Your annual visits to the optometrist and purchase of new glasses or contact lenses will raise your expense of vision care. With laser eye surgery (LASIK), you can save money over time and enjoy many benefits. Your vision improves, and you get the comfort and freedom to engage in daily activities without contacts or glasses. LASIK can help treat nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
Here are some of the financial options to help make your LASIK affordable:
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Leverage FSAs and HSAs
A health savings account (HSA) and flexible spending account (FSA) are great ways to reduce the cost of your LASIK surgery. These accounts help you gain tax benefits that reduce the cost of your laser eye surgery. You should plan and use tax-free money from these accounts to enjoy the lifelong benefits of having a clear vision. Here’s how these accounts work:
Flexible Spending Accounts
This account allows you to save part of your paycheck without paying taxes. Your employer deducts your contribution and deposits it into your FSA for savings.
After several months, the employer makes the funds available to help cover eligible medical and healthcare expenses. Check with your employer to see your FSA limit and use it to pay part of your LASIK costs.
Health Savings Accounts
An HSA is a tax-free account available to workers with HDHPs (high-deductible health plans). It allows you to save pre-tax money monthly and enjoy a specific withdrawal limit every year. Contact your employer to understand how much money is available to help reduce your LASIK surgery cost.
Use Your Vision Care Insurance
Some eye care insurance companies provide vision plans and small discounts for LASIK through contracted providers. Such vision plans and deals help fund part of your laser eye surgery costs, making it more affordable. Talk to your vision insurance provider to see if discounts can be used for your LASIK.
Then attend your consultation with your LASIK surgeon to identify the best correction option. Once done, a surgery educator reviews your vision insurance plan and discusses what will be covered.
Get a Healthcare Credit Card
LASIK centers can sometimes offer financing options through third-party vendors. These cards target medical treatments and are convenient, zero-interest payment options for your laser vision surgery.
Healthcare credit cards are available to eligible individuals. After account approval, you qualify to make monthly payments for up to 24 months without interest. It reduces your LASIK costs without a down payment or pre-payment penalty.
If you don’t have a healthcare credit card, consider getting one to save on LASIK payments. Depending on your credit history and financial position, you may get a long-term personal loan at lower rates. With such rates, funding your laser eye surgery becomes more manageable.
Take Advantage of Special Pricing Programs
Eye care providers sometimes have special pricing programs to make laser eye surgeries affordable. Programs such as Corporate Partner and First Responder are how providers thank particular people and companies in society. Here’s a brief description of these cost-saving programs:
First Responder Program
Certain vision care facilities offer a special First Responder rate for eligible individuals to enjoy the benefits of LASIK and other eye correction procedures. Some of the beneficiaries of this program include:
- Firefighters
- Military Personnel
- Law Enforcement Officers
- EMS/Paramedics
- 911 Call Dispatchers
As a beneficiary, you can potentially pay lower LASIK costs and enjoy the freedom of working without contacts and glasses.
Corporate Partner Program
The Corporate Partner Program is available to certain companies that foster workplace health and wellness. If you work for a company that provides this benefit, you can enjoy corporate partner savings and pay subsidized costs for LASIK and other vision correction procedures like ICL.
Check with your employer to see if they are part of such a program.
Get Affordable Laser Eye Surgery Today
When it comes to financing your laser eye surgery, you have many options. You can use your vision insurance plan or your FSA and HAS tax-free savings. Another option is leveraging your healthcare credit card or special pricing programs like First Responder or Corporate Partner Program. Work with a reliable optometrist that will help you to improve your vision and enjoy life without worrying about contact lenses or glasses.
