Anyone have VSP Vision Plan?

[LisaNJ25]

Does anyone have a version plan though a company called VSP? I was just offered to my husband today at work and they have to enroll by tomorrow if they want it. talk about giving a little bit of time.

He is bringing home the paperwork but said it will cover you contacts for the year and $150 towards glasses.



Any pro or cons from past experiences?

Thank You.

 

[Califgirl]

I've used it for years and it works well. There's no insurance card or anything, you just tell your optometrist you're on VSP and he gets some info on the policy holder and that's it. I still end up paying out of pocket, but not as much. I think it covers eye exams every other year, or at least mine does. So, it's not complete coverage, in that you'll probably pay something out of pocket, but it is worth the savings, and it is easy to use.

 

[Kitzka]

Lisa:

I will tell you that my old company had VSP and it is the absolute BEST! I had them for 7 years and there was never any issues with paying my eye dr, getting contacts, glasses, etc. I did have to pay $45 out of pocket for my contact fitting but that was based on the plan I had.

I go to the eye dr twice a year (due to an eye condition) and have never had to call VSP for any sort of issue.

My new company is Spectera and they are not as good. My eye Dr. was disappointed that I had Spectera and not VSP as VSP was so good to deal with.

If it is not going to break your bank I say go for it.

Lara

 

[rdevine10]

We have had VSP for several years.....

I just used ours 2 days ago!

Our plan (im not sure if they vary) gives you:

A set Co-pay for the exam. I beleive ours is $25

$150 towards frames (EVERY OTHER YEAR!)

$25 for lenses, but I had to pay to get my upgraded to the extra light and thin.

You are only eligable for frames if you didnt get contacts the year before (I wear both).

Contacts only you can get $100 per year for lenses.

So to tell you my bill....

I had a glasses and contact lenses exam, new frames and lenses (upgraded), contact fitting fee, and it still cost $150.

So, you decide Im not always sure its best deal... but our cost for VSP is very minimal, so I wont complain.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Do you tend to find tghe private smaller drs that go along with them chanrge more?

Here is out vision usage to give you an idea.

I have been using walmart the past 5 years with current plan which we keep either way.

2 kids with glasses. 1 exam a year plus new glasses each year. Eye exam $15, glasses and lenses average $100 and than get reimbursed $50.

pros.. love paying the extra $15 and if my 8yo breaks her frames/lenses they are replaces for free for 1 year (she does that atleast once a year lol)


me: wear contacts and dont even have a current pay of eyeglasses well overdue and need a pair

hubby: is supposed to wear glasses but his broke 3 years ago and never replaces them.. Men lol

Cost will be $11.xx every 2 weeks for the plan.

I am just really concerned about the smaller eye drs and the chance of much higher priced glasses

 

[mzlee]

We've had it for a couple of years now and I like it. My DH only pays like $6 a pay period (bi-weekly) for the family coverage. Here's what I saved just last week for DS11 exam and glasses. I hope this helps.

Without VSP Coverage
Exam $100
Lenses $76
Frame $180
Lens Options $40 (polycarbonate)
Total $396

With VSP Coverage
Exam $10
Eyewear $25 (co-pay towards materials)
Frame $52 (they only cover frames upt to $115 and frames were $180)
Lens Options $0 (polycarbonate was covered)
Total Paid $87

Savings of $309

 

[KTSMOM]

I have VSP too. I used it last week for my eye exam and will use it when I order my contacts. It covers my complete eye exam except for my contact fitting which was $26.
It covers up to $150 in contacts or lenses for glasses. I can't remember the cost for frames since I haven't bought any glasses in awhile.
I think it's a great deal and it's not an expensive insurance, something like $12 a month.

 

[mzlee]

Lisa:

I will tell you that my old company had VSP and it is the absolute BEST! I had them for 7 years and there was never any issues with paying my eye dr, getting contacts, glasses, etc. I did have to pay $45 out of pocket for my contact fitting but that was based on the plan I had.

I go to the eye dr twice a year (due to an eye condition) and have never had to call VSP for any sort of issue.

My new company is Spectera and they are not as good. My eye Dr. was disappointed that I had Spectera and not VSP as VSP was so good to deal with.

If it is not going to break your bank I say go for it.

Lara

We had Spectera before VSP and there is no comparison. VSP is much better.

 

[PiperPizzaz]

I have VSP too and love it! Dh and I both wear glasses.

 

[we3disneygo]

Hi there! mzlee where did you go to get the eye check up? just wandering as we just got this insurance and we are located in lovely Peoria also!! thanks

 

[Kitzka]

We had Spectera before VSP and there is no comparison. VSP is much better.

Don't I hear ya. I ws so spoiled by how smoothly things went with VSP. Dealing with Spectera customer service is a nightmare and they do not cover nearly as much.

I wish I could go back to VSP. Maybe my company will switch but at least I have coverage right?

OP-I think you need to see what your DH's VSP plan will cover and decide if it is worth it. VSP is fairly reasonable and as mentioned, great customer service. DD9 got glasses last year and VSP was going to cover $125 for frames (the store had a 6 month replacement plolicy but this will vary by store). She chose frames that were $180 so I had to cover the rest.

For us seeing a someone at a smaller operation was better as there is a history of cataracts, early glaucoma and other eye issues in the family. The smaller operation I go to is more equipped to do field of vision tests, scans etc than my local Costoc or Walmart.

Lara

 

[TaraPA]

We've had VSP for years & I love it! I have never had a card, claim form, or any type of problem what-so-ever. There must be different plans, since I saw anove several people have co-pays for eye exams. I have never had a co-pay, so either I have a different plan, or they changed it for this year. I have annual exams covered in full, and 6 months worth of free contacts per year. $150 towards glasses every other year IF I didn't get contacts that same year.

If the employee contribution isn't much then definitely go for it!

 

[WDWorBUST]

We just added VSP to our benefit package this year and I have heard so many positive things already. If you or any dependents need corrective lenses it will most likely save you money. If you don't - but get an eye exam every year it will most likely save you money. It is a great plan and there are definitely different ones available (as far as benefit) although typically the design is the same - ours is:

$10 copay - exam (every 12 months)
$25 copay - lenses (every 12 months)
$120 allowance towards frames (only every 24 months)

If you choose contacts instead you pay for your fitting fee and can use the $120 allowance towards them instead. Most plans offer discounts on additional pairs of glasses so if you wear both it's usually going to be to your benefit to use your allowance towards your contacts and then use the additional discounts on your glasses.

 

[skw444]

I've had VSP for the past 9 years and love them. Plans vary but mine covers the following:
$15 copay for exam
$25 copay for lenses
covers frames up to $150 and then 20% off any amount exceeding that (every 2 years)
covers contacts up to $150 (once a year)

Only thing is you can't use the glasses coverage and contact coverage in the same year.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

I haven't used any vision plan, personally, because my DH is an optometrist. I work some in his office & I can tell you that VSP is about the best vision plan out there! They cover more than most for the patient, and doctors like them because they pay promptly.

Spectera is the worst available! My husband started out as a provider, but dropped them after having so many problems with them. He was required to use their lab for Spectera covered patients. Their lab constantly made mistakes, which resulted in glasses being wrong and/or taking unreasonable amounts of time to get back. From a patient's point of view, this reflects poorly on the doctor & his staff. They don't realize how much he's fighting with the insurance company. Plus, Spectera often "changed their mind" about coverage AFTER a patient was seen. Then, the patient would, understandably, be upset if they were sent a bill because the insurance had refused payment. So, we ended up losing money with that insurance company.

Bottom line, in my opinion, embrace VSP & run from Spectera!

 

[lam712]

Our family has had VSP for years- in fact since 3 of us wear contacts, I signed up for the plan through my work even though my DH already had it. Our plans are different, my DH's copays are less and his plan includes progressive bifocals free(my plan has a fee for them). However, using both plans each family member gets both glasses and contacts or contacts twice each year. The hours at our local Walmart work better for my teenagers and we normally pay up front and submit the claims for reimbursement. The reimbursement is slightly less at non providers (especially for eye exams) but Walmart usually charges a little less so there is not too much of a difference. Using a provider makes the claim process much easier- no claim forms and you only have to pay a minimal copay for services.

 

[ProudMomTo3Boys]

My husband was just offered this plan also, but we decided not to go with it because he is the only one with glasses and our regular medical insurance covers eye doctor exams so we wouldn't need it for that just the glasses but we can get his glasses at a resonable price from Lens Crafters with a AAA discount of 30 %.

 

[Malificient Tater]

we have it and use it to get glasses. Of course my optometrist is on the other VSP plan, but it all levels out when you get glasses pretty much for free. I just pick them out and send in the reciept and get a check really fast.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Thanks everyone.. I think we will give it a try.

For my son and I that wear contact I will dip over to the plan that comes with our health insurance..

 

[angwill]

Do you tend to find tghe private smaller drs that go along with them chanrge more?

Here is out vision usage to give you an idea.

I have been using walmart the past 5 years with current plan which we keep either way.

2 kids with glasses. 1 exam a year plus new glasses each year. Eye exam $15, glasses and lenses average $100 and than get reimbursed $50.

pros.. love paying the extra $15 and if my 8yo breaks her frames/lenses they are replaces for free for 1 year (she does that atleast once a year lol)


me: wear contacts and dont even have a current pay of eyeglasses well overdue and need a pair

hubby: is supposed to wear glasses but his broke 3 years ago and never replaces them.. Men lol

Cost will be $11.xx every 2 weeks for the plan.

I am just really concerned about the smaller eye drs and the chance of much higher priced glasses

Well with what you posted it will cost $263 per year for the plan so you would have to spend that much more for your glasses/contacts and I don't know if the VSP provider would take both insurances you would have to ask. I think I would find the VSP call and ask about duel insurance and then ask what they cover and what it would cost for what you would typicall want and see if that would total more than $263 to make it worth it.

Personally, I loved VSP when I had it years ago but I did not have any other vision coverage. I got my contacts and exam at no cost. Yes, my smaller doctor was more expensive for frames and lenses than walmart or another discount vision center. It only covered basic lenses and I wanted the thinner lighter lens because I have a strong perscription and would have coke bottle lenses if I didn't so that was extra. I believe my frame had to cost under $100 which was her basic frame cost and of course I didn't like any of the cheap frames and anything nice was over $200 at my providers office. You could always get it for a year and then drop it once you get everyone set with glasses and contacts too.

HTH