Does America’s Best take Medicaid for eyeglasses?

Advertiser Disclosure

by Aidan Kang, CFA

Senior Writer

Insurance

UPDATED: October 13, 2022

You need a good vision to do your tasks every day. However, vision care doesn’t always come cheap. If you’re looking for affordable glasses and vision care but don’t have a lot of money to spend, you may find a good deal with America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses. 

America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses doesn’t take Medicaid, but it offers affordable eye exams and discount prices on glasses and contact lenses. 

How Can You Get Affordable Eyeglasses from America's Best Without Insurance?

Are you wondering how much are glasses at America's best without insurance? America's Best also has its own vision plan that lets you get glasses and other vision care needs at affordable prices.

• 2 Pair and Eye Exam Membership plan – You get an eye exam plus 2 pairs of glasses for only $69.95.
• Two frames without an eye exam for $59.95 – It’s only offered at America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses stores in California. 
• 3-Year Contact Lens Exam Benefit Plan – Priced at $99, all eyeglasses and contact lenses exams are covered for 3 years. During that period, you will also get a 10% discount on any eyeglasses or contact lenses purchased at California America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses.

Which Other Vision Care Providers Accept Medicaid?

Even if you can’t use Medicaid on America’s Best, you will find other vision centers that accept this type of insurance, such as Visionworks and Walmart Vision Center.

Will CareCredit Cover Your Optical Care Needs?

Yes, you can use CareCredit at America’s Best for your optical care needs. CareCredit is a credit card that is specially designed for health and wellness expenses.

With CareCredit, you can have flexible financing options that let you pay for your vision care needs in installments. It covers the following:

• routine and comprehensive eye exams
• contact lenses
• safety eyewear
• sunglasses
• prescription eyewear
• vision correction including cataract procedures and LASIK refractive surgery

The average costs of common eye care products and procedures are:

Will Medi-Cal Cover My Vision Care Expenses?

The Department of Health Care Services provides the Medi-Cal fee-for-service vision care program for beneficiaries in California. It covers optometric services for qualified beneficiaries. Its vision benefits include:

• Eyeglasses for eligible adults ages 21 and above once every 24 months
• Routine eye exam once every 24 months
• Contact lens testing if the beneficiary can’t use eyeglasses due to an eye condition or disease
• Low vision testing for beneficiaries who are visually impaired and cannot be treated using standard glasses, contacts, or surgery
• Artificial eye services for beneficiaries who have lost an eye due to injury or disease

What Types Of Vision Care Does Medicaid Cover?

Vision screenings, as well as additional tests and diagnostics when required, are a part of well-child checkups. Medicaid’s Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP) covers the costs of these screenings.

Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) program offers vision care to beneficiaries who are 21 years old and below. 

These include eye exams, eyeglass frames, and lenses. These services may also be offered to adult beneficiaries of Medicaid. 

Adult vision care may include glaucoma screening, eyeglasses, and contact lenses, cataract surgery, and other eye surgery and medical procedures. 

Check with your state medical provider for more information about your vision care coverage.

How often you can get new prescription eyeglasses, frames, or contact lenses vary between states.

When Does Medicaid Cover Vision Care?

The law doesn’t require Medicaid to cover vision care. However, there are instances when it will pay for the cost of your eyeglasses.

• Glasses for kids and young adults (below the age of 21)
• Glasses for adults when they’re needed due to certain medical conditions
• Treatment for eye disorders including amblyopia, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular generation

What are the Vision Insurance Plans Accepted at America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses?

Even if you don’t have Medicaid, America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses accepts most vision insurance plans.

1. Aetna

Aetna Medicare Advantage plans offer comprehensive optical care services, such as:

• routine eye examinations per year
• screenings for diabetic retinopathy
• frame allowances every year
• compensation for contact or prescription lenses
• cataract surgery 

2. Avesis

Avesis offers comprehensive plans that include the following:

• eye exams
• corrective eyewear after payment of copays
• standard single-vision, bifocal, and trifocal lenses (glass or plastic) 
• discounts for specialty lenses

Contact lenses are covered if the vision care provider determines that spectacle lenses won’t correct your vision because of a medical condition like anisometropia, corneal trauma, and keratoconus. 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t cover surgical or medical treatments for eye injury or disease.

3. Davis Vision

Davis Vision offers services that include:

• routine vision care
• utilization management
• medical claims review

Routine vision care covers eye exams and corrective eye wears. 

Utilization management helps ensure that members are given the best care at the right time. 

Lastly, medical claims review will help members enjoy more cost savings by getting rid of duplicate or unnecessary procedures.

4. EyeMed

Eyemed Vision Care offers discounts of up to 73% on:

• annual eye exams
• eyeglasses
• contact lenses

How much you’ll save will depend on what plan you have and the type of frames and lenses of your eyeglasses. 

You may also be eligible for up to a 40% discount on additional pairs of eyeglasses, non-prescription glasses, and any frame balance after your initial benefit.

5. Heritage

Heritage Vision Plans cover a range of eye care services, such as:

• annual eye examination
• frames
• contact lenses
• prescription and optional lens, frames, and lens coatings
• discounted Lasik Refractive Surgery at specific locations

You may get both glasses and contact lenses if your plan covers both in the same plan year.  

6. MetLife

MetLife vision care offers up to a 60% discount on a range of eyewear and optical services, such as:

• annual eye exams
• contact lenses
• fittings
• laser vision correction
• non-prescription glasses

7. National Vision Administrators (NVA)

National Vision Administrators (NVA) Vision Plan covers the following:

• annual eye exams
• reimbursement for contact lenses annually and frames every two years

If you’ve exhausted your benefits under the Vision Plan, you may be allowed to access the EyeEssential Plan discount on additional purchases and receive discounts on eye examinations, contact lenses, and frames.

8. Spectera

Spectera offers comprehensive vision coverage for you and your family. 

The optical care services covered depend on the plan you have. The common services included are the following:

• annual eye exams
• frame purchases from in-network providers
• contact lenses
• two follow-up visits after copay
• discounts on extra pairs of eyeglasses
• lens upgrades

9. SuperiorVision

SuperiorVision covers primary optical care including:

• eye exams
• prescription contact lenses
• prescription eyeglasses
• discounted LASIK treatment

They also offer coverage to people who don’t have insurance, are self-employed, or are currently unemployed.

10. UnitedHealthcare 

UnitedHealthcare Vision program offers coverage on most optical care expenses, including:

• eye exams
• contact lenses
• frames
• glasses
• copays
• discounts on contact lenses (up to 10%)
• discount on laser vision correction and non-prescription glasses (up to 35%)

Can You Use HSAs and FSAs to Cover Your Vision Care Expenses?

If you have Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs), you may use them to pay for vision products and services. These include eye exams, copays, prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses, contact lenses, and contact lens solutions. 

Conclusion

America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses doesn’t accept Medicaid but it accommodates most vision care insurance plans like Aetna, EyeMed, and MetLife to name a few. The vision benefits you’ll get depends on your insurance coverage. 

You can also visit other vision care centers that accept Medicaid, such as Visionworks and Walmart vision center.

Aidan Kang, CFA

Aidan has been writing about personal finance for over 6 years. Prior to this, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst where he specialized in Due Diligence, Company Valuations and more. He is a CFA charterholder.