But the ongoing debate over the role of eyecare in the planned U.S. health-care reforms came into sharper focus late last month when the American Optometric Association (AOA) and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AOA) jointly sent a letter to Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) expressing concerns about proposed health reform language that would “advance ‘stand-alone’ vision plans as a preferred and specially recognized merchanism for delivering eye health care for our patients, America’s children.”

The AOA/AAO letter charged that “‘stand-alone’ vision plan companies aim to turn back the clock by continuing to segment vision from eye health, and seeking to impose misguided limits on the care that our patients—especially children—receive.

“Such plans are routinely mislabeled as complete or comprehensive when in fact they are not,” the letter continued. It went on to say, “Any expansion of stand-alone vision plans through health-care reform would result in a continuation of non-responsive action and fractured and uncoordinated care,” including barriers to access and “the increase likelihood of needless disruption of the type of health care you and other leaders in Congress are determined to provide to children.”

The AOA/AAO letter came about two months after managed-vision giant VSP aligned with the National Association of Vision Care Plans (NAVCP), the National Association of Dental Plans and Delta Dental Plans Association in sending a letter to three U.S. representatives urging that “stand-alone” vision and dental plans not be excluded from pending health care legislation.

Their letter cited “the 132 million Americans enrolled in family stand-alone dental and vision benefits” who might be forced to drop their current coverage and be required to purchase vision or dental coverage for their children through a medical insurer.

Response to the AOA/AAO letter came quickly from several key managed-vision entities. Said a VSP spokesman, “Without an amendment to the current Senate Finance Committee bill, children’s vision would be disconnected from their parents’ coverage. Data from our 55 million members shows that patients are more than two times more likely to access comprehensive eyecare services when an eye exam and prescription eyewear are covered by a stand-alone vision carrier as opposed to major medical.”

The spokesman also cited a recent study showing that VSP Vision Care helps save its customers an estimated $3 billion on health-care costs associated with the treatment of chronic diseases detectable via an eye exam.

Dave Holmberg, president and chief executive officer of HVHC, parent of Davis Vision, commented on the stand-alone vision plan idea, “Any concept that supports quality eyecare, while keeping the end user in mind and offering choice and value, is good for the patient and for the industry.” Added Holmberg, “Stand-alone vision plans are part of a healthy marketplace—the system isn’t broken. Through it, consumers and decision-makers can go with premium options or value options, choosing what’s best for them.”

Agreed Aspasia Shappet, chief executive officer and president of MESVision, “We’re about choice, and the American consumer should have a choice—especially in health care, and especially in vision.”

After discussion, on Oct. 6, the board of directors of the NAVCP, whose membership includes a number of stand-alone vision plans, drafted its own letter to Stabenow and six additional Congressmen and Senators, Steve Ingram, the NAVCP’s executive director, told VM.

That letter, which is posted at www.navcp.org, stated, “The National Association of Vision Care Plans (NAVCP), whose “stand‐alone” membership organizations are integral components of our country’s vision care delivery system, advocates for:

1. Full, equal access for optometry in major medical plans,

2. Inclusion of children’s vision care mandates in health reform, and

3. Continued ability of patients to keep and purchase stand-alone vision care coverage.

We oppose reform that would:

1. Deny access to Optometry or

2. Restrict any vision coverage to health insurance only (disallow stand-alone vision plans).

“Our member organizations, which include EyeMed Vision Care, Davis Vision, AlwaysCare Benefits, Inc./Starmount Life Insurance, Superior Vision Care, Advantica, EyeQuest, National Vision, Inc., Avesis Incorporated, Block Vision, Coast to Coast Vision and Transitions Optical, among others, are committed to offering high quality and affordable access to comprehensive, preventive vision care and eye health services for all Americans, with particular attention to access for children, disadvantaged and senior populations.” ■

—Cathy Ciccolella and Marge Axelrad