Lacks Vision On Insurance

I find a note on my desk after lunch that has a patient’s name and contact info on it. It states that she wants to know about vision coverage for her glasses. So, I brace myself, because you just never know how conversations on vision coverage are going to go, and I call her.

Me: “Hello, this is [My Name] from [Optical Store]; I got a note that you have some questions about your vision coverage?”

Customer: “Yes, thank you for calling back. I just want an estimate on how much insurance will pay on my glasses.”

Me: “Okay, what is the name of your vision insurance?”

Customer: “Oh, I don’t have any yet. I’m trying to decide whether it’s worth paying for.”

Me: “Oh… Well, unfortunately, there are quite a few companies offering vision coverage and each company has multiple plans that can vary greatly, so I’m not able to give a ballpark figure on how much they will pay. I can, however, give you a ballpark price on glasses.”

Customer: “But I don’t want to know how much the glasses will cost. I want to know how much the insurance will pay.”

Me: “I’m sorry, but I’m not able to come up with that number because there isn’t a flat rate that all vision plans pay. It varies greatly. Once you have coverage, I’ll be happy to look into those benefits and explain them to you.”

Customer: “That’s ridiculous! How am I supposed to figure out whether it is worth paying for or not if you can’t tell me how much it pays?!”

Me: “I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to help with any coverage amounts until I have more information to work with. Like any other type of insurance, the coverage depends on the company and plan that’s chosen. Again, once you have vision coverage—”

Customer: “Fine, whatever…” *Hangs up*