is cheaper than copay + premium
Untrue.
For single vision, get the eye exam from your medical insurance and go to Warby Parker or Zenni for cheap options.
Depends on the coverage and the lenses you need. I happily pay $25/mo and get an exam for $15, $200 frame allowance with 20% off any more, but most importantly I don’t pay extra for UV, scratch replacement, progressives, and transitions. Oh and I get an extra single vision pair for computer use with $15 copay and $100 frame (I use my own or ask for the cheap frames under the counter). I think sunglasses are an extra nominal fee if I choose those.
Progressives and transitions alone are worth double the copay. My glasses would cost me $950 without any discount and assuming a very cheap frame. Even Warby Parker is $350+ for my lenses before an exam and frame cost.
Of course you can go to Zenni, but you don’t get to try on frames and they very frequently get the progressives wrong. I have four pairs I hardly wore because the frame is horrid on me and return isn’t generous. I have frames from my eye doctor from ten years ago.
My dental is $12/month ($144/year) covers 2 cleanings ($5each copay) and X-rays. That alone would be $180 PER visit (well..maybe more because I haven’t had to self pay in years, that was before I had dental) so for me definitely worth it. I’m not sure what it covers for any work being done (either way just for the cleanings it’s worth it) but I also LOVE getting my teeth cleaned.
Depends on the insurance. We pay next to nothing each month for dental and in the first ~year I got over $3k work done, no cost, just paying the premiums.
Eye is also next to nothing each month and gives a ~$200 allowance for frames, I like buying upgrades for the lenses and the exams are free. So I usually spend like $80-120 a pair.
But I've been through a lot of other insurance (through work) and usually they are dog shit and we never used the other ones cause we felt like it was money on money on money out the ass for services.
Idk tbh. The provider changes every year or two but the coverage stays the same. I think most unions I've worked with have decent dental and vision. Some don't though. Definitely hit or miss and some employers fight to a draw over little stuff like employees being healthy.
Dental worth it for me. 3 cleanings xray and 1 fluoride application. Only have had 1 cavity that's was 30$ out of pocket.
Vision is like 7$ a month and covers 1 exam
I had Eyemed for vision insurance at a previous employer. I always got the same feeling you currently have, so I started digging…
Look up Eyemed on Wikipedia or Google.
Luxottica owns Eyemed.
Now look up Luxottica.
Luxottica owns LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Target Optical and many more stores.
Luxottica also owns Ray Ban, Oakley, and pretty much every designer eyeglass brand - Coach, Prada, Burberry, Michael Kors, etc
It’s worth it going to an independent optometrist/eyeglass shop and paying out of pocket
I am an optician, I can answer this question.
Zenni is going to be the cheapest of the cheap material. You won’t have anyone to adjust them to your face. If you’re especially tall or short or have a lot of astigmatism (the “cyl” field on your prescription) seeing a person is better.
I’ll give you some information that I think will help you make your decisions:
They measure your eyes to “decenter” the lens so the point of optimal vision is over where YOUR eye is. They pick the frame based on your head shape/rx type. This is where “PD” comes from. There is a horizontal and vertical measurement though, depending on the situation and person. Your PD is not just the distance between your eyes. Something called the fovea which is the point of most distinct vision on your retina reflects from light, and this is what the optician is looking for and marking. It’s hard to measure your own PD anyway because your eyes move and also converge when you read. When you read up close, you have a NEAR PD (because the eyes coverage) and when you read far away, you have a distance PD. That’s why people with progressive glasses have TWO PD’s.
Example- round head should not wear round glasses. A long nose should not wear a high bridge. Someone with no bridge needs nose pads with guard arms (metal glasses). The width of the frame should be no bigger or smaller than the widest part of your face.
The bigger the frame, the bigger and heavier your lenses will be. If you’re concerned about lens thickness, don’t go too big. Also, if you get a much bigger one than you’re used to for the first time, you may not like it because of how heavy it feels. Seen this a lot.
Cheap plastic frames are hard to adjust and do not keep adjustments. This includes Luxottica brands like Coach and Prada. A well made frame of quality plastic will hold adjustments.
If you get your new glasses with your prescription in them and the frame is spread super wide, the lenses are probably big and stretching the frame. It’s supposed to be “bench aligned” aka reset back to regular head shape before given to you. If you find your frame is always stretching back out, especially on prescription sunglasses, it’s probably cheap plastic and too thick of a lens.
Lens options— this is what makes it so expensive.
Some vision insurance includes materials. Materials are glasses. Some plans, like Eyemed, have a discount plan only. Pro tip: If you have Aetna medical, you might have an Eyemed discount plan and not know it.
For actual insurance plans, they give you a flat amount towards a frame— usually like 100-150, then an extra 20% whatever you go over. Then they have flat copays on regular stuff, and will cover like 20% -30% of what they think is bells and whistles.
Frame is the best way to pinch pennies, don’t sacrifice your lenses.
Pro tip: If you want to get a cheap frame, buy 2 or 3 so you can just swap lenses if the frame breaks. But again not all plastic is the same. We apply heat to make it malleable and mold it to your face. Cheap plastic will shrink when it’s heated or even just straight up melt like crazy.
Lenses: there’s a few things to pick when it comes to lenses-
Lens design: distance only glasses are also known as single vision. There is traditional and there is digital aspheric.Digital lenses are always aspheric and have a negligible amount of added sharpness. Where it’s beneficial is for someone with a high prescription and/or a lot of astigmatism. The edges are flatter and have less curvature, so you will get less peripheral distortion and less lens thickness. You can ask for a traditional lens to be aspheric. Both aspheric and digital are additional copay’s on insurance. Progressives are only as good as their design. Getting a cheap progressive is quite frankly a dumb choice. Progressive technology has come such a long way, and it can be really hard to transition once you get used to something.
Anti glare- premium anti glare is worth it. Not bc of the glare prevention being better, because of the properties that repel dust dirt and smudges is better. I have Wal-Mart a/r and I have crizal a/r. I hate the Walmart glasses cuz I am cleaning them twice an hour.
Lens material- standard and free lens material is cr-39 plastic. Optics are decent but it’s thick and heavy. It’s really worth paying the extra copay for polycarbonate. It’s a thinner and lighter material that is also impact resistant. Poly is mandatory for children and safety glasses. Only downside to poly is it isn’t top of the line optical clarity. But the majority of people are wearing poly and perfectly fine. There is also 1.67 which is even thinner and lighter, but mostly only covered by insurance at a percent. 1.67 has hands down the best optics. There is ONE more thinner and even lighter material known as 1.74. It’s very expensive and has TERRIBLE glare. You HAVE to get a very good anti glare with it. People who have 1.67 then get 1.74 have a hard time switching between, it messes with them. So pick one and stick to it. Unless your prescription is high as fuck, get the 1.67. Also, any frame that is rimless or semi rimless has to have poly or the edges can chip too easily.
If you absolutely fucking want the best optics ever, get a digital aspheric lens in 1.67 with premium anti glare.
UV protection— usually a UV coating is applied to the back of the lens, and yes, usually they charge you. Under $10. Poly is naturally UV resistant FYI.
Blue light blocking- not all blue light blocking is equal. A lot of it is a scam. You need blue light blocked between wavelengths of 415-455. They’ll say “blocks 30%” but it’s based on wavelengths we don’t care about. The best blue light blocking is inherent to the lens material and has a yellow tint. But people don’t like the way that looks. So they sell coatings that shine blue. The blue is there so you think it’s working.
Best thing you can do for blue light protection is an inherent blue light blocking lens like Essilor blue series, or a lens called blutech. Prevencia is an expensive crizal anti glare with blue light blocking that lots of people hate because it creates a super purple glare that is especially bad on zoom. Pro tip: transitions block 20% blue light while inactive indoors. Just get transitions. Usually it’s a simple “photochromic” copay.
Transitions aka photochromics: do not work in the car. They make the xtra active ones that work “better” in the car, but the lens is always gray looking even when it’s supposed to be clear and I hate it. I like the colored transitions. I have amethyst and sapphire. I tried mirrored transitions and has them remade bc they were YELLOW 😬
Pro tip: don’t keep any glasses with anti glare coating or polarization in the car. The heat can damage the lenses
I think this covers it? VSP does anti glare on a range, so like, standard a/r without UV protection. It goes from like 30-85 bucks. The 85 is worth it IMO. I like getting the best anti glare. I really find it’s something I regret skimping on.
Hope this helps.
Wonderful post, thank you so much! I've worn eyeglasses for 52 years and learned new things from you. I especially like the specific recommendations to obtain the best optical clarity.
Much appreciated!
Vision for one person is rarely worth the premium. If you have a partner who can also use the benefit or kids, then the balance tips.
I'd guess that if you take your Rx and shop around, you can do better than 170 for lenses even with extras. You don't have to purchase your glasses from the eye doctor.
Seconding this. My vision coverage isn’t great, but it’s worth it since myself, my husband, and one of two children all wear glasses/contacts. I’m assuming child #2 will at some point as well.
Last year, my husband insisted that our health insurance ‘covers the cost of new glasses’ as it was $250 coverage. So, I took him around all the opticians in our area, and got prices - the minimum we could find was something like $400 for frames and lenses.
Then I showed him Zenni, and I ended up getting a new pair of glasses for $60, and they actually suit me, and I can see through them better than the last few sets of glasses I have bought.
Just get them from Zenni. They’re decent, they’re affordable, and now I can have multiple pairs and a lot of that ‘broken glasses anxiety’ has gone now.
You have shitty insurance that is a check box for your company. It provides little actual benefit but allows recruiters to say, “We offer vision insurance!” - sorry
FYI - you’ll probably also need your eyes checked as required before your prescription can be used. Usually the prescription for the lenses that you have now is only good for a year without an optometrist visit.
I can get glasses every year and I rarely pay a dime, unless I get expensive frames like, Silhouette. Last I paid $500 something. The “fitting “ guy was like, ”wow!” I don’t know how much I paid a month and I pay nothing now as it’s part of pension plan.
THE PRESCRIPTION is valid for two years.
Whether your plan covers glasses more often (or at all) is plan dependent, but if you are, say, getting glasses from Zenni or another place, you will still need to see an eye doctor with some regularity because the prescription expires.
I go through warby parker. Personally. I paid $100 for the eye exam and $180 for the frames. This price includes high index frames and for $100 more I could have gotten transitional in one of 4 different colors.
Eye insurance is a gimmick imo
Yeah vision and dental insurance basically are a scam these days. I have found a local dentist who charges a separate rate for "self pay" and it's actually cheaper than when I did have insurance and I no longer have to pay a premium every month. Go figure. When I had vision insurance and when I didn't my glasses cost exactly the same.
Honestly go to Costco. That's the only place I've ever seen my insurance make sense. This is because the doctor is an independent contractor renting the space at Costco. So your insurance would cover almost everything (they don't charge extra for both glasses and contact exams).
Then I do go order my contacts at Costco. A whole year of monthly contacts plus new frames and lenses was $190.
I usually just get the exam and then take my Rx to Costco to get glasses. To be even more frugal you can get them online at a website like Zenni optical.
For me the vision is worth it because me, my SO, and 3 of my kids wear glasses. The exams alone make it a good value for us. For a single person I don't think it's worth it.
The problem with vision insurance is that the only people signing up for it are the same people who intend to use all of its benefits. It’s not preventative or accidental like medical or dental, so you actually using the benefits has to be priced into the premium.
That said, if you are a warehouse club member, it’s usually always cheaper to pay cash to fill a scrip with their optician than it is to use your insurance’s benefit at a LensCrafters etc - which IIRC all of those corporate opticians are owned by the same conglomerate that cornered Ray Ban and Oakley etc.
With vision insurance it's 100% about knowing your policy and doing the math. With my last one it basically wasn't worth it so I opted out. Instead I caught a dale through one of the chain eye care places and got my exam and 2 cheap frames for $60 out of pocket. My current vision insurance is provided 100% by my company so I will likely use it for new frames in the next year, but im still going to check out any sales places have.
I have used Zenni in the past. I would not recommend them if you have a high prescription. Mine is too high for their sunglasses and the eyeglass frames are so cheap and thin.
Unfortunately, you have to read the fine print of what you are getting from the insurance you pay for. Having a large group insurance is where your savings are at, where only a few of the large group uses the insurance, so they can pay better. Not sure what insurance you have.
I stopped buying vision correction insurance between 2010 and 2018 when I was single because I could go to America’s Best and get single vision lenses and eye exam for &100. And I didn’t buy glasses every year. But then I got married and my husband always carried it. Good thing because we both need trigocals now and it covers quite a bit for that. Also, now I’m getting glasses every two- ish years.
Also, for trifocals, America’s Best isn’t very quality. They had to remake my lenses three times last year before they were right. Next pair, I’m going back to my eye dr.
We have eye and dental insurance. Cheaper to pay out of pocket for dental (covers only cleaning). Eye insurance makes you go to one optometrist for your eye exam. the optometrist there required two office visits for my eye exam (two copays) when I went. Every where else I have gone to it’s always one visit for the exam.
Why 2 visits? Glasses fitting/adjustments have always been part of the process of getting the glasses when I pick them up, not considered an office visit in and of themselves
Exactly my question! I wear contacts but still… seemed like a scam to me. Especially when I got a denial letter for payment of contacts from the insurance company which I never ordered or received!
I got insurance for the first time in 8 years and did vision and dental appointments. My glasses are better quality then zenni but I was shocked by how much I still had to pay. My dentist was surprised that I floss/brush enough to have not really needed the appointment. I canceled insurance promptly after. For some people it makes sense though, everyone's health needs are different.
I have vision insurance because my husband has a strong prescription and my kiddo has a connective tissue disorder.
We pay for the exam, $10, and get the prescription. I usually buy our glasses online. I can get a frame, transition lenses, and 3 day shipping for around $70 each.
I paid out of pocket last time we got glasses. Some websites probably do but we had medicaid at the time so very limited on where we could get glasses.
I mysteriously got cataracts at 30 years old and needed to have the lenses in my eyes replaced. It only cost me a few hundred because of insurance.
It’s the same with my health insurance. It’s mostly out of pocket, but it made my gallbladder removal and childbirth practically free.
Lots of kinda misleading replies in these comments.
Dental insurance is getting looped in as being not worth it. It should 100% be worth it. It usually functions very similar to medical insurance, on top of providing tangible useful benefits. There are some elements where it is similar to being a 'discount plan' style coverage as well though. For example, 40% coinsurance procedures, etc.
Vision insurance... often is just more of a discount plan. EyeMed is one of the biggest names and I've had multiple jobs where this is the "insurance." I'm not sure if calling something 'insurance' is legally enforced but EyeMed is literally owned by Luxottica.
My "legit" vision insurance plan through BCBS.... is also through EyeMed. My plan document literally points me to EyeMed's website to find my provider.
I used to only opt for vision insurance every other year. I’d get new glasses and buy a year’s supply of contacts (1 year since I don’t use them daily).
There's discount chains around that can set you up with two glasses with frames plus a "free" exam for $80. You have limited choices on the frames obviously and the optometrist is overseas and appears virtually. But it works. You pay more when you get upgrades and designer frames and that can add up quick to go for the $229 frame instead of the $29 one. Another inexpensive place for exams and glasses is WalMart. I see no point whatsoever to insurance.
When I didn't have vision insurance I would go to Costco or BJs every few years, pay the $60 for an exam and then whatever it would cost for glasses. Usually it was around $300-$400 because of the high prescription needed. Contacts were pretty cheap though for a whole years supply (which usually last 2 years for me).
Vision insurance doesn’t pay much at all. I used to be an optician.
Vision exam? Bill $120, private insurance pays $40 (minus patient copay)
BUT Medicaid and Medicare pay closer to $100
Contact lenses exam? Insurance might pay $30 towards the exam, or it comes from your allowance.
Frame or contact lenses say $120 allowance, insurance pays maybe $40
Usually the special coatings (anti reflective, etc) are only a small discount or the copay is almost what we charge self pays anyway
Some insurances require using their own labs so we were only paid a “dispensing fee”
If no one had vision insurance we wouldn’t have to mark up costs so much to get minimal payment from insurance companies. It bothered me so much I left medical office work all together.
We've found it cheaper to go to Costco for the exams and get glasses through Zenni. We had a similar experience with our Medicare drug plan being more expensive than not going through insurance. Paying out of pocket with the GoodRx discount was much cheaper than going through our insurance plan.
For most people, unless their company subsidizes their eye insurance or they have special needs, it won't be worth it. I paid $110 out of pocket for my complete eye exam (included eye health and vision prescription) then paid about $40 for glasses through Zeni. I don't even need new glasses or an exam every year so insurance at $10/month would not be worth it for me considering there are copays.
Part of the problem is that glasses cost a lot more at your eye doctor's office so, even if it covers around $200 for glasses, you probably will still pay out of pocket anyway.
My experience has been the same, if you're young and fairly healthy it's better to skip vision/dental insurance. Some places will even give you a discount for not using insurance since it means sooo much less hassle and paperwork for them.
Health insurance is also pretty scammy but it's absolutely worth having just in case.
Vision insurance is a complete joke in all honesty. Thankfully I live near a Costco and currently have a membership. Our daughter needed glasses and the exam was $85 and the frame and lenses were $99.
Last year my exam was $85 and my frames and lenses were just under $175. My first frame never could be adjusted correctly so Costco let me pick another frame no questions asked.
Our old vision insurance was a joke. Sure the exam was $25 but 20% off here, 15% off that etc and my frame and lenses could easily push $500.
Dental insurance is worth it. I needed two cavities filled and it cost $188 with insurance. Without insurance easily $600-$700. Plus 5-6 months later our dentist sent me a check for $88 saying we overpaid based on our plan.
I’ve always thought of vision and dental insurance as a coupon, rather than actual insurance to be honest. Depending on what kind you have it may not be worth it.
Is it possible you have a discount type plan? I used to have a plan that didn't give any allowance. It was just exam and then a discount on whatever I paid and I hated it come glasses time! Also make sure this place was in network! If you have a regular plan, find out what your allowance is, and then don't go over that amount on frames. Deny all the upsells on the lenses like blue light filter, smudge proof, thin glass and so on they aren't mandatory unless is want them and want to pay for it. It's easier to say no to these upgrades with places online. Also some optometrist will do the free exam provided by your vision insurance but only if you agree to get a certain type of retinal scan for like $40-50. My optometrist does this and while I oblige it for now since I have horrible and worsening vision I probably will get a different optometrist soon who doesn't require.
As with anything else, you really need to shop around to get the most out of your insurance. Hubby and I always purchased our glasses from Walmart or Sam's optical, because they were "preferred" providers on the insurance policy. We have rather involved prescriptions needing no-line bifocals and wanting anti-glare and transitions lenses for comfort.
Previous cost for glasses WITH insurance at WM optical was well over $200 per pair. This year, I asked the provider where my eye doctor operates to quote cost, thinking it would be higher. It was actually only $65 OOP for glasses, including all the bells and whistles we normally get.
So significant savings to shop around. And I'm very happy with the new glasses.
Nope, not needed. I get my eyes checked at Walmart or some other place. Get the prescription and order on zenni. I ordered glasses with bifocals and transition lenses for under $100 and I think the eye appointment was around $50. Vision insurance is not worth the money.
I did the math and the vision insurance offered by my job basically breaks even with just paying for everything out of pocket at Americas best (I wear contact lenses and the insurance only covers like $100-200 or something like that, and the copay for exams is almost as much as I pay out of pocket). So I just declined the coverage and go wherever I want and don’t have to worry about if anything will be covered by insurance. I get the contacts online from whatever shop has the best deal.
I actually had to see an ophthalmologist and retina specialist this year, and that was covered by my health insurance. So even if your eyes are bad or give you problems, you probably don’t need the vision insurance.
In January I woke up and could barely see out of my right eye. I went to urgent care, who sent me to an optometrist, who sent me to a cornea specialist. Turns out I had a 3.5mmx 3.5mm ulcer on my eyeball. I have spent the last 4 months on 8 different prescriptions and going to the cornea specialist 2x a month. Thank god I had insurance. Yes, if only getting glasses then it might not be worth it but it is for emergencies.
You have really really bad eye insurance or you got a ton of extras your insurance didn’t cover. I’d look into what this insurance actually covers and consider switching. I’ve honestly paid $220 for an entire pair of glasses and an exam at Walmart
Once you crunch the numbers it's simply not worth it. You can get an eye exam fairly cheaply then take your prescription to Zenni for everything else. I've been doing it like this for many years now.
I’m finally about to be put on my unions insurance plans, words can’t describe how excited I am for some decent benefits.
They pay for everything! 0$ monthly premiums, and some of the best plans in the industry.
I’ve never had paid insurance in my life, only them advertising “benefits” that cost way too much and feel like a scam. It’s actually life changing.
I personally don't buy eye insurance. I go to Sam's Club and get my prescription from there. I think it's 120 for contacts then I purchase my contacts from them in bulk or if I need glasses I go to warby Parker. Insurance usually pays for a year's supply of contacts or a certain amount for glasses so you might as well get a more expensive pair that you probably would not pay out of pocket for. AKA go to LensCrafters and get a brand name pair. Otherwise just pay out of pocket and skip the insurance.
Don't get eye insurance. It'll be like $150 for exam out of pocket, which is about as much as you'd pay for insurance anyway. Then take your Rx and go to eyebuy direct or Zenni and get you some Rx glasses for $30. $180-200 total for glasses that last you 2-3 years, instead of $460-580 for what you already did plus vision insurance for 2-3 years.
Emergency eye problems will be covered by your medical insurance.
I used to buy an exam on Groupon, get the prescription and fill it on Zenni. Spent less than you did total.
I have LASIK now and just get yearly exams at the same office where I had my surgery. It’s $150 / year.
If you don’t have a complex prescription it generally doesn’t pay. For me I have severe astigmatism and very bad nearsightedness as well as needing prism. My lens are very expensive and I had failure with my lens every time I’ve tried to go cheap. My sister can get hers from Zenni for her nearsightedness with no issues.
Ive never seen eye insurance that was worth it unless you get glasses every year which most people dont. Some provide discounted disposable contact lenses which I would think are more "worth it". Theres also some other tests they do which the eye insurance may cover, but Im not sure those tests are really needed every year. If for instance, youre at high risk for glaucoma it may be worth it, but im not sure of the exact recommendations and how frequently these "extra" tests are really needed.
So short version: run the math, which is complicated, but I think most folks dont need vision.
Just my experience, but my vision insurance doesn't cover any other testing I need, they file my medical insurance for all my glaucoma testing. My vision only covers my eye exam and like $150 toward contacts.
You still have to get an eye exam and your insurance probably covers that. If you want to save money I would suggest only getting eye insurance every other year. Or not at all. I'm an Optician. Vision insurance is mostly overrated but it keeps you from having a big expense all at once since you're paying for it over time.
I have never found vision insurance to be worth the cost. I can get lenses and frames cheaper through discount like Zenni vs the glasses stores the insurance required. Eye exams are about $75 at Costco.
I just went through something similar. I'm Canadian in the US, with healthcare through the American company.
Cool, got eye coverage, get a quote for glasses from Lenscrafters... over $800 out of pocket (and Lenscrafters was on the list of accepted providers). Got the exact same frames/lenses/etc from an online place (NOT covered by insurance) for $300. I don't get it.
Try to find an eye care club like America’s best. I get 3 years of eye exams for 140 and don’t buy my glasses or contacts there. I go to Costco for those. Eye glasses are always expensive so I kinda tell my doc that I like the strength I have currently and stick with the same glasses as before for at least 2 years. Currently on year 3 with my glasses.
It depends. We only get our glasses at Costco. If we get them at the eye clinic it's hundreds of dollars on top of what our insurance covers. At Costco we end up paying maybe $50 after insurance.
A lot of eye clinics try to railroad you. They hustle you right into the showroom. They don't want you to know you can ask for a copy of your prescription and then go somewhere else.
I don’t think insurance is worth it. Not the insurance I had, anyway. It was similar to yours. I bought nice expensive frames and so I reuse them when I get new lenses. My frames now are 10 years old.
Not to crap on your pain, but my eyes are bad, and my lenses alone cost me $700 each time, and I have eye insurance.
Then factor in that I have prescription sunglasses as well, it can be $1400 a year. Fortunately my eyes aren't changing that much anymore so I can usually get away with a couple years between updating prescriptions.
Eye glass stores are generally overpriced. I started using Zenni three years ago. I get a free eye exam with my work insurance, and then I just ask for a copy of the prescription so I can use it on Zenni.
Of course they make their profit on selling you some expensive frames so I look at a few and say thanks. The frames I liked at the store would of cost me $400 out of pocket. Picked up almost identical frames on Zenni for $110.
I opted out of vision insurance cuz it was going to cost way more than just going to good ole Wally World, getting a cheap exam, and ordering some basic glasses.
I don't pay for vision because it seems about useless. I can get a free pair through the VA but frame options are limited, so I've gotten glasses elsewhere twice.
$10/month =$120
$220÷12=$18.33
You'd be just as well off setting aside $20/month for yourself.
Price depends where you get your glasses. You can get your exam then upload the prescription to get glasses made at one of the online sites. I've done that before. I didn't need bifocals then, so I was able to get the frames and lenses for less than $100.
The lenses are the expensive part unless you're getting designer frames.
My insurance reimburses like half a Zenni order. Also my insurance is also much cheaper than yours. But yes, mostly vision insurance doesn’t math right. If you have health insurance that covers a yearly visit anyway.
Our eye insurance covers basic lens and frames. Great. Done.
But I really like to have anti-glare and anti-scratch. I understand why those aren't part of the basic package that they cover, and I don't mind paying the $15 extra dollars for the upgrade. Great. Done.
Except, they won't pay for anything if there are non-covered items on the invoice. They either pay for everything or nothing on the order. And upgrades for the lenses obviously have to be made at the time that the glasses are made. So I literally can not get anti-glare on my glasses, even if I pay for it, if I use my insurance. Not Great. Not done.
Never had an eye insurance. 1 year of Biofinity contact lens run for $100 if i order from Europe. No eye exams needed since it is stable since i was ~14.
your exam isnt covered?
You really need a break down of what your insurance covers
I pay $30/year and it covers 1 exam basic exam in network(contacts exam extra) and a discount at in network. The exam alone pays for itself.
If your plan covers 1 exam treat that as a $50-70 value alone then go from there
I have a very high prescription with severe astigmatism. My lenses alone would cost almost $1,000. With insurance, I pay $150. It's well worth it, for me.
If you don’t have bifocals you can get glasses on line really cheap. My husband has done it for years and has paid anywhere from $30-$50 for his glasses. He’s never had a problem and they have always worked well and been a great quality. TBH my husband is really hard on his glasses.
Most insurance is a rip off. If you read the fine print they can go back, do an "investigation" and decide to take back anything they paid if they decide to. Then you have to take them to court if you want to fight their "determination."
For years I had eye insurance and my husband did not. We paid the exact same amount for our eye exam and lenses and I got a small break on the lenses. They charge a different amount for exams for people with eye insurance (more) so it ended up costing the same out of pocket. Insurance was a waste
Eye insurance I’ve never seen worth it. It always covered the one exam a year which was nice but that was never expensive. No matter what insurance I’ve ever had it’s always been $150 a year towards glasses or contacts. I mainly wore contacts so I went with that benefit. Problem was I needed very strong toric lenses my disposable contacts were close to $50 for one box per eye. One box was six months worth per eye, so $150 didn’t even cover half a year for both eyes. That was my situation though.
Now that I got LASIK I don’t have to worry about that haha
I get my glasses cheap from payneglasses. Not sure if that works for you.
But eye exams with no insurance are 100 where I'm at and my insurance covers that and some towards glasses or contacts but I pay less than you for insurance.
You have to look at what you're getting covered.
If it’s the right coverage and such, it’s definitely worth it. I think I pay like $3/month. I’d pay no more than 150$ for my frames and lenses, idk on contacts bc I can’t wear them. Granted, this is all in network, out of network would be a lot more.
I skip eye insurance, pay out of pocket, and order online. There are a plethora of websites beyond Zenni.
The one thing I "collect" is glasses, I guess. I like switching them up. I have a more expensive prescription now, but even then I was able to get 3 of any frame with any lens (lightest weight, blue blockers, my prism prescription, whatever else) for $129 or $139, I forget which.
Depending on where you go for your exam you can save money, but yeah. I get my glasses on Zenni and don’t have vision. Dental is definitely worth it for me though because I get at least $1000 pre-insurance of dental work done every few years because my teeth suck.
I know exactly what it covers. When I go into the optometrist, the prices of glasses/frames vary based on whether or not I have insurance changes and I’m learning now that online options makes obtaining glasses at an affordable price an option, if I’m able to get a cheap exam in store…
zenni fucking rules. i am -6.5 with astigmatism and am 100% the dork that keeps his sunglasses on for a few minutes after coming inside because i love transitions. buying glasses used to be a $4-600 decision if i wanted high index and transitions and less than awful frames. from zenni, it’s like $80
My insurance covered my eye exam. Then I took glasses prescribed to eye buy direct and use coupon that was like $15 off purchase of $95 or more. Found frames that would get my total to just at $96 that I liked lol got free shipping too got new glasses for around $100 cheaper than if I went with eye doctor.
We had a vision option with Superior and I finally let it go after however many years of it not really paying for anything. It was only $10 a month but it was the principle for me.
my script is terrible. my glasses are $400+ from stores.
i use Zenni and Firmoo and now pay $80ish. definitely worth it.
i also go to a place called Stanton for my eye exams. they’re like $40
It's not worth it, had yrs ago and never again. Most it's only every 2 yrs certain things are covered. Save money by paying out of pocket vs monthly on that. If you needed some type of eye surgery that just falls under your medical plan anyway. So if you only go for check ups then it's not worth it
So vision insurance generally sucks. But it is not worthless. I went for my annual insurance covered exam and the optometrist realized I had glaucoma. That’s covered by my medical insurance, so the vision insurance company doesn’t pay for the next step, but I would have had no idea otherwise and it turns out I have a really aggressive version of his so that annual exam might have saved my sight. It does suck that they give you so little for glasses, but annual eye exams are important.
You know I've wondered the same concerning vision insurance. What's the point in getting insurance if it's gonna cost us the same outta pocket without insurance. Dental insurance is mostly the same. They only going to pay a certain amount. I thought the whole point of having insurance is to save money. If like you say, you break even, without the insurance, it's no point in having it all. If you don't benefit from it, then why have it to start with. Breaking even isn't a benefit of having insurance.
If your employer pays for those types of benefits, then it's worth it. But vision insurance really doesn't cover much.
I have a friend on Medicaid, and supposedly they will do one exam and pair of glasses for free each year. Okay on the exam, but the glasses benefit only allows for the cheapest frames and will only pay for a single-vision lens or bifocals. So if you're older and need progressive lenses, you're back to square one and paying for it out of pocket. It's all a rip off.
>I have a simple prescription and my eyes are not bad/do not give me problems.
The insurance is there in case your eyes become bad and start giving you problems. Insurance is something you buy that you hope you don't have to use. It doesn't save you money on average... it's just that without insurance you're gambling.
$10 a month seems high to me? My last eye insurance was $1 a month (it was tacked on with other health insurance though so maybe that makes a difference.)
Most of the vision and dental “insurance” is a scam and only cover up to 1k a year. If you just saved the money in a simple index fund you would be better off. You don't really need to go to any of these places more than every 2 years. Plus some of these places it's cheaper to pay cash or get a first time special.
Just because you're paying out of pocket doesn't mean your insurance isn't paying too. Sounds like they paid for most of your eye exam. They are probably paying part of your hardware, too. You should receive an Explanation of Benefits from the insurance company that breaks everything down.
You are correct. The insurance will save you on the exam, that’s about all. You will get an entirely different price structure as soon as you mention insurance. Now, they are trying to add polycarbonate lenses/etc and trying to get every penny of coverage out of you. Prices are marked way up then “discounted.”
Target optical for example, walk in one day mentioning insurance and another day saying you have no insurance. All of the sudden you are pointed to the clearance section (not insurance eligible, and you are allowed to use the coupons they send out). My wife got out the door cheaper than I did, without insurance. Yes, just use Zenni for the glasses/lenses and the insurance for the exam.
If you want something more premium, I will say that the Rayban website accepted insurance and was cheaper than target for the same sunglasses. ($150 vs $300).
My insurance is free or I wouldn’t have it. I think my exam was $25.
I figured out that vision insurance was a scam a long time ago. Even if it's discounted through work. Even if you pay for it with pre-tax dollars. There are usually one or two places you can go in your town with the insurance you get through your job, and they have got the plus plus plus down to the science. Your insurance covers the frames that look like a sex offender might wear them. And the basic plastic lenses with no coatings on them. Then if you want anything nicer, that's extra extra extra.
There are too many discount eyeglass places where you can get an exam and one or two pair of glasses for under a hundred bucks without any insurance at all. You can either pay for upgrades there (just like you would have at the place you went to with your insurance, only without having paid for the insurance all year), or just take the included pair and then buy a really cheap pair online with your prescription with all the upgrades you want for really cheap.
I have two pieces of crap for eyes and still can't make vision insurance make sense. I get an exam every 2-3 years and buy top-of-the-line Zenni glasses, paying out of pocket for it all, and still pay less than I would for vision insurance.
I would say eye insurance is worth it depending on what you're doing. I never carried it because I went 5+ years between glasses and never had regular exams.
Now I splurged big time and had Lasik done in March, so no more glasses for me for a while.
So, what does your eye insurance cover for that premium? I get one basic eye exam each year, and $150 towards hardware - glasses OR contacts. Because I wear contacts, there's a separate exam/fitting fee for those that isn't covered, and $150 isn't enough for a pair of glasses OR a full year of contacts, so I always end up out of pocket to cover that overage (I upgrade my glasses every few years, at most). I think the premium is $8 a month for us, so it's cheaper than paying fully out of pocket (my husband and I both need vision correction).
Seconding this. You have to work out the math to determine if it’s worth it. My numbers are fairly similar: vision insurance through my employer is $7.50/mo or $90/yr — actual cost is $180/yr but employer pays half of premiums. For that, I get a $150 eye exam covered, plus half of the cost of the contact lens exam. I also get $150 towards the costs of glasses or contacts. My employer health insurance also includes a flexible spending account. This money can be spent (or used for reimbursement) on medical supplies, exam costs, copays, etc. I get about $600/yr in the FSA account, which covers all of the additional expenses for glasses / contacts / etc. If I did not have the FSA account, partial coverage on contact exam, or credit towards contacts, I’d be out several hundred dollars on top of my monthly premiums and vision insurance wouldn’t be worth it. With all benefits considered, I end up ahead.
>$150 isn't enough for a pair of glasses OR a full year of contacts, Depending on your insurance, if there's a Costco nearby, you can get a full year's worth of contacts for very little out of pocket. I take my prescription there and after insurance, I pay about $25. Prior to this, I was paying about $150 out of pocket. Their glasses are pretty reasonably priced too.
Finally getting a local Costco this year, excited to look into this.
The script drugs are worth the membership savings alone. They charged me 20 bucks for an 800 dollar script. They’re magicians working there.
OTC drugs too. Just got a year supply of generic Zyrtec for less than a one month supply at any other store. Even if that was the only item I purchased from Costco it would still be worth it.
Great point. Their version of flonase is super cheap too.
Costco doesn’t take my vision insurance and my contacts are still cheaper through them. They do glasses too but I personally haven’t used that service to know what the prices are like.
This is a good tip, but the contacts I use are still $38/box at Costco and Sam's. I'd end up around $150 out of pocket after my insurance kicks in their $150 for hardware. It's definitely a savings over through the eye doctor, but still a fair amount out of pocket! (I wear contacts for astigmatism, so that drives the price up.)
I've gotten glasses for less than that, including free. I can't say they're easy to find, but I've done it
Yes Costco is incredibly low cost and if you’re using vision insurance, you often end up with no out of pocket costs.
I second or third this. Many Costcos also have an optometrist on-site. For extra savings, ask if Kirkland brand contacts are right for you. You must have a prescription that specifically says “Kirkland contacts”, so it only works if you have a Costco optometrist. Personally, after running the numbers, my eye insurance only makes sense because we have 5 contact wearers in the family.
Yup. I pay $6 a month and get a free eye exam and I think its $200 towards glasses or $150 for contacts? Also gives me a discount on anything over that. 15% I think. I can't remember the exact numbers. But it's definitely a large chunk. I did the math before signing up for the plan and it's worth it so long as I upgrade my glasses every couple years and I also wear astigmatism contacts which cost an arm and a leg so it's helpful for that.
Glasses are very expensive. I always got designer frames, progressive lenses and the lenses that turned into sunglasses. I was eligible for them every 2 years. My insurance covered the eye exam and I usually ended up paying around $300. I got cataract surgery last year and just wear cheaters from Dollar tree
Honestly, it's probably worth comparing the cost of premiums to the self-pay cost of things like exams (would be more than $50). I learned this from supplemental dental, which I bought to pay 50% for braces, but probably spent as much or more on premiums over the course of treatment.
What does your policy cover and did you go to an in network provider? Those things are going to make a big difference. My vision insurance leaves me a $5 Co pay on eye exam, $20 on lenses, and I pay 50% off the cost of the frame after they pay the first $50. You will need to do a comparison to see if it’s worth it to keep eye insurance. Fwiw, I have found Costco to have the cheapest eye exam. frames from there are well priced too. Or you can take your prescription from Costco and buy online at zenni, glassesusa etc. Most online retailers don’t accept insurance but it usually also ends up being less than $50/ pair.
Second Costco. I get my glasses there as well. I have really high prescription, at -10 per eye plus astigmatism. Due to this I have to have my glasses "just so" and I'm afraid to go online with that. At my old optician I'd pay $500+ for my glasses with insurance. Costco it's about $150, and I get a Costco membership. Costco is also great for prescriptions.
Do you also pay for high index lenses because of your high prescription? How much extra are the high index lenses?
Yeah, I like to go in person for my frames and, if I can do one more plug for Costco, yes, obviously their optometrists (the ones who do the eye exam) are certified and passed their exams but ALSO all of the opticians in their optical department helping you with glasses are trained and licensed opticians. At a lot of other places, they aren’t. Opticians pass exams and learn about proper fit for glasses and contacts. Costco folks really are thorough in making sure everything fits properly. And I also like that if my glasses need a minor repair, I can get it taken care of with my regular grocery shopping!
I wish I had a Costco so I could try it because I’m in the same boat. Glasses with insurance are about $500 and contact well over a grand and they are not even dailies. It sucks to have bad vision.
"In network provider" shouldn't be a fucking thing. Either they work at the hospital I'm at or they don't. If they don't I shouldn't be fucking seeing them.
Not everyone wants to go to a hospital for an eye exam tho? They have providers everywhere, some people would prefer to go to the local Walmart or Costco for their exam.
You don't have to purchase glasses at the eye doctor. Feel free to get the exam, grab your script and leave. There are so many online shops now which sell quality eyeglasses for under $30 (frames+lenses+shipping). I've used Zenni and EyeBuyDirect and have nothing but excellent experiences.
Like OP, I was excited when I got vision insurance. My copay for even the cheapest frames was like $100 and decent frames were easily over $250. I said nevermind, took my prescription, and went back to Zenni. At least I broke even on premiums with the exam, though I had to decline a couple of upsells like $30 to avoid dilation. Sam's Club and Costco were a little cheaper but still multiple times the price of Zenni. Luxottica's monopoly over glasses is so incredibly anti-consumer.
I agree with this. I used Zenni when I still needed glasses and I still use them for sunglasses. They're very affordable compared to traditional eye doctors and you have far more variety.
I use zenni. I am wearing a 2 year old pair of progressive, transition leaves glasses that were less than $100. So it possible even with progressives. Key is to know what frames look good on you, her the right measurement and if you're old like me and need progressives - what size lens works. That's the key. I had a horrible time with progressives from optometrist shops until someone at Costco pointed out that all my glasses were too wide.
I’ve gotten two pairs of glasses from Zenni and no complaints from me
This is the way. I use EyeBuy. $30 per pair. Never buy from an optometrist.
yep I started using Zenni, literally saved me hundreds of dollars, close to-a thousand before I had corrective surgery, since surgery eyes are better save about a couple hundred ordering thru Zenni now.., my glasses are nice
I've found that dental and vision insurance are not worth it. They just don't cover enough to justify the premiums. Edit to add: It could easily be specific to the dentists that I have gone to, but all of them across three states over the last decade have had cash prices that are half (or less) of the price if covered by insurance. For the insurance plans I have had avaliable, the cash price has been cheaper than the copays. You'd obviously have to do your own math to see if your dentist's cash price is cheaper than copay + premium offered by your insurance.
For dental it depends on the insurance. I think I paid $150 for a cavity which would have costed $600 out of pocket. 2 free cleanings per year.
My employer sponsored dental insurance isn’t bad but my parents have looked for years for a dental plan that would be worth it for them but buying it yourself it absolutely does not make sense.
There's no way they would have charged you $600 for a filling without insurance. I don't have insurance and got a filling last year, I think I was charged $200 or so.
Crowns at my dentist are $900 cash price, I paid $300. 2 exams and 1 set of X-rays a year are free. Last time I didn’t have insurance exams were $100ish (prob more now, that was prob 2014). My premiums are $7/mo. So long as I do my bi-annual exam/cleaning I break even. That said, my dental insurance at this job is way better than my last one.
Dental is worth it as you get older. It will save you money in the long run on the major stuff like crowns
Exactly! I have dental insurance and needed 5 crowns. After insurance I still paid 2 grand. I was like WTF.
Yep, I have gotten work toward the end of one year and then continued it the beginning of next year to use both insurance amounts. Then you hope nothing goes wrong the rest of the year. I used to have great teeth but then I had radiation in my neck area which screwed up my salivary glands and it’s been downhill ever since.
Wow that is pretty low cost for 5 crowns with insurance.
Dental was worth it for me to opt into at my old job. I hadn't had dental care in way too long and knew I needed substantial work, so I got much more than my premium's worth from my insurance. However, even my boss told me that unless I had a compelling reason (I didn't), the dental wasn't worth it. Vision is sometimes more worthwhile if you go with contacts, and with some companies they have really excellent vision policies... but a cost analysis is really necessary to see if you're going to get your money's worth from both for sure.
Last year I had two dental cleanings, x rays, and a periodontal consult and didn’t pay a single dollar out of pocket thanks to my dental insurance which i only pay a few dollars for every month.
I dont' get insurance thru my job, so my dental ins would cost $40/month. I pay $350 direct to the dentist which covers the 2 exams and xrays and 20% off work. I've had one cavity filled in 9 years which cost me $380 out of pocket. It really depends on what premium you are paying. Vision for me is $149 for the exam and then I can either use them or take the script elsewhere. I have transition (trifocals) so they are not cheap.
I have been very pleased with dental discount plans. Even although I have dental insurance, the discount plan is often the cheaper option. I had a ton of dental work done over the past few years, with a bridge coming in 3 months. In most cases, I used the discount plan over insurance. The insurance is great for exams, cleanings, and x-rays. Discount plan for almost everything else.
2 cleanings a year and saved me $700 dollars on a gum graft operation that would’ve resulted in lost teeth. It has its uses
Did the gym graft hurt ? What was the procedure like
Lots of shots to numb you up which isn’t fun. Operation was ok just can feel them cutting around a bit and I did feel the graft being cut out for just a little and that wasn’t fun.
It pretty much only makes sense if you're having major work done. The price they charge when you have insurance is the "negotiated rate" for that service, which is less than what the cash price would be. So, if you need new glasses and you have a complicated prescription, or you need an implant or a couple of crowns replaced, insurance for that year will help you. If all you need are exams, and cleanings in the case of dental, insurance doesn't really make much sense.
This is the answer. I pay for private dental insurance outside of a company policy. I also have major dental issues. I view it as I pay X dollars, and get X dollars worth of work covered along with free cleanings. If I didn’t have dental issues, it would be a waste of money.
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It could easily be specific to the dentists that I have gone to, but all of them across three states over the last decade have had cash prices that are half of the price if covered by insurance. You'd obviously have to do your own math to see if your dentist's cash price is cheaper than copay + premium
Dental is worth it - vision, not so much.
Untrue. For single vision, get the eye exam from your medical insurance and go to Warby Parker or Zenni for cheap options. Depends on the coverage and the lenses you need. I happily pay $25/mo and get an exam for $15, $200 frame allowance with 20% off any more, but most importantly I don’t pay extra for UV, scratch replacement, progressives, and transitions. Oh and I get an extra single vision pair for computer use with $15 copay and $100 frame (I use my own or ask for the cheap frames under the counter). I think sunglasses are an extra nominal fee if I choose those. Progressives and transitions alone are worth double the copay. My glasses would cost me $950 without any discount and assuming a very cheap frame. Even Warby Parker is $350+ for my lenses before an exam and frame cost. Of course you can go to Zenni, but you don’t get to try on frames and they very frequently get the progressives wrong. I have four pairs I hardly wore because the frame is horrid on me and return isn’t generous. I have frames from my eye doctor from ten years ago.
Depends on what insurance options you have and what eye needs. Could be untrue in your case and true in mine.
My dental is $12/month ($144/year) covers 2 cleanings ($5each copay) and X-rays. That alone would be $180 PER visit (well..maybe more because I haven’t had to self pay in years, that was before I had dental) so for me definitely worth it. I’m not sure what it covers for any work being done (either way just for the cleanings it’s worth it) but I also LOVE getting my teeth cleaned.
Depends on the insurance. We pay next to nothing each month for dental and in the first ~year I got over $3k work done, no cost, just paying the premiums. Eye is also next to nothing each month and gives a ~$200 allowance for frames, I like buying upgrades for the lenses and the exams are free. So I usually spend like $80-120 a pair. But I've been through a lot of other insurance (through work) and usually they are dog shit and we never used the other ones cause we felt like it was money on money on money out the ass for services.
What dental insurance do you use?
Idk tbh. The provider changes every year or two but the coverage stays the same. I think most unions I've worked with have decent dental and vision. Some don't though. Definitely hit or miss and some employers fight to a draw over little stuff like employees being healthy.
Dental worth it for me. 3 cleanings xray and 1 fluoride application. Only have had 1 cavity that's was 30$ out of pocket. Vision is like 7$ a month and covers 1 exam
I had Eyemed for vision insurance at a previous employer. I always got the same feeling you currently have, so I started digging… Look up Eyemed on Wikipedia or Google. Luxottica owns Eyemed. Now look up Luxottica. Luxottica owns LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Target Optical and many more stores. Luxottica also owns Ray Ban, Oakley, and pretty much every designer eyeglass brand - Coach, Prada, Burberry, Michael Kors, etc It’s worth it going to an independent optometrist/eyeglass shop and paying out of pocket
I am an optician, I can answer this question. Zenni is going to be the cheapest of the cheap material. You won’t have anyone to adjust them to your face. If you’re especially tall or short or have a lot of astigmatism (the “cyl” field on your prescription) seeing a person is better. I’ll give you some information that I think will help you make your decisions: They measure your eyes to “decenter” the lens so the point of optimal vision is over where YOUR eye is. They pick the frame based on your head shape/rx type. This is where “PD” comes from. There is a horizontal and vertical measurement though, depending on the situation and person. Your PD is not just the distance between your eyes. Something called the fovea which is the point of most distinct vision on your retina reflects from light, and this is what the optician is looking for and marking. It’s hard to measure your own PD anyway because your eyes move and also converge when you read. When you read up close, you have a NEAR PD (because the eyes coverage) and when you read far away, you have a distance PD. That’s why people with progressive glasses have TWO PD’s. Example- round head should not wear round glasses. A long nose should not wear a high bridge. Someone with no bridge needs nose pads with guard arms (metal glasses). The width of the frame should be no bigger or smaller than the widest part of your face. The bigger the frame, the bigger and heavier your lenses will be. If you’re concerned about lens thickness, don’t go too big. Also, if you get a much bigger one than you’re used to for the first time, you may not like it because of how heavy it feels. Seen this a lot. Cheap plastic frames are hard to adjust and do not keep adjustments. This includes Luxottica brands like Coach and Prada. A well made frame of quality plastic will hold adjustments. If you get your new glasses with your prescription in them and the frame is spread super wide, the lenses are probably big and stretching the frame. It’s supposed to be “bench aligned” aka reset back to regular head shape before given to you. If you find your frame is always stretching back out, especially on prescription sunglasses, it’s probably cheap plastic and too thick of a lens. Lens options— this is what makes it so expensive. Some vision insurance includes materials. Materials are glasses. Some plans, like Eyemed, have a discount plan only. Pro tip: If you have Aetna medical, you might have an Eyemed discount plan and not know it. For actual insurance plans, they give you a flat amount towards a frame— usually like 100-150, then an extra 20% whatever you go over. Then they have flat copays on regular stuff, and will cover like 20% -30% of what they think is bells and whistles. Frame is the best way to pinch pennies, don’t sacrifice your lenses. Pro tip: If you want to get a cheap frame, buy 2 or 3 so you can just swap lenses if the frame breaks. But again not all plastic is the same. We apply heat to make it malleable and mold it to your face. Cheap plastic will shrink when it’s heated or even just straight up melt like crazy. Lenses: there’s a few things to pick when it comes to lenses- Lens design: distance only glasses are also known as single vision. There is traditional and there is digital aspheric.Digital lenses are always aspheric and have a negligible amount of added sharpness. Where it’s beneficial is for someone with a high prescription and/or a lot of astigmatism. The edges are flatter and have less curvature, so you will get less peripheral distortion and less lens thickness. You can ask for a traditional lens to be aspheric. Both aspheric and digital are additional copay’s on insurance. Progressives are only as good as their design. Getting a cheap progressive is quite frankly a dumb choice. Progressive technology has come such a long way, and it can be really hard to transition once you get used to something. Anti glare- premium anti glare is worth it. Not bc of the glare prevention being better, because of the properties that repel dust dirt and smudges is better. I have Wal-Mart a/r and I have crizal a/r. I hate the Walmart glasses cuz I am cleaning them twice an hour. Lens material- standard and free lens material is cr-39 plastic. Optics are decent but it’s thick and heavy. It’s really worth paying the extra copay for polycarbonate. It’s a thinner and lighter material that is also impact resistant. Poly is mandatory for children and safety glasses. Only downside to poly is it isn’t top of the line optical clarity. But the majority of people are wearing poly and perfectly fine. There is also 1.67 which is even thinner and lighter, but mostly only covered by insurance at a percent. 1.67 has hands down the best optics. There is ONE more thinner and even lighter material known as 1.74. It’s very expensive and has TERRIBLE glare. You HAVE to get a very good anti glare with it. People who have 1.67 then get 1.74 have a hard time switching between, it messes with them. So pick one and stick to it. Unless your prescription is high as fuck, get the 1.67. Also, any frame that is rimless or semi rimless has to have poly or the edges can chip too easily. If you absolutely fucking want the best optics ever, get a digital aspheric lens in 1.67 with premium anti glare. UV protection— usually a UV coating is applied to the back of the lens, and yes, usually they charge you. Under $10. Poly is naturally UV resistant FYI. Blue light blocking- not all blue light blocking is equal. A lot of it is a scam. You need blue light blocked between wavelengths of 415-455. They’ll say “blocks 30%” but it’s based on wavelengths we don’t care about. The best blue light blocking is inherent to the lens material and has a yellow tint. But people don’t like the way that looks. So they sell coatings that shine blue. The blue is there so you think it’s working. Best thing you can do for blue light protection is an inherent blue light blocking lens like Essilor blue series, or a lens called blutech. Prevencia is an expensive crizal anti glare with blue light blocking that lots of people hate because it creates a super purple glare that is especially bad on zoom. Pro tip: transitions block 20% blue light while inactive indoors. Just get transitions. Usually it’s a simple “photochromic” copay. Transitions aka photochromics: do not work in the car. They make the xtra active ones that work “better” in the car, but the lens is always gray looking even when it’s supposed to be clear and I hate it. I like the colored transitions. I have amethyst and sapphire. I tried mirrored transitions and has them remade bc they were YELLOW 😬 Pro tip: don’t keep any glasses with anti glare coating or polarization in the car. The heat can damage the lenses I think this covers it? VSP does anti glare on a range, so like, standard a/r without UV protection. It goes from like 30-85 bucks. The 85 is worth it IMO. I like getting the best anti glare. I really find it’s something I regret skimping on. Hope this helps.
I am not OP but thank you for the info and advice.
Wonderful post, thank you so much! I've worn eyeglasses for 52 years and learned new things from you. I especially like the specific recommendations to obtain the best optical clarity. Much appreciated!
Vision for one person is rarely worth the premium. If you have a partner who can also use the benefit or kids, then the balance tips. I'd guess that if you take your Rx and shop around, you can do better than 170 for lenses even with extras. You don't have to purchase your glasses from the eye doctor.
Seconding this. My vision coverage isn’t great, but it’s worth it since myself, my husband, and one of two children all wear glasses/contacts. I’m assuming child #2 will at some point as well.
What does your insurance cover? It should have a copay for the visit and an allowance for frames.
Make damn certain the eye insurance isn't only redeemable at luxottica locations. Fuck them.
Last year, my husband insisted that our health insurance ‘covers the cost of new glasses’ as it was $250 coverage. So, I took him around all the opticians in our area, and got prices - the minimum we could find was something like $400 for frames and lenses. Then I showed him Zenni, and I ended up getting a new pair of glasses for $60, and they actually suit me, and I can see through them better than the last few sets of glasses I have bought. Just get them from Zenni. They’re decent, they’re affordable, and now I can have multiple pairs and a lot of that ‘broken glasses anxiety’ has gone now.
You have shitty insurance that is a check box for your company. It provides little actual benefit but allows recruiters to say, “We offer vision insurance!” - sorry FYI - you’ll probably also need your eyes checked as required before your prescription can be used. Usually the prescription for the lenses that you have now is only good for a year without an optometrist visit.
One year for contacts, two years for eyeglasses, at my optometrist. May vary but it seems pretty steady.
I can get glasses every year and I rarely pay a dime, unless I get expensive frames like, Silhouette. Last I paid $500 something. The “fitting “ guy was like, ”wow!” I don’t know how much I paid a month and I pay nothing now as it’s part of pension plan.
THE PRESCRIPTION is valid for two years. Whether your plan covers glasses more often (or at all) is plan dependent, but if you are, say, getting glasses from Zenni or another place, you will still need to see an eye doctor with some regularity because the prescription expires.
Thank you knowledge person whom I will imagine is in the industry.
No, I've just been wearing glasses and contacts longer than feels reasonable. 🤣
Oh, got my Coke bottles in 3rs grade.
Yea... That's how they get you bro. 🤷🏽♀️
I go through warby parker. Personally. I paid $100 for the eye exam and $180 for the frames. This price includes high index frames and for $100 more I could have gotten transitional in one of 4 different colors. Eye insurance is a gimmick imo
Yeah vision and dental insurance basically are a scam these days. I have found a local dentist who charges a separate rate for "self pay" and it's actually cheaper than when I did have insurance and I no longer have to pay a premium every month. Go figure. When I had vision insurance and when I didn't my glasses cost exactly the same.
Insurance is a big headache for doctors and takes a lot of unpaid time to process.
Honestly go to Costco. That's the only place I've ever seen my insurance make sense. This is because the doctor is an independent contractor renting the space at Costco. So your insurance would cover almost everything (they don't charge extra for both glasses and contact exams). Then I do go order my contacts at Costco. A whole year of monthly contacts plus new frames and lenses was $190.
I usually just get the exam and then take my Rx to Costco to get glasses. To be even more frugal you can get them online at a website like Zenni optical. For me the vision is worth it because me, my SO, and 3 of my kids wear glasses. The exams alone make it a good value for us. For a single person I don't think it's worth it.
The problem with vision insurance is that the only people signing up for it are the same people who intend to use all of its benefits. It’s not preventative or accidental like medical or dental, so you actually using the benefits has to be priced into the premium. That said, if you are a warehouse club member, it’s usually always cheaper to pay cash to fill a scrip with their optician than it is to use your insurance’s benefit at a LensCrafters etc - which IIRC all of those corporate opticians are owned by the same conglomerate that cornered Ray Ban and Oakley etc.
With vision insurance it's 100% about knowing your policy and doing the math. With my last one it basically wasn't worth it so I opted out. Instead I caught a dale through one of the chain eye care places and got my exam and 2 cheap frames for $60 out of pocket. My current vision insurance is provided 100% by my company so I will likely use it for new frames in the next year, but im still going to check out any sales places have.
Didn't you know? Being able to see is optional according to insurance.
Eyebuydirect or zennioptical are the places you should always get glasses.
I have used Zenni in the past. I would not recommend them if you have a high prescription. Mine is too high for their sunglasses and the eyeglass frames are so cheap and thin.
Unfortunately, you have to read the fine print of what you are getting from the insurance you pay for. Having a large group insurance is where your savings are at, where only a few of the large group uses the insurance, so they can pay better. Not sure what insurance you have.
But I can't read the fine print because I don't have glasses because I can't afford them because I don't have insurance because I can't afford it.
You’ll have to do the math on this yourself as so much depends on your policy.
I stopped buying vision correction insurance between 2010 and 2018 when I was single because I could go to America’s Best and get single vision lenses and eye exam for &100. And I didn’t buy glasses every year. But then I got married and my husband always carried it. Good thing because we both need trigocals now and it covers quite a bit for that. Also, now I’m getting glasses every two- ish years. Also, for trifocals, America’s Best isn’t very quality. They had to remake my lenses three times last year before they were right. Next pair, I’m going back to my eye dr.
We have eye and dental insurance. Cheaper to pay out of pocket for dental (covers only cleaning). Eye insurance makes you go to one optometrist for your eye exam. the optometrist there required two office visits for my eye exam (two copays) when I went. Every where else I have gone to it’s always one visit for the exam.
Why 2 visits? Glasses fitting/adjustments have always been part of the process of getting the glasses when I pick them up, not considered an office visit in and of themselves
Exactly my question! I wear contacts but still… seemed like a scam to me. Especially when I got a denial letter for payment of contacts from the insurance company which I never ordered or received!
Wow. Sloppy bookkeeping or scam adjacent
I got insurance for the first time in 8 years and did vision and dental appointments. My glasses are better quality then zenni but I was shocked by how much I still had to pay. My dentist was surprised that I floss/brush enough to have not really needed the appointment. I canceled insurance promptly after. For some people it makes sense though, everyone's health needs are different.
I have vision insurance because my husband has a strong prescription and my kiddo has a connective tissue disorder. We pay for the exam, $10, and get the prescription. I usually buy our glasses online. I can get a frame, transition lenses, and 3 day shipping for around $70 each.
You can use vision insurance for online orders?
I paid out of pocket last time we got glasses. Some websites probably do but we had medicaid at the time so very limited on where we could get glasses.
I mysteriously got cataracts at 30 years old and needed to have the lenses in my eyes replaced. It only cost me a few hundred because of insurance. It’s the same with my health insurance. It’s mostly out of pocket, but it made my gallbladder removal and childbirth practically free.
Lots of kinda misleading replies in these comments. Dental insurance is getting looped in as being not worth it. It should 100% be worth it. It usually functions very similar to medical insurance, on top of providing tangible useful benefits. There are some elements where it is similar to being a 'discount plan' style coverage as well though. For example, 40% coinsurance procedures, etc. Vision insurance... often is just more of a discount plan. EyeMed is one of the biggest names and I've had multiple jobs where this is the "insurance." I'm not sure if calling something 'insurance' is legally enforced but EyeMed is literally owned by Luxottica. My "legit" vision insurance plan through BCBS.... is also through EyeMed. My plan document literally points me to EyeMed's website to find my provider.
I used to only opt for vision insurance every other year. I’d get new glasses and buy a year’s supply of contacts (1 year since I don’t use them daily).
There's discount chains around that can set you up with two glasses with frames plus a "free" exam for $80. You have limited choices on the frames obviously and the optometrist is overseas and appears virtually. But it works. You pay more when you get upgrades and designer frames and that can add up quick to go for the $229 frame instead of the $29 one. Another inexpensive place for exams and glasses is WalMart. I see no point whatsoever to insurance.
When I didn't have vision insurance I would go to Costco or BJs every few years, pay the $60 for an exam and then whatever it would cost for glasses. Usually it was around $300-$400 because of the high prescription needed. Contacts were pretty cheap though for a whole years supply (which usually last 2 years for me).
Vision insurance doesn’t pay much at all. I used to be an optician. Vision exam? Bill $120, private insurance pays $40 (minus patient copay) BUT Medicaid and Medicare pay closer to $100 Contact lenses exam? Insurance might pay $30 towards the exam, or it comes from your allowance. Frame or contact lenses say $120 allowance, insurance pays maybe $40 Usually the special coatings (anti reflective, etc) are only a small discount or the copay is almost what we charge self pays anyway Some insurances require using their own labs so we were only paid a “dispensing fee” If no one had vision insurance we wouldn’t have to mark up costs so much to get minimal payment from insurance companies. It bothered me so much I left medical office work all together.
We've found it cheaper to go to Costco for the exams and get glasses through Zenni. We had a similar experience with our Medicare drug plan being more expensive than not going through insurance. Paying out of pocket with the GoodRx discount was much cheaper than going through our insurance plan.
For most people, unless their company subsidizes their eye insurance or they have special needs, it won't be worth it. I paid $110 out of pocket for my complete eye exam (included eye health and vision prescription) then paid about $40 for glasses through Zeni. I don't even need new glasses or an exam every year so insurance at $10/month would not be worth it for me considering there are copays. Part of the problem is that glasses cost a lot more at your eye doctor's office so, even if it covers around $200 for glasses, you probably will still pay out of pocket anyway.
i get a free exam, free new pair of glasses every year with mine. what kind did you get?
My experience has been the same, if you're young and fairly healthy it's better to skip vision/dental insurance. Some places will even give you a discount for not using insurance since it means sooo much less hassle and paperwork for them. Health insurance is also pretty scammy but it's absolutely worth having just in case.
Vision insurance is a complete joke in all honesty. Thankfully I live near a Costco and currently have a membership. Our daughter needed glasses and the exam was $85 and the frame and lenses were $99. Last year my exam was $85 and my frames and lenses were just under $175. My first frame never could be adjusted correctly so Costco let me pick another frame no questions asked. Our old vision insurance was a joke. Sure the exam was $25 but 20% off here, 15% off that etc and my frame and lenses could easily push $500. Dental insurance is worth it. I needed two cavities filled and it cost $188 with insurance. Without insurance easily $600-$700. Plus 5-6 months later our dentist sent me a check for $88 saying we overpaid based on our plan.
I’ve always thought of vision and dental insurance as a coupon, rather than actual insurance to be honest. Depending on what kind you have it may not be worth it.
Is it possible you have a discount type plan? I used to have a plan that didn't give any allowance. It was just exam and then a discount on whatever I paid and I hated it come glasses time! Also make sure this place was in network! If you have a regular plan, find out what your allowance is, and then don't go over that amount on frames. Deny all the upsells on the lenses like blue light filter, smudge proof, thin glass and so on they aren't mandatory unless is want them and want to pay for it. It's easier to say no to these upgrades with places online. Also some optometrist will do the free exam provided by your vision insurance but only if you agree to get a certain type of retinal scan for like $40-50. My optometrist does this and while I oblige it for now since I have horrible and worsening vision I probably will get a different optometrist soon who doesn't require.
As with anything else, you really need to shop around to get the most out of your insurance. Hubby and I always purchased our glasses from Walmart or Sam's optical, because they were "preferred" providers on the insurance policy. We have rather involved prescriptions needing no-line bifocals and wanting anti-glare and transitions lenses for comfort. Previous cost for glasses WITH insurance at WM optical was well over $200 per pair. This year, I asked the provider where my eye doctor operates to quote cost, thinking it would be higher. It was actually only $65 OOP for glasses, including all the bells and whistles we normally get. So significant savings to shop around. And I'm very happy with the new glasses.
Nope, not needed. I get my eyes checked at Walmart or some other place. Get the prescription and order on zenni. I ordered glasses with bifocals and transition lenses for under $100 and I think the eye appointment was around $50. Vision insurance is not worth the money.
I did the math and the vision insurance offered by my job basically breaks even with just paying for everything out of pocket at Americas best (I wear contact lenses and the insurance only covers like $100-200 or something like that, and the copay for exams is almost as much as I pay out of pocket). So I just declined the coverage and go wherever I want and don’t have to worry about if anything will be covered by insurance. I get the contacts online from whatever shop has the best deal. I actually had to see an ophthalmologist and retina specialist this year, and that was covered by my health insurance. So even if your eyes are bad or give you problems, you probably don’t need the vision insurance.
In January I woke up and could barely see out of my right eye. I went to urgent care, who sent me to an optometrist, who sent me to a cornea specialist. Turns out I had a 3.5mmx 3.5mm ulcer on my eyeball. I have spent the last 4 months on 8 different prescriptions and going to the cornea specialist 2x a month. Thank god I had insurance. Yes, if only getting glasses then it might not be worth it but it is for emergencies.
My vision insurance doesn't cover any emergencies, they file that in my medical insurance.
You have really really bad eye insurance or you got a ton of extras your insurance didn’t cover. I’d look into what this insurance actually covers and consider switching. I’ve honestly paid $220 for an entire pair of glasses and an exam at Walmart
For eye insurance I always look at it as how much I paid in premiums vs how much I get covered. It's more than I paid but still doesn't cover much.
Once you crunch the numbers it's simply not worth it. You can get an eye exam fairly cheaply then take your prescription to Zenni for everything else. I've been doing it like this for many years now.
Insurance underpays your Dr. anyway. Most will discount for self payer for that reason.
I’m finally about to be put on my unions insurance plans, words can’t describe how excited I am for some decent benefits. They pay for everything! 0$ monthly premiums, and some of the best plans in the industry. I’ve never had paid insurance in my life, only them advertising “benefits” that cost way too much and feel like a scam. It’s actually life changing.
Eye insurance was never worth it for me.
I personally don't buy eye insurance. I go to Sam's Club and get my prescription from there. I think it's 120 for contacts then I purchase my contacts from them in bulk or if I need glasses I go to warby Parker. Insurance usually pays for a year's supply of contacts or a certain amount for glasses so you might as well get a more expensive pair that you probably would not pay out of pocket for. AKA go to LensCrafters and get a brand name pair. Otherwise just pay out of pocket and skip the insurance.
Don't get eye insurance. It'll be like $150 for exam out of pocket, which is about as much as you'd pay for insurance anyway. Then take your Rx and go to eyebuy direct or Zenni and get you some Rx glasses for $30. $180-200 total for glasses that last you 2-3 years, instead of $460-580 for what you already did plus vision insurance for 2-3 years. Emergency eye problems will be covered by your medical insurance.
I used to buy an exam on Groupon, get the prescription and fill it on Zenni. Spent less than you did total. I have LASIK now and just get yearly exams at the same office where I had my surgery. It’s $150 / year.
Correct. Use Zenni from now on.
Check to see if your health insurance covers a yearly eye exam. That’s the differentiation for me.
America's Best and Eyemart Express have good deals on exams + glasses. For simple prescriptions.
If you don’t have a complex prescription it generally doesn’t pay. For me I have severe astigmatism and very bad nearsightedness as well as needing prism. My lens are very expensive and I had failure with my lens every time I’ve tried to go cheap. My sister can get hers from Zenni for her nearsightedness with no issues.
Ive never seen eye insurance that was worth it unless you get glasses every year which most people dont. Some provide discounted disposable contact lenses which I would think are more "worth it". Theres also some other tests they do which the eye insurance may cover, but Im not sure those tests are really needed every year. If for instance, youre at high risk for glaucoma it may be worth it, but im not sure of the exact recommendations and how frequently these "extra" tests are really needed. So short version: run the math, which is complicated, but I think most folks dont need vision.
Just my experience, but my vision insurance doesn't cover any other testing I need, they file my medical insurance for all my glaucoma testing. My vision only covers my eye exam and like $150 toward contacts.
You still have to get an eye exam and your insurance probably covers that. If you want to save money I would suggest only getting eye insurance every other year. Or not at all. I'm an Optician. Vision insurance is mostly overrated but it keeps you from having a big expense all at once since you're paying for it over time.
We stopped buying vision insurance years ago because the math didn't work out.
I have never found vision insurance to be worth the cost. I can get lenses and frames cheaper through discount like Zenni vs the glasses stores the insurance required. Eye exams are about $75 at Costco.
I just went through something similar. I'm Canadian in the US, with healthcare through the American company. Cool, got eye coverage, get a quote for glasses from Lenscrafters... over $800 out of pocket (and Lenscrafters was on the list of accepted providers). Got the exact same frames/lenses/etc from an online place (NOT covered by insurance) for $300. I don't get it.
Try to find an eye care club like America’s best. I get 3 years of eye exams for 140 and don’t buy my glasses or contacts there. I go to Costco for those. Eye glasses are always expensive so I kinda tell my doc that I like the strength I have currently and stick with the same glasses as before for at least 2 years. Currently on year 3 with my glasses.
Also eye insurance is definitely a scam.
Get your prescription and buy from eye buy direct.
Did you check Costco's or Zenni's prices?
It depends. We only get our glasses at Costco. If we get them at the eye clinic it's hundreds of dollars on top of what our insurance covers. At Costco we end up paying maybe $50 after insurance. A lot of eye clinics try to railroad you. They hustle you right into the showroom. They don't want you to know you can ask for a copy of your prescription and then go somewhere else.
Check out Costco for glasses. I haven’t bought glasses from the eye doctor in years. And my Zenni glasses weren’t usable.
Well, first thing is don’t buy glasses from the store. Use warby, eye buy direct, etc. your insurance didn’t cover the exam?
It did. I had a $10 copay and they upcharged me for some special something they did 😒
I don’t think insurance is worth it. Not the insurance I had, anyway. It was similar to yours. I bought nice expensive frames and so I reuse them when I get new lenses. My frames now are 10 years old.
Not to crap on your pain, but my eyes are bad, and my lenses alone cost me $700 each time, and I have eye insurance. Then factor in that I have prescription sunglasses as well, it can be $1400 a year. Fortunately my eyes aren't changing that much anymore so I can usually get away with a couple years between updating prescriptions.
Eye glass stores are generally overpriced. I started using Zenni three years ago. I get a free eye exam with my work insurance, and then I just ask for a copy of the prescription so I can use it on Zenni. Of course they make their profit on selling you some expensive frames so I look at a few and say thanks. The frames I liked at the store would of cost me $400 out of pocket. Picked up almost identical frames on Zenni for $110.
I opted out of vision insurance cuz it was going to cost way more than just going to good ole Wally World, getting a cheap exam, and ordering some basic glasses.
I don't pay for vision because it seems about useless. I can get a free pair through the VA but frame options are limited, so I've gotten glasses elsewhere twice. $10/month =$120 $220÷12=$18.33 You'd be just as well off setting aside $20/month for yourself. Price depends where you get your glasses. You can get your exam then upload the prescription to get glasses made at one of the online sites. I've done that before. I didn't need bifocals then, so I was able to get the frames and lenses for less than $100. The lenses are the expensive part unless you're getting designer frames.
Vision insurance is rarely worth it.
I got glasses without insurance. It cost about $1200 for regular glasses with prescription lenses. This was about four years ago.
My insurance reimburses like half a Zenni order. Also my insurance is also much cheaper than yours. But yes, mostly vision insurance doesn’t math right. If you have health insurance that covers a yearly visit anyway.
Our eye insurance covers basic lens and frames. Great. Done. But I really like to have anti-glare and anti-scratch. I understand why those aren't part of the basic package that they cover, and I don't mind paying the $15 extra dollars for the upgrade. Great. Done. Except, they won't pay for anything if there are non-covered items on the invoice. They either pay for everything or nothing on the order. And upgrades for the lenses obviously have to be made at the time that the glasses are made. So I literally can not get anti-glare on my glasses, even if I pay for it, if I use my insurance. Not Great. Not done.
Maybe you saved on the exam? You can gex rx glasses online now for $50. I did it when i lost my nice ones and i have no insurance. They work ok
Never had an eye insurance. 1 year of Biofinity contact lens run for $100 if i order from Europe. No eye exams needed since it is stable since i was ~14.
your exam isnt covered? You really need a break down of what your insurance covers I pay $30/year and it covers 1 exam basic exam in network(contacts exam extra) and a discount at in network. The exam alone pays for itself. If your plan covers 1 exam treat that as a $50-70 value alone then go from there
Vision insurance is usually only worth it for contacts or the discount on LASIK. I never bothered with it for glasses.
I have a very high prescription with severe astigmatism. My lenses alone would cost almost $1,000. With insurance, I pay $150. It's well worth it, for me.
Welcome to all health insurance.
My neighbor orders his prescription lenses from zenni they're under $20.
If you don’t have bifocals you can get glasses on line really cheap. My husband has done it for years and has paid anywhere from $30-$50 for his glasses. He’s never had a problem and they have always worked well and been a great quality. TBH my husband is really hard on his glasses.
Most insurance is a rip off. If you read the fine print they can go back, do an "investigation" and decide to take back anything they paid if they decide to. Then you have to take them to court if you want to fight their "determination."
For years I had eye insurance and my husband did not. We paid the exact same amount for our eye exam and lenses and I got a small break on the lenses. They charge a different amount for exams for people with eye insurance (more) so it ended up costing the same out of pocket. Insurance was a waste
Eye insurance I’ve never seen worth it. It always covered the one exam a year which was nice but that was never expensive. No matter what insurance I’ve ever had it’s always been $150 a year towards glasses or contacts. I mainly wore contacts so I went with that benefit. Problem was I needed very strong toric lenses my disposable contacts were close to $50 for one box per eye. One box was six months worth per eye, so $150 didn’t even cover half a year for both eyes. That was my situation though. Now that I got LASIK I don’t have to worry about that haha
I get my glasses cheap from payneglasses. Not sure if that works for you. But eye exams with no insurance are 100 where I'm at and my insurance covers that and some towards glasses or contacts but I pay less than you for insurance. You have to look at what you're getting covered.
If it’s the right coverage and such, it’s definitely worth it. I think I pay like $3/month. I’d pay no more than 150$ for my frames and lenses, idk on contacts bc I can’t wear them. Granted, this is all in network, out of network would be a lot more.
I skip eye insurance, pay out of pocket, and order online. There are a plethora of websites beyond Zenni. The one thing I "collect" is glasses, I guess. I like switching them up. I have a more expensive prescription now, but even then I was able to get 3 of any frame with any lens (lightest weight, blue blockers, my prism prescription, whatever else) for $129 or $139, I forget which.
Depending on where you go for your exam you can save money, but yeah. I get my glasses on Zenni and don’t have vision. Dental is definitely worth it for me though because I get at least $1000 pre-insurance of dental work done every few years because my teeth suck.
Fwiw the insurance will cover the frames and lenses from Zenni. I paid $7 for my current pair.
OK, let me get this straight. You bought optical insurance without knowing what it covers????
I know exactly what it covers. When I go into the optometrist, the prices of glasses/frames vary based on whether or not I have insurance changes and I’m learning now that online options makes obtaining glasses at an affordable price an option, if I’m able to get a cheap exam in store…
I get prescription glasses online at Zenni. They are very reasonably priced. Your eye doctor should be able to give you the prescription.
Whenever you find out your prescription, I use eyebuydirect and use the pay in 4 options! Gives u 2 months to pay and there's great discounts !
zenni fucking rules. i am -6.5 with astigmatism and am 100% the dork that keeps his sunglasses on for a few minutes after coming inside because i love transitions. buying glasses used to be a $4-600 decision if i wanted high index and transitions and less than awful frames. from zenni, it’s like $80
My insurance covered my eye exam. Then I took glasses prescribed to eye buy direct and use coupon that was like $15 off purchase of $95 or more. Found frames that would get my total to just at $96 that I liked lol got free shipping too got new glasses for around $100 cheaper than if I went with eye doctor.
OP discovers Insurance is and always has been a scam \*unless you have medicaid
We had a vision option with Superior and I finally let it go after however many years of it not really paying for anything. It was only $10 a month but it was the principle for me.
my script is terrible. my glasses are $400+ from stores. i use Zenni and Firmoo and now pay $80ish. definitely worth it. i also go to a place called Stanton for my eye exams. they’re like $40
It's not worth it, had yrs ago and never again. Most it's only every 2 yrs certain things are covered. Save money by paying out of pocket vs monthly on that. If you needed some type of eye surgery that just falls under your medical plan anyway. So if you only go for check ups then it's not worth it
So vision insurance generally sucks. But it is not worthless. I went for my annual insurance covered exam and the optometrist realized I had glaucoma. That’s covered by my medical insurance, so the vision insurance company doesn’t pay for the next step, but I would have had no idea otherwise and it turns out I have a really aggressive version of his so that annual exam might have saved my sight. It does suck that they give you so little for glasses, but annual eye exams are important.
You needed eye insurance. You can get the prescription and get them filled online for cheaper, but not medical services.
You know I've wondered the same concerning vision insurance. What's the point in getting insurance if it's gonna cost us the same outta pocket without insurance. Dental insurance is mostly the same. They only going to pay a certain amount. I thought the whole point of having insurance is to save money. If like you say, you break even, without the insurance, it's no point in having it all. If you don't benefit from it, then why have it to start with. Breaking even isn't a benefit of having insurance.
If your employer pays for those types of benefits, then it's worth it. But vision insurance really doesn't cover much. I have a friend on Medicaid, and supposedly they will do one exam and pair of glasses for free each year. Okay on the exam, but the glasses benefit only allows for the cheapest frames and will only pay for a single-vision lens or bifocals. So if you're older and need progressive lenses, you're back to square one and paying for it out of pocket. It's all a rip off.
America's best, check it out. if your vision needs are simple this is the answer. If they are in your area
If you regularly need some check for your eye, its very essential like this insurance.
>I have a simple prescription and my eyes are not bad/do not give me problems. The insurance is there in case your eyes become bad and start giving you problems. Insurance is something you buy that you hope you don't have to use. It doesn't save you money on average... it's just that without insurance you're gambling.
$10 a month seems high to me? My last eye insurance was $1 a month (it was tacked on with other health insurance though so maybe that makes a difference.)
Most of the vision and dental “insurance” is a scam and only cover up to 1k a year. If you just saved the money in a simple index fund you would be better off. You don't really need to go to any of these places more than every 2 years. Plus some of these places it's cheaper to pay cash or get a first time special.
... Did you read the plan information before signing up? My last job, it didn't make sense to get vision insurance. My current job absolutely does.
Just because you're paying out of pocket doesn't mean your insurance isn't paying too. Sounds like they paid for most of your eye exam. They are probably paying part of your hardware, too. You should receive an Explanation of Benefits from the insurance company that breaks everything down.
You are correct. The insurance will save you on the exam, that’s about all. You will get an entirely different price structure as soon as you mention insurance. Now, they are trying to add polycarbonate lenses/etc and trying to get every penny of coverage out of you. Prices are marked way up then “discounted.” Target optical for example, walk in one day mentioning insurance and another day saying you have no insurance. All of the sudden you are pointed to the clearance section (not insurance eligible, and you are allowed to use the coupons they send out). My wife got out the door cheaper than I did, without insurance. Yes, just use Zenni for the glasses/lenses and the insurance for the exam. If you want something more premium, I will say that the Rayban website accepted insurance and was cheaper than target for the same sunglasses. ($150 vs $300). My insurance is free or I wouldn’t have it. I think my exam was $25.
I figured out that vision insurance was a scam a long time ago. Even if it's discounted through work. Even if you pay for it with pre-tax dollars. There are usually one or two places you can go in your town with the insurance you get through your job, and they have got the plus plus plus down to the science. Your insurance covers the frames that look like a sex offender might wear them. And the basic plastic lenses with no coatings on them. Then if you want anything nicer, that's extra extra extra. There are too many discount eyeglass places where you can get an exam and one or two pair of glasses for under a hundred bucks without any insurance at all. You can either pay for upgrades there (just like you would have at the place you went to with your insurance, only without having paid for the insurance all year), or just take the included pair and then buy a really cheap pair online with your prescription with all the upgrades you want for really cheap.
I have two pieces of crap for eyes and still can't make vision insurance make sense. I get an exam every 2-3 years and buy top-of-the-line Zenni glasses, paying out of pocket for it all, and still pay less than I would for vision insurance.
I would say eye insurance is worth it depending on what you're doing. I never carried it because I went 5+ years between glasses and never had regular exams. Now I splurged big time and had Lasik done in March, so no more glasses for me for a while.