VisionMonday > Many Employees Don’t Use Vision Benefits Fully
ORLANDO—Nearly half of U.S. employees are not taking full advantage of their company’s vision benefit, according to the second-annual Employee Perceptions of Vision Benefits survey conducted by Transitions Optical.
Overall, 24 percent of employees do not elect to enroll in their company’s vision benefit, the survey said; in addition, 32 percent of those who do enroll do not utilize their benefit to receive a comprehensive eye exam. The survey identified even lower utilization of vision benefits among covered children (46 percent) versus their parents (35 percent), as well as lower enrollment among employees with voluntary plans (50 percent) compared to those with employer-paid plans (86 percent).
In the latest survey results, “not having vision or eye health problems” was the most commonly cited reason for not enrolling in a vision plan (36 percent), up from 22 percent in the previous year’s study.
The online survey was conducted last October among 2,046 full-time, adult U.S. employees whose employers offer vision benefits.
This most recent survey indicates that “employees are still less likely to enroll in vision than in medical and dental benefits—and those with a voluntary vision plan are even less likely to enroll than those whose employers made contributions to their plan,” said Pat Huot, Transitions’ director, managed vision care. “Especially in light of health care reform changes and frequent cuts to employees’ general health benefits, this is a serious lost opportunity to help address employees’ eye and overall health through their eyecare professional.”
For more information about the results, go to the survey.
