Affordable Care Act: What Parents Should Know About The Pediatric Optometric Care Benefit

By: Nebraska Optometric Association
 
 
Nebraska's Doctors of Optometry
Nebraska's Doctors of Optometry
LINCOLN, Neb. - Jan. 17, 2014 - PRLog -- According to the Nebraska Optometric Association, children in Nebraska and across the country will benefit from better eye care as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that took effect January 1. Optometric eye health and vision care for children has been deemed essential and will be included in new health insurance coverage.

Dr. Darren Wright, President, Nebraska Optometric Association, said the new requirement recognizes that regular comprehensive eye exams during childhood are critical to ensuring visual health and readiness for school.

“Early and annual comprehensive eye examinations contribute to healthy development and a child’s success in school and later in life. For the first time, the federal government is recognizing eye health care from birth through age 18 as essential and is linking both medical eye care and vision care together under the same plan,” Wright said.

         Unlike limited stand-alone plans that can be offered as add-ons to coverage but are not required, the new pediatric eye care essential health benefit will be included as a core benefit and embedded within the overall health plan.

“The limited screenings, which many children receive at school or pediatricians’ office, check only for far vision difficulties and are not a substitute for a comprehensive eye examination performed by your local Doctor of Optometry,” Wright said.

“Although it is important that children see the whiteboard, it is equally important that their eyes are healthy and that their vision is clear. And, maintaining focus and eye alignment is critical to reading comprehension. A comprehensive eye examination can help prevent school and social achievement problems by detecting near eye focusing and alignment difficulties, eye diseases, life-threatening conditions, and developmental delays with the highest level of accuracy.”

Additional Resources

To find a Doctor of Optometry in your area, please visit: www.BetterEyeCareNebraska.com.

For more information about this topic: http://www.aoa.org/news/health-care-reform/4-things-to-know-about-the-pediatric-optometric-care-benefit.

Fact sheet: http://www.visionandhealth.org/documents/Childrens-Eye-Vision-Care-Fact-sheet.pdf.

To learn more about children’s vision:www.nechildrensvision.org,

Contact
Alissa Johnson
noa@assocoffice.net
(402) 474-7716
End
Source:Nebraska Optometric Association
Email:***@assocoffice.net
Tags:Pediatric, Optometric, Affordable Care Act, Darren Wright, Visual Health
Industry:Family, Medical
Location:Lincoln - Nebraska - United States
Subject:Features
Account Email Address Verified     Account Phone Number Verified     Disclaimer     Report Abuse
Parsons Public Relations PRs
Trending News
Most Viewed
Top Daily News



Like PRLog?
9K2K1K
Click to Share