How fees work
What a visit costs depends on why your child came and on what your plan covers. These are the questions parents ask us, with our answers.
Insurance we work with
A routine eye exam is usually billed to a vision plan. A visit for an eye problem, such as a red eye, an injury or a follow-up, is billed to medical insurance, and some visits are part of each. Medicare does not cover routine exams or glasses, with narrow exceptions.
Vision plans pay for routine exams and part of glasses
Medical insurance pays for visits about an eye problem
Plans differ, so call us to confirm yours
If you pay yourself
If you pay yourself, we explain each part of the visit before it happens: the exam, any extra tests the doctor suggests, and the frames and lenses, which are billed apart from the exam. We do not quote a price over the phone for a visit we have not seen.
Receipts for reimbursement
If your plan reimburses you, we give you an itemized receipt for the exam and for the glasses to send to it.
An estimate in advance
If you are not using insurance, you can ask for a Good Faith Estimate in writing before the visit. If a bill comes to $400 or more above that estimate, you can dispute it.
Your rights under the No Surprises ActChecking your benefits
Before the visit, our front desk checks your vision and medical benefits where it can and tells you what it found. Plans change, so please check with yours too.
What the first visit includes
A first visit is a full exam of about 45 minutes with the doctor, with a parent in the room. We tell you before you leave whether it goes to a vision plan or to medical insurance, and what is left to you.
Which part goes where
Vision plan, medical insurance or you
Vision plan
The routine exam, and often part of the glasses or contact lenses.
Medical insurance
A visit about a red eye, an injury, an eye that turns or a follow-up to an eye problem.
You
Whatever a plan does not cover, such as extra frames, coatings or a second pair. We tell you first.
Our policy
Your prescription is yours
Your prescription is yours. We give you a copy after your exam and fitting, and you can fill it anywhere.
You do not have to buy glasses from us to get it.
Questions about a bill?
Call the office. Our front desk will go through it with you.