When was the last time you had an eye exam?

When was the last time you had an eye exam?

If you have health insurance, it may cover this service and pay for all or part of the cost of eyeglasses.

If you have private insurance through your employer covers vision, contact your health insurance company online or by phone and find out if vision care is covered by your plan.

Medicare Part B covers the following vision services: eye exams if you have diabetes, glaucoma tests, macular degeneration tests and treatment.

Medicare does not cover regular eye exams for glasses or contacts. If you have original Medicare Part B, you are responsible for the entire bill for eye exams and glasses.

An option to consider is purchasing Medicare Part C (an Advantage Plan), which provides extra benefits, such as vision, hearing and dental care.

Medicaid provides eye exams and eyeglasses for some recipients. Not all persons with Medicaid are eligible for all services.

To find out whether vision care is included with your Medicaid plan, call the member services phone number on your card. You will be told whether your plan includes eye exams and glasses and if there are restrictions, such as how often you may receive the service and what your co-payment will be.

Ann Cochran in the health navigation coordinator in the Dallas County Health Department.