Your Lasik Package – What Does It Cover?

The cost of Lasik vision correct surgery does not come cheap. Generally, the cost comes to more or less USD2, 000. Prices are affected by your location, the method of surgery you opt for and the severity of your eye problem. Since Lasik surgery is regarded discretionary upon the patient, most insurance companies do not cover the cost. Fortunately, a lot of Lasik surgery centers offer a financing scheme.

The price of the surgical procedure is one of the things you should prepare for before deciding to have one. Your choice of doctor should never be based on price. However, since it is from your pocketbook that the money will come from, you should try to clarify everything that is included in the package.

See if your insurance coverage covers Lasik procedure before having it done. Although most insurance companies do not cover such procedures, who knows, there might be some considerations and it will be to your advantage to know. Also check with your employer if there is an assistance program for this kind of procedure, such as discounts, etc. Some Lasik surgery centers work with companies to assist their employees. You might have a flex plan or cafeteria plan in your company which might be able to pay for your Lasik procedure. A lot of times the flex spending plan at work can help settle the expenses of the Lasik procedure.

Check with the Lasik center because they might have financing plan options. Generally, they can adjust their schemes to fit all types of budget. They might also have some tie-up with financial institutions or other credit facilities which can fund the procedure at low interest charges.

Once you have decided what payment scheme you will use for the Lasik procedure, you should discuss with the doctor to ascertain what are the items are covered in the overall package price. Some things to consider are:

Appointments: As the aggregate price for your Lasik procedure is presented to you, make sure that all visits, consultations, and follow-ups are already inputted in the price. At least five follow-ups should be included in the bill. First will be your initial consultation, the second for the actual procedure, and two to three post-op visits. Generally, the Lasik will include the price of these appointments in their final invoice, but it is better to confirm if this will be so.

Medicines: Generally, medications may include the special eye drops which you have to use for a few days right after the surgery. The cost is almost negligible, but it would be better to ensure that the eye drops or other basic medications are already billed as part of the package. You could also ask for a not so strong sedative which will be used during the procedure. Check if this also included in the billing.

One or two eyes: To avoid miscommunication, verify that the price presented to you is for both eyes. Sometimes, to make the price look affordable, they announce it such that you might sometimes think the price advertised is quite low, but in reality, that is good only for one eye. Read the fine prints of the contract and confirm that if you have to have surgery for both eyes, then the price stated in your contract should be for both eyes.

Additional Surgeries: There are times that the doctor advises or the patient prefers to have a single eye operated on first, followed by the other, two months after. If this is so, you have to confirm that you are presented with the price for all two surgeries. At times, more surgeries have to be done if there was not improvement in the vision after the initial surgery. These are the “touch ups” or “enhancement” surgeries. Often, the price quoted to you does not include the extra necessary procedures that. A number of surgeons do the enhancement surgeries without additional fees if they are done within a specific period of time. On the other hand, some doctors give their patients a discounted price for the additional surgeries. More often than not, enhancement surgeries will be necessary to avoid surprises, it will be prudent to ask if price for such are included in the package.

As part of your preparation for your Lasik procedure, it is recommended to always confirm with your doctor and ask everything that is not clear to you. Of course, you would like to know what are included in the total cost that was presented to you. If you are not satisfied the happy with the cost of the package, then you might have to shop around. There are now many qualified doctors experienced in Lasik surgery. Make inquires before making your final decision and appointments regarding this procedure.