How fees work
Which visits a vision plan pays, which ones medical insurance pays, and what you pay yourself.
Insurance we work with
A routine eye exam is billed to a vision plan. A visit for an eye problem, a check on an eye disease or a follow-up is billed to medical insurance, and many visits include both. Frames, lenses and contact lenses go to a vision plan's eyewear benefit when you have one.
Vision plans: routine exams, frames, lenses and contact lenses
Medical insurance: eye problems, eye disease checks and follow-ups
Medicare does not cover routine exams or glasses, with narrow exceptions: ask us
Employer, state and school plans: ask us to check yours
If you pay yourself
If you pay yourself, the front desk tells you the fee for the exam before you start. Frames, lenses, coatings, fitting visits and replacement lenses are priced one by one, and we write each down before you order.
Receipts for reimbursement
Ask for an itemized receipt and send it to your plan. Whether the plan pays you back is up to the plan.
An estimate in advance
If you are paying without insurance, you can ask for a Good Faith Estimate in writing before your visit. If your bill comes in $400 or more above that estimate, you can dispute it.
Your rights under the No Surprises ActChecking your benefits
The front desk checks your benefits before your exam when we can, and asks you to confirm with your plan too. Before you order frames or lenses, we check your eyewear benefit again and tell you what is left to pay.
What the first visit includes
A first exam takes about an hour. It is billed to the plan that pays for it, and you leave with a copy of your prescription. A frame fitting is its own visit with the optical team, where the choices and the costs are laid out before you order.
Your prescription is yours
We give you a copy after your exam and fitting, and you can fill it anywhere. You never have to buy from us to get it.
Questions about paying
Why was part of my visit billed to medical insurance?
When the doctor looks into an eye problem or checks an eye disease, that work is medical, so it goes to medical insurance. The routine part of the visit goes to your vision plan.
How much will my visit cost?
It depends on your plan and on what the doctor does. Call us, and the front desk checks your plan and tells you before the visit.
Can I use a receipt with my plan?
Ask the front desk for an itemized receipt. Your plan decides whether it pays you back.
Questions about a bill?
Call the front desk, or send us your name and number and we will call you.