How To Pay For Routine Vision Care When You Have Medicare
Even though you might rely on Medicare to cover most of your healthcare expenses, you probably know that it does not cover most routine vision care, such as paying for eyeglasses. This can leave you wondering how you are supposed to pay for routine vision care, especially if you are on a fixed income. Luckily, following these three tips can help.
1. Sign Up for a Medicare Supplement Plan
Even though original Medicare does not pay for these things, there are Medicare supplement plans out there that do offer both vision and hearing coverage. Even though you do have to pay for these policies out of pocket, it can be worthwhile to do so to gain coverage for eye exams, glasses and contacts. Plus, a supplemental policy can also help you cover things like co-pays and deductibles for the rest of your healthcare, which means that it can help keep your healthcare costs more predictable and affordable. Shopping around for plans that are available for people in your area (from companies like Senior Care Insurance Services) can be a smart choice if you want help with covering vision care and other necessary medical care.
2. Look for Affordable Eye Exam Providers
Some eye exam providers are cheaper than others. For example, some mass market retail stores and warehouse clubs offer eye exams for less than you would pay at an eye doctor's office, even though these exams are conducted by a licensed optician as well. Consider calling around and inquiring about pricing for eye exams in your area to find the lowest price, or ask your primary care physician if he or she has any suggestions.
3. Order Glasses Online
Have you ever purchased eyeglasses online? If not, you should give it a try. You can often purchase glasses—including bifocals—for a lower price than you would pay at the eye doctor's office. Plus, you won't have to go in for an exam if you have a recent prescription. Just make sure that you hold onto your eyeglasses prescription after you leave your next eye exam so that you can use this information to order your glasses online yourself.
As you can see, you do not have to do without routine vision care just because you have Medicare. Instead, give these three tips a try so that you can lower expenses while ensuring that you have your necessary eye exams and that you have glasses.
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