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A good insurance story
Apr. 16th, 2010 11:05 amYesterday I went to Lyndale Optical to get my prescription filled for the left lens of my glasses, post cataract surgery. The insurance (VSP) covers one pair of glasses per year, starting every April 1. Because the insurance only pays for the basics, the new glasses still cost me $175 or so, but that's on a $500 pair of glasses.
What I had been hoping to do was skip the new frames (I'm still happy with the old ones) and get two left lenses, one for my current glasses and one for my previous set that I use as a backup. I was told the insurance didn't work that way; the insurance only paid for one right and one left lens as a complete set.
And then the woman looked at me and said, "Wait, you're getting this as a doctor-mandated prescription change?" I agreed that I was; my prescription had changed as a result of cataract surgery. In that case, she told me, the lens replacement fell into an entirely different category, and was completely free. I didn't have to pay for the hardened plastic, antireflective surface, or rolled edges that I would normally have to cover myself, since it was a replacement of an existing lens acquired under their plan.
I'll probably use the "annual pair of glasses" benefit to get myself an updated set of backup glasses in a month or two, but the freebie replacement lens is a really nice extra on the plan.
What I had been hoping to do was skip the new frames (I'm still happy with the old ones) and get two left lenses, one for my current glasses and one for my previous set that I use as a backup. I was told the insurance didn't work that way; the insurance only paid for one right and one left lens as a complete set.
And then the woman looked at me and said, "Wait, you're getting this as a doctor-mandated prescription change?" I agreed that I was; my prescription had changed as a result of cataract surgery. In that case, she told me, the lens replacement fell into an entirely different category, and was completely free. I didn't have to pay for the hardened plastic, antireflective surface, or rolled edges that I would normally have to cover myself, since it was a replacement of an existing lens acquired under their plan.
I'll probably use the "annual pair of glasses" benefit to get myself an updated set of backup glasses in a month or two, but the freebie replacement lens is a really nice extra on the plan.
