I have vision and dental insurance now, through work. I have almost never had these. I have always had health insurance, but not V&D. Last couple times I went to the eye doctor or dentist, I paid out of pocket.
Yesterday I went for an eye exam. I can’t remember how much I paid out of pocket for the exam last year. But this time, it was a $10 copay. I “think” it was $54 last year. I’m not sure. I might be thinking about an oil change. It was in that ballpark.
Then today I shopped at the optical for new glasses. I just wanted whatever was covered. My current ones are bent, and I have to squint.
She came up with a total that was several hundred dollars, and explained that my insurance saved me $130. Then she ran the total with all cheaper options, and I got a free pair. I only had to pay $25 for the warranty.
While checking out and paying the $25, I asked her how much would the glasses I got be if I paid out of pocket. She said, $132. So basically, all the insurance covers is $130-ish.
I did the basic math in my head. The vision insurance I have only pays for this once every two years- NOT annually. It also takes $7 out of my paycheck. There are 52 paychecks in two years. That’s a total of $364. And I basically only save $170-ish with the $130 glasses coverage and the $40 I save on the eye exam. Sounds like a rip off.
I explained this to Kevin, and he said, “But it’s still insurance.”
The “it’s still insurance” thing only would apply if it covered emergencies. But what kind of vision emergency would there be? I can’t think of one. If my glasses broke, I’d use the warranty that I paid for. If someone pokes your eye out, that’s a medical emergency and you use your health insurance.
And these glasses are the lowest of low quality. The only benefit is that I finally got clear frames instead of black, and I got a better prescription. I can go back in a month or two and pay out of pocket for a nicer pair. I just feel kind of ripped off, and don’t plan on renewing this coverage next year.
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