Tricare is giving its enrollees the option to sign up for one of four different vision plans starting in 2019. These plans are not mandatory and enrollees can leave their Tricare exactly as it is currently. We wanted our patients to know we evaluated these new vision plans and determined that we cannot participate with any of them. These plans want to lower the eye exam reimbursement rate by more than 50 percent. This low reimbursement rate would not allow us to continue offering the same level of services and quality of care that we have offered in the past.
If you sign up for one of these vision plans, you will have to pay a monthly fee to the plan, and you will have to find a new eye care provider who accepts your vision plan and follow the vision plan stipulations as to what type of glasses and frames are covered.
We wanted to be sure to share this information before the mid-November enrollment period. We will continue to accept Tricare Prime, Tricare Standard, and Tricare For Life for eye exams and medical eye problems just as before. However, we wanted everybody to know that if they sign up for a vision plan, the vision plan will replace their current Tricare plan and they will no longer have the freedom of choice to come to our office. We encourage you to call your Tricare representative to get more information about the new options that are being presented to you so you can make an informed decision.
