Medicare Vision Insurance
Original Medicare Vision Insurance does not cover vision benefits like glasses, contacts or services like vision exams. Any vision service that you need, you are required to spend out of pocket.
But of course, paying out of pocket is only one choice. The choice is to receive vision coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan at no additional cost to you.
Many Medicare Vision Advantage plans offer coverage for vision services and supplies such as:
- Routine vision exam
- Glaucoma Screening
- Cataracts Surgery
- Eyeglasses
- Contact lenses
- Diabetic Retinopathy
These benefits are offered at no additional cost through a Medicare Vision Plan HMO or PPO plan, as long as one is available where you live, you have both Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B vision coverage, and you have a qualifying enrollment period.
What Are The Medicare Vision Benefits of Medicare Part A?
When a beneficiary needs to be admitted to the hospital due to a medical emergency or traumatic injury, Medicare Part A only pays for vision care if the situation is deemed a medical concern. Routine eye exams and refractions are excluded from Medicare Part A coverage. In the absence of other vision coverage, beneficiaries are required to cover the entire cost.
What Are The Medicare Vision Benefits of Medicare Part B?
Medicare Part B provides health coverage. Some vision care is covered by Medicare Part B, but not routine eye exams. Except in cases when vision correction is required following cataract surgery, Medicare Part B does not cover vision correction such as eyeglasses or contact lenses. Additionally, Medicare Part B does not pay for refractive surgeries.
Glaucoma screenings are annually covered by Medicare Part B for those who are at high risk. People with diabetes, African Americans over the age of 50, Hispanic Americans over the age of 65, and people with a family history of glaucoma are among the high-risk patients.
Cataract surgery is also covered by Medicare Part B’s vision benefits. In addition to covering the cost of vision correction items like glasses with conventional frames after cataract surgery, Medicare also pays the cost of the artificial lens you would require to replace the lens that is cataract-affected. Subject to your annual Medicare deductible, you are responsible for paying the 20% Medicare coinsurance for the amount that Medicare has approved.
What Are The Medicare Vision Benefits of Medicare Part C?
You can receive your Original Medicare Vision benefits in a different way with Medicare Part C (also known as Medicare Advantage). Private insurers with Medicare Vision Plan approval offer Medicare Advantage plans. All private insurers must provide at least the same benefits as Original Medicare Vision Plan (with the exception of hospice care, which is covered by Medicare Part A), while they are free to add additional benefits including dental and vision coverage as well as Medicare prescription drug coverage. When routine vision coverage are offered by a Medicare Advantage plan, your rates may be higher than those of Medicare Advantage plans that do not.
Some Advantage plans of Medicare Vision Plan cover eye exams, vision correction devices, and other vision care — complete Medicare coverage.
What Are The Medicare Vision Benefits of Medicare Part D?
You can enroll in Medicare Part D, which provides prescription medication coverage, in addition to your Original Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B coverage vision coverage. Private, Medicare-approved insurance businesses offer Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans. Certain goods connected to vision care, such as eye drops or other vision prescription drugs by a doctor, may be covered by a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan or a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan.
