Editor:
Optometrists should be vigilant to preserve the Medicare third-party model as we negotiate with vision insurers for contracts that are fair to all concerned. Whereas medical insurers typically recognize Medicare as the third-party model, some vision insurers are modifying the Medicare model for their own purposes. Because these corporate giants primarily recruit ODs as their vision providers, optometrists are effectively segregated from the majority of medical eye providers who do not also serve as vision providers. Therein lies a grave threat to optometry. As vision insurance is expanded to include medical eye coverage, optometrists contracted to provide services for combined vision and medical eye policies will likely lose parity on medical eye services with non-contracted ophthalmologists and all other medical eye providers. Read the rest of this entry ?
