UnitedHealthcare Eye Care Program Gives Children Across the Country Access to Comprehensive Eye Exams and Glasses
August 15 2018 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
- New benefit program provides
children with UnitedHealthcare vision plans a second annual covered
eye exam and new pair of glasses – with no additional premium – if
their prescription changes 0.5 diopter or greater
- UnitedHealthcare to offer free eye
exams and glasses donations to children in cities across the
country, helping improve access to eye care and raise eye-health
awareness during back-to-school season
UnitedHealthcare has launched a new program that will help
improve access to comprehensive eye exams and prescription glasses
for children across the country, helping address the unique
eye-health challenges young people face.
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the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180815005178/en/
Back-to-school season is the ideal time
for children to receive a comprehensive eye exam, as untreated
vision problems can impair development, and hinder academic and
athletic performance (Source: UnitedHealthcare).
The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Eye Care Program will help
expand access to eye exams and glasses, including:
- Enhanced eye care benefit at no
additional premium for children with UnitedHealthcare vision
coverage, providing plan participants up to age 13 a second covered
eye exam and additional pair of glasses if their vision
prescription changes 0.5 diopter or greater.* Because children’s
eyesight can change quickly, this enhancement provides important
coverage for UnitedHealthcare vision plan participants, leading the
industry in pediatric vision care coverage.
- Free eye screenings, comprehensive
eye exams and glasses donations for children in cities across
the country during August and September, providing families with
access to eye care during back-to-school season (see details
below). Any child identified with a vision issue during these
events will receive a free pair of prescription glasses if needed.
One in four children have an undiagnosed vision problem that, if
left untreated, may result in learning issues, and hinder their
academic performance and development.
The new benefits will be available to people enrolled in
employer-sponsored and individual UnitedHealthcare vision plans
across the country before the end of 2018.
“As much as 80 percent of what children learn is through their
eyes, so the inability to see can affect their physical, emotional
and social development, and academic and athletic performance,”
said Tom Wiffler, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Specialty Benefits. “The
UnitedHealthcare Eye Care Program can help improve families’ eye
health, offering an important reminder to all Americans about the
importance of regular comprehensive eye exams and the connection
between eye health and overall well-being.”
A child’s first comprehensive eye exam should occur between 6
months and 12 months, again at age 3 and before entering school at
age 5 or 6, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA).
Despite these recommendations, 34 percent of Americans incorrectly
believe children should receive a first comprehensive eye exam at
age five or later, according to a recent UnitedHealthcare
survey.
To help expand access to eye care, UnitedHealthcare has provided
grants to nonprofit organizations in cities across the country to
coordinate free eye exams and glasses donations:
- Prevent Blindness Texas will host a
vision screening event – with vouchers provided for comprehensive
eye exams – in Houston Friday, Aug. 24, from 2 to 6 p.m. at the
BakerRipley Leonel Castillo Community Center (2101 South St.,
Houston, 77009).
- Eye Care 4 Kids will host a
comprehensive eye exam event in Phoenix Wednesday, Aug. 29, from 9
a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Alhambra Family Resource Center (6615 N. 39th
Ave., Phoenix, 85019).
- Eye Care 4 Kids will host an exam event
in Newark, N.J., Saturday, Sept. 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the
Boys & Girls Club of Newark (1 Avon Ave., Newark, N.J.,
07108).
- Eye Care 4 Kids will host a
comprehensive eye exam event in Las Vegas Saturday, Sept. 29, from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the EyeCare4Kids clinic (6150 W. Smoke Ranch
Rd., Las Vegas, 89108).
- Prevent Blindness Georgia will host a
vision screening event – with vouchers provided for comprehensive
eye exams – in Atlanta in September at Sheltering Arms Center,
Barack and Michelle Obama Academy (195 Tuskegee St., Atlanta,
30315), date/time TBD.
- Prevent Blindness Wisconsin will host a
vision screening event – with vouchers provided for comprehensive
eye exams – in Milwaukee in September at St. Augustine Preparatory
Academy (2607 S. 5th St., Milwaukee, 53207), date/time TBD.
- Prevent Blindness Illinois will host a
vision screening event – with vouchers provided for comprehensive
eye exams – in Chicago in September, date/location TBD.
UnitedHealthcare has launched community initiatives and
participated in numerous public-private collaborations nationwide
to address social determinants of health. In Arizona and Wisconsin,
UnitedHealthcare recently donated nearly $4 million in grants, some
of which will support school-based vision screenings in
collaboration with VisionQuest 20/20.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier
lives and making the health system work better for everyone by
simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and
wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care
providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full
spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and
Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with
more than 1.2 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,500
hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also
provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned
and operated health care facilities in South America.
UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group
(NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more
information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or
follow @UHC on Twitter.
*Second covered eye exam and glasses is per plan or calendar
year depending on the policy and requires applicable copays; second
pair does not include contact lenses
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180815005178/en/
UnitedHealthcareWill Shanley,
714-204-8005will.shanley@uhc.com
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