Optician insurance

tiger5000

Has anybody ever had any experience of an insurance policy for optician costs? Can anybody offer any recommendations?

A friend of mine has just had a bill for £400+ for his prescription for vari/bifocal (can't remember which one he said he went for) - and the last time I went to the optician, he suggested that the NEXT time I go, I might need them too.

I don't fancy having to find that sort of money in the new year!

InsideInsurance

TBH, the only thing close to relevant I can think of is health cash plans which include a contribution towards specs but for these to be worth while you need to be routinely going to the dentist, opticians etc as well as making the odd claim for other things.

Insurance is ultimately really there to cover the cost of catastrophic events and as these are relatively rare the majority of people lose out financially by buying insurance (but if your house burns to the ground you'll be very glad you had it)

Ultimately deterioration of eyesight etc is for 90% of people a question of when rather than maybe

McKneff

tiger5000 wrote: »

Has anybody ever had any experience of an insurance policy for optician costs? Can anybody offer any recommendations?

A friend of mine has just had a bill for £400+ for his prescription for vari/bifocal (can't remember which one he said he went for) - and the last time I went to the optician, he suggested that the NEXT time I go, I might need them too.

I don't fancy having to find that sort of money in the new year!

Having vari/bifocal lenses is a choice you can make, it's not a medical necessity. Do you want glasses for normal day wear and glasses for reading ie 2 pairs, or just one pair with the bottom half the reading bit. So what he says about you ;'needing' them is rubbish.

Presumably your friend has made other choices ie thinner and lighter, lens coating which has bumped the price up. Again, not a medical need.

phill99

Insurance is a product that you buy to compensate you in the event of unforeseen perils. It's not designed to provide free spectacles. Gradual deterioration in eyesight is a hazard of life that we all expect to have to endure.

SJshah

Your friend must have opted for the higher-quality/thinner/branded lenses (Nikon/Zeiss/Essilor) or lenses with anti-scratch/anti-reflection/UV-protection instead of the standard lenses with a dirt cheap. Also, designer specs cost much more than standard non-branded spec frames (some of which look idential to designer one without the big logo's) which bump up the cost. If you let your dispensing optician know that you have X budget, they should advise you on what is best value.

Remember that your eyesight is the most important sense - I would happily pay £££'s for good vision - and the glasses will probably last a few years until the prescription changes. Things like tightening screws and soec adjustments can be done for free by popping back into the opticians. Insurance will be more of a waste of money.

tiger5000

Thanks for your replies. 'Insurance' clearly wasn't the term I should have used. The health cash plan suggested by InsideInsurance would seem more appropriate.

McKneff

But the 'healt plan' still wouldnt cover for the choices I and others outlined earlier.

Februarycat

I have been in HSA (Now Simplyhealth) for years as I have quite a strong prescription and have the tinner lens, so find what they pay out helps towards the cost. They have different monthly rates so you can choose which you can afford, also get money back on dental and other medical things.

Buzby

But would the cost of the premiums not also be offset against the purchase price of specs, making it nothing more than an offset savings plan?

InsideInsurance

Buzby wrote: »

But would the cost of the premiums not also be offset against the purchase price of specs, making it nothing more than an offset savings plan?

It depends on the scheme, evidently if you just claim for glasses each year you will be out of pocket from the scheme.

Most that I have seen if you max out optical and dental each year you are pretty much breaking even and then if you need some physio or a hospital in patient stay etc then your "in profit". These are different from normal insurances because they are very attrition in their claims but still in general you shouldnt be looking at insurance as a way to make "profit"

dalesrider

Next time your friend needs to by cheaper frames....

Its amazing the mark up opticians put on frames and lenses...

Average wholesale cost of frames is under £5
Them super thin, A/R coated lenses maybe £30 tops.....

Specsavers don't even pay £1 a frame....