09-25-2024 Primetime - Flipbook - Page 31
A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, September 25, 2024 31
Add-on insurance,
continued from page 26
Your premium will run you approximately
$17 a month. With that, you will pay
$10 for an exam by an optometrist, pay
$10 for single vision or bifocal lenses,
and receive up to $200 toward eyeglass
frames. You can only exercise this option
every one or two years depending on the
plan you choose.”
As you age, you may find you need an
annual dilated eye exam by an ophthalmologist who can check for glaucoma,
cataracts, dry eye and other aging eye
diseases like macular degeneration.
Instead of buying vision insurance,
Jacobson recommends looking at places
like Costco or BJ’s for inexpensive eyeglasses. Generally speaking, the operator of the vision section in the store will
have sales, like two pairs of glasses for
the price of one. They may have a limited
selection of eyeglass frames that qualify
for that discount. You should also see if
the sales happen at certain times of the
year and plan your next purchase that
way.
One of the largest companies providing vision insurance is VSP (www.vspdirect.com), the most popular available.
Visit the website to get an estimate of
what it will cost and the benefits different
plans include.
Another company to check out is
Davis Vision (davisvision.com). “Davis
Vision has been providing comprehensive vision care benefits for over 50
years. Access to better vision begins
with having the qualified eye care professionals in our network, which helps
us to ensure our members can find costeffective care, and a variety of styles,”
according to its website.
Some Medicare plans may provide a discount. If you have Medicare
Advantage, it may have vision benefits.
Also, check with AARP (www.aarp.org)
for member discounts.
Before you invest in vision or dental
insurance, think about the benefits versus the costs. You may find that, like
Wilson, you are better off putting the
amount of the premium into a savings
account, thus creating your own insurance plan. Although it’s not a lot, you’ll
also accrue interest. We all have to be
our own advisors when it comes to
money. Plan accordingly.
Maryland Health
Connection
Essential Benefits
If you’re getting your insurance
through the Maryland Health
Connection (www.marylandhealthconnection.gov), as mentioned in
the article, dental insurance as an
add-on is available but vision
insurance is not.
JOURNALISM
MATTERS
today more than ever.
As a reminder, all insurance plans
under the Affordable Care Act
must include the following
essential benefits:
• Doctor visits
• Emergency care
• Hospitalization
• Laboratory tests
• Pregnancy, maternity
and newborn care
• Mental and behavioral health care
(includes counseling and
psychotherapy)
• Pediatric care including oral
and vision care
• Prescriptions
• Preventive and wellness
management and chronic disease
management (wellness visits,
shots and screenings)
• Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
• Substance use disorder
treatment (includes counseling
and psychotherapy)
• Birth control and
breastfeeding coverage
Note that both mental and behavioral
health care and substance use disorder treatment are included. “If you
are already being treated,” Jacobson
reminds us, “check with your doctor
to see if that insurance is accepted.
If you choose a Kaiser plan, you can
only be treated by one of its doctors.
So, during Open Enrollment, think
about the health care professionals
you already see and if you’d have
to change.”
For more than 180 years, we have
been dedicated to shining a light
on the issues that affect, engage,
benefit and empower our
local community.
We deliver it every day.
Trusted. Powerful. Real.
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