Some of the most common questions surrounding vision insurance are: “Do I need Vision Insurance if I don’t have glasses?” “If I already have a pair of prescription glasses, do I need Vision Insurance?” and “Am I really saving enough money by getting Vision Insurance?”
The answers to these questions really depend, but you’d be surprised by how useful something like VSP could be.
VSP Offers more than just Discounts on Frames
Even if you don’t wear prescription glasses or contacts, VSP can help you with eye exams (which you should be getting annually), savings on things other than glasses, and other medical eye care.
You might be wondering “why should I get an eye exam if I can see fine?” And that’s a valid question. Eye exams do more than just test to see if you need corrective lenses. They can also test for glaucoma, diabetes, and other eye related medical issues.
You should be getting an eye exam every year, which can cost anywhere between $80-100. With SDPEBA’s VSP plan, you’ll have a $0 copay for the same exam! And then if it turns out you need eye care, you’ll get coverage for that through VSP!
How much am I Saving Anyway?
Glasses can be quite expensive. For basic lenses and the cheap frames, you’ll be spending around $150-200. If you want better frames that aren’t liable to crack, you’ll be looking at a price point closer to $250-300.
VSP fully covers basic lens types and offers and gives you a $150 allowance to put toward your frames. This allowance is on top of the discounted price for frames from VSP retailers, meaning you’ll probably end up paying anywhere from $0-50 for frames and lenses.
With SDPEBA’s VSP plan you have two separate $150 allowances that you can put toward any frames at an in-network VSP location. These allowances can also be put toward contacts!
By having two allowances you can get a pair of glasses every 6 months, or you can do what I do and get a pair and a backup pair every year! You can also get a pair with normal lenses and then a specialty pair with blue-light filtering or tint, or anything along those lines.
Since VSP costs $9.25 and is on a 24-week cycle, you’ll be saving upwards of $50-300 a year by getting vision insurance. This obviously depends on whether you get two pairs of glasses, or if you get a vision exam.
How to Use VSP
We recommend you utilize VSP’s website to search for doctors and retailers. Their site will give you a preview of what frames your optometrist carries and information about that doctor. Just remember, you don’t necessarily have to buy glasses where you get your exam. VSP allows you to go to plenty of retailers, such as Costco, Walmart, and VSP’s online store, Eyeconic. But you’ll need a recent eye exam before you can head to these locations (places like Costco and Walmart offer vision exams, but they’re not always in network, we recommend you call ahead and ask if you’re unsure).
How to Book an Eye Exam with VSP
- Go to www.vsp.com
- Under “Find a VSP Doctor” enter your zip code and click “Search.”
- The next screen will provide you with a list of providers and the ability to refine your search. SDPEBA is on the Choice Network.
Purchase Glasses/Contacts
You can get glasses or contacts by going to a local in-network retailer or by seeing a local in-network optometrist. You can find local optometrists and check if a retailer is in network on VSP’s website or by contacting the store you plan on going to.
If you need help signing up on VSP’s website, or navigating it, check out this article linked here!
What if I have Vision Coverage through my Health Insurance
If you have Sharp or some other health coverage, there’s a chance that you’ll have a bit of vision coverage. This could vary depending on where you get your plan, but for the most part the vision coverage is very minor and will not offer you as great of savings as a bespoke vision plan.
Be sure you look closely at your health coverage and see what it offers. For example, the SDPEBA Sharp Classic plan covers your eye exam for $0, but no coverage for frames or lenses. With this plan, if you don’t need glasses, you can easily get your annual eye exam and not have to worry about VSP.
However, if you do need frames or lenses, you will save money by using vision insurance.
As an important note. If you have Sharp Classic and VSP, you should not use Sharp’s eye exam copay and instead use the VSP coverage. We go over that more in this article!
Have more Questions about VSP?
If you’d like to know more about VSP check out their brochure linked here or head to our “Everything you need to know about VSP article.” As always if you have any other questions or concerns, give us a call at 888-315-8027 or email [email protected].