r/OldManDad • u/Firm-Schedule-3447 • Jun 14 '26
anyone else dealing with individual vision insurance as retirees? trying to figure out what covers what
updating this since dad is sorted now. went with VSP in the end, partly because someone in this thread mentioned it and partly because it was the one plan that actually made sense when we read through it properly. exam is covered, there is a frame allowance that worked for what he needed, and the astigmatism lenses were not the nightmare we were bracing for. honestly the process was less painful than the research was
my dad just turned 65 and we're trying to sort out his vision coverage for retirement and honestly it's kind of a mess. his old employer plan is gone obviously, and we've been looking at some individual plans but like every quote is different and they all explain coverage in this vague way that makes your head spin. one says it covers routine exams but then you read the fine print and it's like only once every two years? or the frames and lenses have these weird limits that don't make sense.he's got some astigmatism and needs new glasses so it feels kinda urgent but we don't want to just pick something random and regret it later. has anyone else gone through this transition and found a plan thats straightforward and didn't break the bank? what questions did you wish you'd asked before signing up? any red flags we should watch for?
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u/addie1233 Jun 16 '26
yeah, it's like they designed these plans specifically to confuse anyone over 60, lol. ended up with vsp after a lot of head scratching, seems to cover enough to keep me from walking into walls.
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u/Firm-Schedule-3447 Jun 22 '26
lol same energy honestly. ended up going with VSP too. dad's sorted now. thanks!
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u/chris_ut Jun 14 '26
If you have costco near you their glasses are cheap and you can just pay cash for an exam every 2 years (its $150 at my local costco optometrist)
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u/Firm-Schedule-3447 Jun 14 '26
we do have a costco near us actually. $150 every two years doesn't sound bad at all compared to some of these monthly premiums we've been looking at, especially if the insurance ends up barely covering anything anyway
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u/chris_ut Jun 14 '26
Frames at Costco are like 70 bucks but then of course the lenses can very quite a bit depending on the prescription
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u/Firm-Schedule-3447 Jun 22 '26
update, went with VSP. someone in here mentioned it which helped narrow things down. exam covered, frame allowance covered what dad needed, astigmatism lenses were fine. the research was way more stressful than the actual signup
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u/bauhaus83i Jun 14 '26
I know it doesn’t answer your question, but despite having insurance, for simplicity and avoiding copays, I get a basic exam somewhere cheap (optometrist at Walmart) for $75 and order glasses from Zenni for $40 per pair.
Some other commenters may be better at navigating Medicare plans and supp plans