Vision difficulties are common among Medicare beneficiaries. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)<\/a>, 35% of beneficiaries reported difficulty seeing in 2019.<\/p>\n Seeing clearly isn\u2019t the only reason older adults need vision care. Routine eye exams can also help detect signs of over 270 health conditions<\/a>, including diabetes, high blood pressure, autoimmune diseases and cancers.<\/p>\n Does Medicare Advantage cover vision?<\/strong><\/p>\n Original Medicare does not cover vision. You\u2019ll be on the hook for the full price of a routine eye exam, which can range from $75-$200<\/a> for patients without vision insurance.<\/p>\n Luckily, Medicare Advantage (or Medicare Part C) plans often do, which can significantly reduce out-of-pocket costs for seniors. In fact, KFF found that beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans spent less<\/a> out-of-pocket on vision care than beneficiaries in traditional Medicare in 2018.<\/p>\n Because Medicare Advantage plans are offered by Medicare-approved private insurance companies, vision care benefits may vary. If you qualify for Medicare Advantage but have not signed up, consider doing so this year.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re on a Medicare Advantage plan, make sure to review your vision care benefits in case of changes. It\u2019s also a good idea to compare Medicare Advantage plans to make sure you\u2019re getting vision care that you can afford and that meets your vision needs.<\/p>\n You have options<\/strong><\/p>\n If your Medicare plan doesn’t cover all your vision needs, you still have options for vision care benefits. Separate vision insurance, like a plan through VSP\u00ae<\/sup> Individual Vision Plans,<\/a> can help complete your coverage at an affordable price.<\/p>\n VSP vision insurance offers coverage for routine eye exams, glasses and lens enhancements, which are not covered by Original Medicare. Because VSP doesn\u2019t have open enrollment or waiting periods, you can purchase and use your vision insurance plan at any time. You\u2019ll also have access to a large doctor network, so you don\u2019t need to stress about finding an eye doctor<\/a> near you.<\/p>\n Benefits<\/a> include 20% off additional glasses or sunglasses, including lens enhancements, from a VSP network doctor within 12 months of your last exam.<\/p>\n Whether you have Medicare Advantage or not, you can make sure you have access to vision care you can afford with the benefits you need to keep your vision healthy.<\/p>\n Visit VSPDirect.com to find the best vision plan<\/a> for you. While you\u2019re there, you can also compare insurance plans<\/a> and see which one meets your needs.<\/p>\n (BPT) – The end of the Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP) is fast approaching. By…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-423494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423494"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423494\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/imgupload\/d5361e9190ba2c7ea24f75efece782ce.jpg\")
Need affordable vision care? How Medicare Advantage can help<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"