Why isn’t vision therapy covered by insurance?

I’ve been looking into vision therapy and was surprised to learn that it’s usually not covered by insurance. Anyone know why this is the case? Is there any way to get help with the costs?

@Taran
That’s frustrating! It sounds like it’s really beneficial, but if insurance doesn’t cover it, it gets super expensive.

True. Vision therapy can be pricey because you need several sessions over time. Insurance companies see that cost adding up and don’t want to cover it. They’ll often stick to traditional treatments instead.

@Rowen
Yeah, my daughter needed vision therapy for her eye teaming issues. We ended up using a health savings account (HSA) to help cover some of the costs. It was better than paying everything out of pocket.

Another problem is the lack of recognition in the medical community. Vision therapy is still considered niche, and until it gets more widespread acceptance, insurance companies are going to keep excluding it.

@Vega
It’s crazy, right? Even with research showing it works, it’s still not fully accepted. Hopefully, that changes soon.

If you’re looking for alternatives, some clinics offer financing or payment plans. We were able to split the cost of my son’s therapy into monthly payments, which helped a lot.

Teal said:
If you’re looking for alternatives, some clinics offer financing or payment plans. We were able to split the cost of my son’s therapy into monthly payments, which helped a lot.

Good to know! I’ll look into those options if we end up going this route.

There’s also a growing movement to get more recognition for vision therapy. Some advocacy groups are pushing for policy changes so insurance will cover it in the future. Fingers crossed!