Individual vision insurance
How long has it been since you've had an eye exam? Are you holding the newspaper at arm's length these days? Do you have to squint to make our street signs? Your sight is one of the most precious attributes you have. It might seem surprising, then, that so many people neglect to take proper care of their eyes. If you neglect your teeth, they'll soon send you an urgent signal in the form of a toothache, but your vision usually gets worse slowly and almost imperceptibly.
Perhaps the primary reason people neglect their vision is because of high costs and these days, more and more employers are cutting vision insurance to the bone. If your employer doesn't offer vision insurance, or if you're unemployed or self-employed, the expense of eye exams and glasses or contact lenses can be prohibitive. It's also a real hassle to find an individual vision insurance plan on your own. Eye exams, glasses and contact lenses are expensive, so you'll want to find the best possible individual vision insurance at the best possible price. You may already have a family optician and optometrist. In that case, ask them what programs they recommend. If you don't have a regular eye care provider, you might want to do some research on the Internet to find out what kinds of programs are available.
Use the Internet to Find Vision Insurance
Rather than spending days looking up various individual vision insurance plans and then trying to compare them, you might want to use an online system to get quotes. Here's how it works. You answer a few questions such as age and location and submit it to the quote generator. Soon, usually within five to seven business days, you'll receive quotes from a number of insurance providers that service your area. Once you have the quotes, you can choose a few of the more attractive ones to research further. Be certain you check not only the services provided and the price, but also any deductibles or annual caps. Quote generators don't usually charge a fee to the consumer for their services.
Discount Vision Care Providers Are Competing for Your Business
With the decrease in benefits offered by employers, the demand for individual or self-paid vision insurance has increased. There has been a concomitant increase in the number of providers competing for your patronage. This means that you'll need to do some rigorous comparison shopping to find the program that will work best for you. If you're a young adult with basically good vision, you may only need a minimum of benefits such as regular eye exams and some discount on corrective lenses. If, however, you are a senior citizen at risk for developing cataracts or glaucoma, or if you have a condition such as astigmatism that can worsen rapidly, you may need to select a plan that costs a bit more but gives you more options. Be certain to check your provider's policy on pre-existing conditions. Your vision is precious, so don't put off finding an eye care provider.