Stretching medical aid benefits

Consider optical benefits for example - as healthy vision impacts upon school performance and workplace productivity, safety when driving or playing sports and overall well being, regular visits to an optometrist needs to be included in planning for your family's health.

Of course, it is now common practise for medical aids to restrict the amount that can be spent on optical expenses, or to insist that these expenses are paid from Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs). Brandon Sieff from Sieff Optometrists offers consumers the following suggestions for efficiently managing their optical benefits:

1. Match your medical aid to your family's needs. Should several members of your family require glasses, examine your medical aid's optical benefits carefully and compare them to those of competing medical aids. Ensure that you understand whether your optical fees are deducted from your MSA or whether they are an insured benefit.
2. Select an optometrist that charges medical aid rates. Not all opticians charge consultation fees guided by medical aid rates. Should you visit one that does not, you will either be left with a payment shortfall, or the difference will erode your MSA faster than you anticipate. Be sure to ask whether your optician charges medical aid rates when you book your appointment.
3. Choose local brands when selecting frames. The most important part of your glasses are the lenses, not the frames. So, select less expensive, local brands that will not erode your MSA or optical benefit.
4. Regular check-ups save money in the long run. Ocular conditions diagnosed early on often result in treatment that is shorter in duration and more effective. This means that you will end up paying less. Ensure that each member of your family has an annual visual screening whether you wear glasses or not - opticians do not only check your vision, they also check the health of the eye. This is particularly important if you are over 40 years, if you drive any type of vehicle or if you work on a computer.
5. If your medical aid specifies a partner network, be sure to use them. Using an optician outside of your medical aid's specified partner network could mean that your claim is only partly reimbursed, or rejected altogether.
6. Look after your glasses and contact lenses. Damaged and stolen glasses and contact lenses means they will have to be replaced earlier than necessary, at the cost of your MSA or optical benefits. Always place glasses in their protective case, store contact lenses correctly and consider insuring your glasses against theft.

Founded in 2004, Sieff Optometrists offers South Africans mobile visual screening across the country, enabling businesses, factories and corporates to ensure the visual health of their staff. In additional, Sieff Optometrists offers affordable eye care with Optifin Finance, available through the group's network of independent optometrists and Sieff branches. For more information on scheduling mobile visual screening, visit www.sieffoptom.co.za or phone 0860 074 333.