Optometry Students Adopt Patients and Fit Them with Contacts

:Program logo from AOSA website.

CooperVision, Inc., along with the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA), are promoting the company’s Adopt-a-Patient SM program. The initiative gives optometry students an opportunity to provide eye care in communities near participating universities.

AOSA will create an Adopt-a-Patient page on its website as well as presence on its Facebook page, will publish an article about the program in AOSA's Foresight, and will provide administrative support.

The seven-year-old program allows third- and fourth-year optometry students to examine and fit eligible patients in CooperVision's contact lenses. The students also provide follow-up care. Patients receive a complimentary year’s supply of their prescribed lenses from CooperVision. Vision Service Plan (VSP) subsidizes the cost of the exam.

Optometry school students and faculty who want to take part can email Mark Andre (mandre@coopervision.com) for more information.

Stand-Alone Vision Plans May Not Join California’s Exchange

“Vision Service Plan's launch on California's new health care exchange is downright blurry, and the firm is seeing red,” says the Sacramento Bee. “The Rancho Cordova company and others in the vision industry lobbied successfully last year for the right to sell adult vision insurance to individuals via the state's new health care exchange.But a new controversy has emerged, raising the prospect that vision plans will not be part of the state's exchange, Covered California, when it begins offering health insurance Oct. 1.” Read more.

A.M. Best Gives Thumbs Up to VSP and Its Subsidiaries

A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of Vision Service Plan (VSP), according to a VSP spokesperson. The spokesperson noted that VSP possesses a significant share of the vision care benefits market in the United States due to its strong brand recognition, wide-array of products, extensive provider network and reputation for superior customer service. The organization’s overall revenue has grown in recent years primarily because of increased sales and growth within its existing customer base. The company also derives non-regulated revenue from its three non-insurance business segments—eyewear, optics and practice management software. A.M. Best reportedly believes VSP is well-positioned at its current ratings. Future negative rating actions could occur if the organization’s risk-adjusted capital materially decreases, operating results decline considerably and/or financial leverage materially exceeds the guidelines for its current ratings. The Aa rating also applies to the following VSP subsidiaries: Vision Service Plan Insurance Company (CT) , Vision Service Plan Insurance Company (MO) , Mid-Atlantic Vision Service Plan Inc. , Eastern Vision Service Plan Inc. , Vision Service Plan (OH) , Vision Service Plan (WA) , Indiana Vision Services Inc. , Massachusetts Vision Service Plan , Vision Services Plan Inc. Oklahoma , Alaska Vision Services Inc. , Vision Service Plan Inc. (NV) , Vision Service Plan of Idaho Inc. , Wisconsin Vision Service Plan Inc. Read more.

After Favorable Ruling, VSP Stays in CA

"Vision Service Plan isn't going anywhere. In fact, a favorable decision by a state agency Tuesday prompted the Rancho Cordova insurer to green-light a plan to add 400 jobs in the area," reports the Sacremento Bee. "The state agreed to rewrite the rules governing California's fledgling online insurance market, a crucial piece of President Barack Obama's overhaul of the health care system.
The revision gives companies like VSP – which insure eye care only – much greater access to sell coverage in the online market. VSP and other eye-care insurers can now take aim at the full range of Californians who will buy coverage through the market, which begins operations in January 2014." Read more.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/31/4950093/vsp-to-add-400-jobs-after-favorable.html#storylink=cpy

California Health Benefit Exchange Reconsiders Position on Vision Stand Alone Plans

California Health Line reports that "on Tuesday, the California Health Benefit Exchange board indicated that it plans to reconsider a decision to prevent stand-alone vision plans from being offered to individual customers in the exchange, the Sacramento Bee reports. According to the Bee, the board's willingness to reconsider comes in response to Vision Service Plan of Rancho Cordova announcing that it might relocate its headquarters to another state if it does not have access to individual customers in the exchange (Kasler, Sacramento Bee, 9/19)." Read more.