Seattle: Call: (206) 984-8112 | Text: 206-634-3375
Seattle & Bellingham
Vision Insurance Coverage:
Paying for Services at C Fast Optometry
Being Prepared to Pay for Eye Care
There are a few things you can do to make covering the cost of your appointment easier:
- Make sure that you have vision insurance, and not just medical insurance, from one the in-network insurers listed below
- Contact your insurer and verify that we are in-network with your insurance plan
Out-of-Network Plans
If your insurance isn’t listed, please ask us about it.
IN-NETWORK PLANS
- Aetna* (ONLY at Seattle)
- Asuris Northwest Health of WA*
- BridgeSpan Health Company of Utah*
- First Choice Health Network of WA*
- Health Management Administrators of WA*
- Kaiser Permanente* (ONLY at Bellingham)
- LifeMap Assurance Company of Oregon*
- Lifewise of WA*
- Medicare* (ONLY at Bellingham)
- Premera BlueCross of WA*
- Regence BlueShield of WA*
- LifeMap Assurance Company of Oregon
- Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon
- Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah
- Regence BlueShield of WA
- Regence BlueShield of Idaho, Inc.
- Regence Group Administrators of WA
- ValueCare
- Affiliated Regence Insurers:
*Please check with your medical insurance and make sure this is your vision insurance, and that you do not have a carved-out vision benefit.
KAISER SPECIFICS (BELLINGHAM ONLY)
- Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington NETWORKS:
- Core
- Boeing HMO Network
- SoundChoice
- CoreSelect
- Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington Options, Inc. NETWORKS:
- Options
- Access PPO
- Elect PPO
- Summit PPO
PREMERA SPECIFICS
- PremeraFirst Networks
- Global
- Heritage
- Heritage and Dental Choice
- Heritage Prime
- Heritage Signature and Dental Choice
- Individual Signature
- LifeWise Alpine
- LifeWise Assurance Co.
REGENCE SPECIFICS
- Regence BlueShield of WA NETWORKS:
- Participating
- Preferred
- Individual and Family
- Regence MedAdvantage PPO
- Regence BlueAdvantage HMO
Being Prepared to Pay for Eye Care
There are a few things you can do to make covering the cost of your appointment easier:
- Make sure that you have vision insurance, and not just medical insurance, from one the in-network insurers listed above
- Contact your insurer and verify that we are in-network with your insurance plan
C Fast Optometry, Your Insurance, and You
We have to be careful about which vision insurances we accept, because some policies will require us to compromise the quality of care we’re able to provide. We refuse to make concessions on the care we offer to you, so there’s some insurance providers we just won’t work with. In this case, we offer a few different options for how to pay for your eye care.
If we work with your insurance provider, we’ll bill them directly. It’s as simple as that.
For out-of-network benefits, we’ll give you a discounted rate for your eye exam or evaluation for glasses or contacts. For most plans, we can then submit your claim to your vision insurance through our software (free to use for patients), and they’ll directly reimburse you the payment they decide to put towards your exam.
You should contact your insurance provider directly to find out how much you’ll be reimbursed. If you have a medical condition such as dry eyes, glaucoma, or diabetes, we may be able to bill your medical insurance for your appointment, as the difference between treatment that’s covered and treatment that isn’t can be significant.
Insurance Disclaimer:
A quote of benefits and/or authorization does not guarantee payment or verify eligibility. Payment of benefits are subject to all terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions of the member’s contract at time of service. We will attempt to verify your benefits prior to your visit but due to the complexities of insurance the insured party is ultimately responsible for understanding their vision/medical benefits.
Identifying Your Insurance
We should warn you: vision insurance can get very complicated. Many companies offer health insurance plans, but consider vision a separate benefit altogether. They might offer no vision insurance at all, or subcontract it with a separate provider like VSP or EyeMed. (Learn how EyeMed is part of Luxottica, the vision monopoly, by watching the 13-minute clip from 60 Minutes below).
We hear prospective patients tell us all the time that they have great insurance — when in reality, their insurance companies just have great marketing campaigns. These same companies often pay below Medicaid and Medicare rates, which is why we go the extra mile to make sure patients understand their benefits when they visit out office for any reason.
The last thing we want is for you to discover the limits of your benefits after it’s too late. Please, read your insurance card carefully, speak to the benefits coordinator at your workplace if applicable, and call your insurance provider to verify your benefits before you come in.
Understanding Your Benefits
Even if you do all the above, you may still have to pay for some services out of your own pocket. Some insurance plans won’t cover certain services like contact lens fittings. This can lead to patients receiving an unexpected bill several weeks after an appointment. We don’t want you to be to be surprised by unexpected bills, which is why we’re always here to help explain any costs, so please ask whenever you have questions.
What our Patients are Saying
Seattle Location:
C Fast Optometry
4254 Fremont Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
Bellingham Location:
C Fast Optometry
1303 Cornwall Ave
Bellingham, WA 98225
Seattle Hours:
Monday-Friday: 10am - 6pm
Saturday: 10am - 5pm
Sunday: Closed
Bellingham Hours:
Monday-Friday: 9am - 5pm
Saturday-Sunday: Closed
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