Democratic representatives reintroduced the Medicare Vision Act of 2021 June 28 in an effort to tie vision coverage to Medicare.
Kim Schrier, MD, D-Wash., Tom O'Halleran, D-Ariz., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich,. and Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., reintroduced the bill. With the last iteration from 2019 not gaining enough traction, the current bill once again strives to provide vision care to Medicare beneficiaries, including as many as 20.5 million who struggle with their vision, according to a press release from Ms. Schrier. The majority of those who struggle have not had an eye examination in the past year.
The proposed bill would expand Medicare Part B coverage to include annual eye exams, procedures and contact lens fitting services. It would also cover a pair of glasses or two years of contact lenses.
According to the release, current Part B coverage includes cataract surgery and glaucoma screening, but fails to cover care that could catch these issues early on.