Thursday, April 30, 2009

One of Life's Absurdities

I order contacts from an online site and have for about 15 years now. They used to not even require a perscription, but that changed probably six or seven years ago. So, basically I enter in my doctor information, they verify that the perscription is current and then ship out my contacts.

So, I ordered new contacts two weeks ago and still hadn't received them. When I called to check today they told me the order had been canceled because my perscription expired in February. Since my husband changed jobs in December we haven't really utilized all aspects of our health insurance. Tonight I am looking up our coverage and here is what I discovered.

Our insurance covers no aspect of the eye exam, yet they will cover a portion of the contacts or glasses received as a result of that exam and those contacts and glasses are also FSA eligible. However, I can't get those contacts or glasses until I have an exam that they don't cover. It seems weird to me that they won't cover the exam but they'll cover the product of that exam. If anything it seems they'd cover a portion of the exam but none of the contacts or lenses. Why not just cover all or nothing?

One more of life's mysteries.

3 comments:

Nancy said...

Ah - insurance companies....!
Here's a little fact with TMI -- Blue Cross long ago would cover an operation to remove hemmroids, but they wouldn't cover the procedure to determine if you actually had them - the internal ones. I always thought that was absurd.
We just switched my husband's group insurance because he current plan was being increased 42% at renewal.

Joanne said...

Not to mention, if you are happy with the way your current prescription is working, maybe it's not necessary to be going for yearly exams dictated by the industry. I sometimes feel I can go a few years between eye exams, and it would be nice if they extended that contact lens prescription. Could you call your eye doctor and ask if they might do this?

Moxymama said...

Nancy, Wow 42 percent is absurd. I don't know how they expect anyone to be able to afford that.

Joanne, my perscription hasn't changed in like 5 or 6 years and while they will let me get glasses on an old perscription no one will let me get contacts on an old one. Maybe it has something to do with the fact I am putting something into my eye??? I don't know. I did call my old doctor yesterday, but they said I would have to come in for a new exam. I'm bummed.