INSURANCE & VISION PLANS

We accept private pay patients without insurance.

VSP (Vision Service Plan) & MEDICARE:

We accept and serve VSP and Medicare patients. We apologize to those who have other plans, but we are committed to providing only THE BEST of eyecare. The lesser plans pay so little that we would have to compromise our high standards of care by running patients through like an assembly line in order to cover our overhead.

As the saying goes, "You get what you pay for." We feel eyes and sight are too important to give them rushed, cheap, or slipshod care.

VSP is THE TOP vision care provider in the world and is known for their highest level of consumer satisfaction. They compensate us at levels that allow us to provide the highest quality of eyecare and eyewear. 90% of our patients already enjoy this excellent plan. We fully endorse it!

Those of you with other plans, please go to your Human Resources Department and suggest that they consider adding VSP as an option for you or sign yourself and/or your family up on their individual/family membership plan (see below).

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*BEST NEWS! If going to your Human Resources Department doesn't produce results, know that, as of 2007, you no longer have to work for a big company to sign up for VSP!8

VSP Vision Care, the nation�s largest eyecare insurance provider with 48 million members, has launched a new direct-to-consumer comprehensive eyecare.

Yes, ANY one can be a part of this membership plan! Those who have previously been denied top-level eyecare, eyewear and lab work now have access!

This affordable membership plan is PERFECT for those who do not have access to VSP coverage through their employers. This includes those who:

1. Lost their VSP coverage when they lost their jobs or had their benefits cut due to budget cutbacks.

2. Former VSP members who moved on to other jobs without VSP coverage or who RETIRED and lost their VSP.

3. Family members of employee-only VSP coverage.

4. ANYONE on Medicare, which does not cover glasses on a routine basis.

5. ANYONE who wants high-quality eyecare and eyewear that is not obtainable at box stores (most are commercialists who are mainly concerned about selling glasses and less concerned about prevention of eye disease and blindness.

6. ANYONE who is self-employed and had no idea that this is available for their families and as a benefit to their employees. (Previously VSP required 10 employees to qualify; now anyone can sign up for their membership plan)

7. Children who outgrew their parents' VSP coverage at age 23 and are now on their own. In the past they were relegated to sub-par care elsewhere. No longer. They can sign up for VSP membership on their own.

Signing up for VSP's membership plan can result in savings as high as 30-50% (in some cases, even more!). It's HUGE!

Check it out and sign up for it here before making an appointment with us: * http://www.vsp.careington.com * or call us for details: 562-860-1339

MESC (Medical Eye Services):

VSP patients keep us plenty busy and at a higher compensation than MESC, but we continue to accept MESC patients because we will not abandon our hardworking and dedicated teachers, school principals and employees in our (ABC) school district.

For unknown reasons and in spite of our best efforts to get the district to switch to VSP for 26 years, ABC employees still have the lesser plan.

Unlike MOST other school districts that generously provide VSP insurance to their teachers, which is the premium eyecare insurance, ABC does not.

Although we are compensated significantly less by MESC compared to VSP and AT A LOSS as MESC pays us only enough to cover our staff costs (our overhead and doctor fees go uncovered), we stand behind our non-VSP educators and provide them with the SAME high level of care, including one-hour yearly examinations, as our VSP-covered educators.

OUR FINANCIAL POLICY:

It is your responsibility to provide us with any current insurance, address and/or referral information and forms. If you are a VSP patient, we can check on your eligibility ahead of time.

All co-payments, co-insurances and non-covered services are due at the time of your appointment. If a determination of benefits cannot be established by the time of your visit, you are expected to pay in full for services rendered. We will reimburse to you any payment, subsequent to that date of service, your insurance company remits to our office.

If eyewear or contact lenses are ordered, a deposit of 50% is required. We place orders the same day. Any order cancellation is subject to a 25% restocking fee. The balance is due in full on the day of dispensing. Eyewear not picked up within 180 days will be considered abandoned and donated to the Lions Club with the deposit forfeited.

If your insurance company requires you to obtain a referral to see a specialist, you must present it on the date of your appointment (or earlier). If your claim is denied because a referral was required and none was obtained or if you fail to reply to a coordination of benefits request by your insurance company, you will be responsible for all charges incurred for that date of service. If your insurance carrier has not reached a decision within 90 days of billing, payment will be due in full from the patient. With your authorization we will furnish information to insurance carriers and other doctors concerning your treatment. They may also obtain pre-certifications and prior authorizations on the your behalf. We are authorized to receive payments for services rendered on behalf of the patient and/or their dependents. This authorization remains on file for all future treatments unless revoked by you in writing.

LANGUAGES SPOKEN Our staff speaks English, Spanish, Japanese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Hawaiian - Pidgin English (smile), and ... is LOVE spoken here? Absolutely.