LASIK surgery and insurance

While most insurance plans do not cover vision correction surgery, including LASIK, there are methods to get the most out of your insurance plan, plus alternative options for paying for surgery.

There are HMO and PPO managed care plans for vision that have contracts with certain doctors and clinics to provide a discount to their customers. In these cases, the insurance does not pay for the procedure directly, but allows you to enjoy a lower cost. You just need to be sure to check out other doctors and clinics because often, even after discount, it can still be considerably higher than others who are just as experienced.

Some vision plans will cover a percentage of the LASIK surgery, provided you go to their preferred doctors. As before, even with the percentage covered, you may end up paying much more for the same quality results, so be sure to shop around. If you are unclear of what your vision insurance covers, ask you employer, human resources, or insurance agent.

The issue is that most insurance plans consider LASIK surgery a cosmetic and elective surgery, which they will not cover. However, there are certain conditions that can only be corrected with LASIK surgery. In these cases the insurance may be able to be persuaded into considering it a necessary surgery. This will require that your doctor and surgeon help you get the coverage you need by corresponding with the insurance company.

For those who just can not get around the insurance issues, many companies offer flexible spending accounts for medical services. A flexible spending account assists in saving you money on medical treatments by allowing you to put money away before paying income tax on it. The money is placed into a special account that is designated for medical expenses only. This can be for co-pays, corrective lenses, and surgeries not covered by insurance, which are all paid out of the account without you ever paying income tax on the amount.