Does Medicare Cover Warby Parker Frames?

• by Christian Worstell
• July 22, 2023

UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans began covering the cost of eyeglasses made by designer Warby Parker back in 2018.

Warby Parker is a New York-based retailer whose high-end frames have adorned the faces of numerous celebrities such as Jessica Alba and Ryan Gosling. Supermodel Karlie Kloss even has her own line of Warby Parker frames.

Some UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans offer discounts on Warby Parker glasses

Under the initial coverage terms, a $375 pair of prescription glasses from Warby Parker could cost less than $50 under one of UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage plans.

UnitedHealthcare expected around two million of its beneficiaries have access to the coverage when first implemented in 2018, and the glasses can be purchased online or at more than 80 store locations nationwide.

Warby Parker products were previously available to some UnitedHealthcare customers through vision plans, but this is the first time Warby Parker will be accepting Medicare insurance as payment. 

About Warby Parker

Warby Parker has locations in 30 states around the U.S. Some Warby Parker locations offer eye exams. 

Warby Parker’s Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program has outfitted over five million people all over the globe with a pair of glasses when they may otherwise not have been able to afford it.

In 2015, Warby Parker launched the Pupils Project. This program provides free vision screenings, eye exams and eyeglasses to schoolchildren.  

Warby Parker also has a Home Try-On program, where customers may select five different frames to keep for five days to test. Simply select five frames, and Warby Parker will ship them to you free of charge.

Spend the next five days trying them out and then send them back when you’re done. Warby Parker will then send you a brand new pair of the frames that you choose.

The information included above is intended for education purposes and is not a recommendation or an endorsement for Warby Parker.

Medicare vision coverage

While Original Medicare does not cover most routine vision care, Medicare Part B may help pay for one pair of eyeglasses with standard frames or one set of contact lenses if you’ve had cataract surgery to implant an intraocular lens.  

If you qualify for the above coverage, you will typically pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for the corrective lenses after you meet your annual Medicare Part B deductible ($226 per year in 2023).

Medicare will only pay for corrective lenses from a supplier who is enrolled in Medicare, and you will be responsible for any additional costs for upgraded frames. 

Medicare Part B may also provide coverage for three types of eye exams:

• If you have diabetes, you can receive coverage for a diabetic retinopathy test once per year. 
  
  
• You may receive coverage for a glaucoma test once every 12 months if you are at risk for glaucoma, which is determined by having diabetes, having a family history of glaucoma, being African-American and age 50 or older or being Hispanic and age 65 or older. 
  
  
• You may receive coverage for certain diagnostic tests and treatment of eye diseases and conditions if you have aged-related macular degeneration. 

For all three types of tests, the Part B deductible applies and you will typically be responsible for 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for each test.

About the author

Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.

Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.

Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.

Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.

A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.

 

 

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