Gone are the days when Lasik was a mysterious, untestedprocedure that might make your eyeballs explode a decade down theroad.

Fifteen years in, the procedure—which improves vision by using alaser to reshape a patient's cornea—is as popular as it has everbeen, and any vision plan worth its salt offers laser visioncorrection as part of its standard coverage: either through adiscount or through an allowance for employees who wish to have theprocedure. >>

“Post-Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, employers arelooking even more heavily toward being able to offer discounts andvalue-add program to their employees. Continuing to offer thoseprograms are very important to the employer and to the broker,”says Kevin Hilst, senior vice president of sales for EyeMed.

Hilst adds that stand-alone vision insurance for adults isn'tavailable through public exchanges, though California isconsidering a plan to establish a separate marketplace forstand-alone vision insurance plans that would be linked to CoveredCalifornia, the state health insurance exchange. Currently, onlypediatric vision care is offered through public exchanges.

Changing Demographics

Introduced in the United States in the late '90s, Lasik is stillone of the world's most popular vision surgeries. More than 28million procedures have been performed worldwide—600,000 last yearalone. The growing numbers come from improved technology that makesmore people good candidates for the procedure, and also from anincreased familiarity with what LASIK is and how it works.

“I think more people are interested because today, vs. 10 yearsago, you personally know people who have had Lasik,” says TerriRouse, director, managed care operations, for LCA-Vision Inc.,which provides Lasik services for carriers like EyeMed. “Ten or 15years ago, you may not have known anyone personally who had it, sothat fear factor is declining. It's not something new anymore; it'ssomething accepted.”

That's especially true for younger employees, who are startingto supplant the baby boomers who fueled much of the Lasik growthbefore 2008, says Pat McClelland, vice president of U.S. commercialaccounts for VSP Vision Care.

“Many of the boomers have now reached an age where refractivesurgery isn't an ideal option as compared to when they were a bityounger, but Generation Y is even larger than the baby boomers, andthey're about to enter the prime age range for laser visioncorrection,” McClelland says. “This means there is a bigger pool ofprospective Lasik patients than in previous years.”

Savvy Savers

Adding to Lasik's appeal in a PPACA world, the procedure iseligible to be paid for by money in a health savings account orflexible savings account, Rouse says. Combine that tax-advantagedmoney with a discount and/or an allowance, and the savvy consumeris looking at some major savings.

“You can easily save $1,300 or $1,400 if you have an allowanceand combine [that with an FSA or HSA],” Rouse says. “It's reallysignificant. With the advent of [PPACA], I really expect theconsumer out there to become more and more aware and just be moreinvolved in their health care decisions.”

Not all plans offer an allowance, Rouse says, “so it's a sellingpoint for the broker to know which plans have it and which don't.The employer might not even know to ask for it or that it'savailable. They usually put other things into that benefit besidesjust Lasik, but the broker can definitely sell that as anoption.”

The average cost for the procedure is $2,216 per eye, withoutthe discount.

And, McClelland says, brokers should stress the value employeesplace on a good vision plan.

“A high-quality vision benefit that includes special pricing forlaser vision correction is a great way to attract new employees anda nice extra for current employees,” he says.

And employers needn't worry about lost time due to theprocedure, he says. “Many of the centers VSP contracts with offerthe option of having the procedure done at the end of the workweek, allowing patients to recover over the weekend and withminimal time off.”

A Vision for Vision

Whether it's LASIK, glasses or contacts, Shannon Enders, abroker with Lakeshore Employee Benefits in Muskegon, Mich., saysthat as the workforce ages, the interest in all types of visioninsurance grows.

“I look around a client, and two-thirds of the people arewearing glasses,” he says. “[Vision insurance has] become mucheasier to talk to a business owner or an organization about.”

And talking about benefits like reduced costs for laser surgeryoften can open a client's eyes to the true value of a vision plan,he says, whether it's voluntary or employer-funded.

“Because of health care cost increases, most employers are notout there looking at what they should buy next, so you'd better beable to make a somewhat compelling case,” he says. “The primarybenefits of having vision insurance are the key, but anything extrathat's put in there, like special pricing on eye surgeries, isworth trumpeting.”