Due to several corporate buyouts of companies based in Hartford, we will have several new corporations in our community. Does anyone know what types of eyecare/eyewear benefits are provided for the following companies?:
Prudential
St. Paul Cos.
Bank of America
Thanks for your help.
Jim
How about calling on them as suggesting that the simply have a cafateria plan for eyecare? It is more cost effective and allows them to use the provider of their own choice.
Better get there before VSP gets there.
Nice thought, but these are big companies that only do business with other big companies.
Prudential is buying a division of Cigna which currently contracts with VSP.
St. Paul is buying Travelers which currently uses DavisVision,
and Bank of America is buying Fleet which uses Cole.
I'm locked out of all three and hoping that one of these acquiring company has benefits that I take.
Jim
Cole's typical benefit includes an eye exam ( extra for contact exam). Normally they can pick out any frame up to $100 or $110
retail. Any thing over this they have to pay. They cover basic lenses, nothing fancy. If they want a No-line ( Progressive ) they have to pay the extra charge which if I can remember is $50.00.
Any extra's outside the basic package all have charges for them.
What you will get for the most part is people come into your store
waving there company plan wanting to know where the free glasses are. Most company Rep's never give there employee's the full low down on what things cost, all they tell them is your
entitled to a FREE pair of glasses. Katy bar the doors if you tell them the No-line has a charge,becuase they were told they can get a free pair of glasses and they think that includes everything.
If I had my way I would throw all these plans out and go back to
the simple pay as you go method. :hammer:
James,
Most of these plans cover one pair per year and require the patients chose between frames or contacts. Anything else beyond the first pair averages a 20% discount. Even if they use insurance, you can be their second pair/contact lens person. You just have to figure out how to get them to come in to your shop.
I had a patient come in telling me she had Cole Vision Insurance, and what could she get? I called Cole because we are not providers and wanted to find out the bennies. I was told by the dear lady on the other end that she could NOT give me the info. She could only give it to the patient. Well, the patient hadn't left yet, and she gave me the info.
If she went out of network, she would be reimbursed $20 for the frame and $25 for the lenses.
If she stayed in network, she would pay two copays of $25, one for lenses and one for frames. She would then be reimbursed $115. A whopping $65 payment to her, only $20 more than had she stayed with me, and I wasn't going to charge a copay.
Bob V.
Bank of America uses Spectera and I think VSP. I believe the employees have a choice.
Do like a lot of private practioners do and make up you r own Cole plan. You can accept any plan that you want, and as long as you are not a provider, you can virtually make up your own fee schedule.
When a patient come in with Cole and ask about benefits, we take out a binder marked "Cole Vision". We open it and show them what we are willing to give Cole members. It is not bad, and reads something like...Frame 0-$99 = $39 SV lens = $49...etc. They get a better deal, we stay our own bosses, and Sears loses a sale. Nothing illegal, nothing misleading, and we can use our own lab.
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