Does Your Health Insurance Cover Lasik Eye Surgery?

Shreyash (33-years-old) works as a marketing manager in a private company. Shreyash had vision problems for the past few years and he always wears high-powered spectacles to improve his vision.  One of his acquaintances advised him to go for Lasik surgery to get rid of the glasses permanently. Lasik eye surgery will not only improve his vision but also boost up his self-esteem. When enquired Shreyash found that his health insurance policy will cover Lasik surgery cost in India.

Let’s take a look at what is Lasik treatment, its procedure, which insurance companies cover Lasik eye surgery in India, and what is laser treatment for eyes costs in India?

What is Lasik Eye Surgery?

Lasik implies Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis. Lasik eye surgery is recommended for people to improve their vision. This type of surgery is ideal in correcting the vision of people having myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. This surgery is an intricate procedure and it takes nearly 30 minutes to complete the procedure. The experts use advanced technology to conduct the surgery.

Initially, the eye surgeon performs a medical inspection of the eye condition of the patient, and also, checks eligibility. This is an effective treatment method for a better vision as it helps people regain their proper vision.

Is Lasik Eye Surgery Treatment covered in Health Insurance?

Laser treatment for eyes in India is very expensive especially in private hospitals due to medical inflation. These days, some health insurance companies are offering the cost of Lasik surgery in their regular health insurance plans. This laser eye surgery cost in India can be between Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 80,000. This is certainly a huge amount for middle-class people. So, you must choose a health insurance plan that offers eye cover in India.

Before purchasing eye insurance in India, always go through the documents carefully. Don’t forget to compare various plans online before selecting the most suitable plan that will offer you coverage for Lasik eye surgery.

Eligibility Criteria

The perfect candidates for Lasik eye surgery are people between the ages of 18 to 40 years. People of this age group are more desperate to seek Lasik surgeries. Though there is no fixed age limit, based on an individual’s vision requirement, a person can go for Lasik treatment.

Best Health Insurance Plans for Lasik Eye Surgery Treatment

Below is a chart of plans that offer Lasik Surgery covered by Insurance:

How does a basic health insurance plan help in Lasik surgery?

Healthcare expenses are very high in India due to medical inflation and advanced technologies. A health insurance policy is the best choice for people who are the sole bread earner of their families. A health insurance policy will offer you financial assistance at the time you need it the most. People who have been admitted to hospitals due to major or minor treatments have an idea of how a health insurance policy acts as a blessing when they are going through a shortage of funds. They only know how excruciating it is to arrange funds for the treatments. Some insurance companies also offer cashless facilities to the selected hospitals (network hospitals) where policyholders can enjoy their treatments without investing a single penny.

Most Indians usually fail to arrange the funds at the time of emergency and here, enter a basic health insurance policy. Nowadays, many Indian insurance providers are offering coverage for Lasik eye surgery. But earlier, it was very difficult to get coverage for Lasik surgery as most insurance companies considered this as a cosmetic treatment. Only a handful of insurance companies used to offer coverage for this type of treatment. So, do thorough research online and find out which insurance companies are offering coverage for Lasik eye treatment.

Conditions in Health Insurance Coverage for Lasik Eye Surgery

Some basic conditions are there in health insurance plans for Lasik eye surgery coverage. Here are some conditions for which you are eligible for Lasik eye coverage from your insurer.

• Eye surgery needs to be done due to refractive error because of an injury or accident
• Eye surgery needs to be performed due to refractive error caused by another surgery
• Eye surgery for serious refractive error
• Eye surgery needs to be done because the person can’t wear glasses due to physical deformity or constant ache
• If the person can’t use contact lenses due to physical limitation or lack of tolerance, then Lasik eye surgery is recommended

The Conclusion

Lasik surgeries are only encouraged by certain health insurance plans till now. Most of the health insurers have not yet incorporated this coverage into their plans. Some health insurance providers are offering this as basic coverage where policyholders can enjoy the benefits of the Lasik eye cover under their health insurance plans.