After deciding to undergo PRK or even any other laser eye surgery, the first financial concern arises is whether the PRK is covered by insurance or not. It is a first good thought and worth exploring the solution for the same.
Insurance for PRK
Most of the health insurance companies do not offer insurance for PRK and even other laser eye surgery procedures also, as these surgeries in the medical industry are considered to be elective. So, they consider this procedure as a cosmetic procedure, but not necessary one medically. However, because of increased competition among the insurance companies, some of them have started thinking of offering insurance for these surgical procedures to grab more customers and retain existing customers.
Hence some of the insurance companies offer apparent partial coverage or discounted price for PRK and other laser eye surgeries, though vision plan.
Vision Plans Considered By Insurance Companies
Some of the companies try to find the severity of the refractive error and if the PRK or other surgery is found to be essential, then they prefer to offer insurance. The conditions, under which the medical plans for insurance cover laser eye surgery to correct refractive error, in rare circumstances cover the PRK procedure, like the following.
- Laser eye surgery becomes mandatory for refractive errors, which become as a result of another surgery.
- Eye surgery is needed to perform to correct the refractive errors, because of eye injuries.
- Eye surgery is necessary, in case the patient is unable to wear contact lens or eye glasses, because of certain physical limitations, like lens intolerance or deformity or allergy with eye glasses.
- Eye surgery is necessary, when the refractive errors become severe. But, no standard impairment level is there, at which the correction is covered by insurance. Coverage of insurance, in such cases is very inconsistent, generally and each patient has to check with the health insurance personnel.
The above are a few cases, where the insurance can be offered with probability. So, each of the individual has to check with their insurance providers, by submitting pre-assessment report and based on the reports and requirement of the procedure, coverage of insurance is decided and offered by the insurance providers.
There are other alternative ways to check out with the employer. As part of your employment benefits, one may be eligible for Flexible Benefit Accounts, Flexible Spending Arrangements or FLEX. As a final alternative, check with the medical center, where you wish to undergo the PRK procedure about credit programs to start the procedure immediately and pay the charges on monthly basis that can fit into your budget affordable to pay monthly.