Humana Vision: What you need to know
Humana is another health insurance giant, usually found in the top half of the Fortune 500 league table. It’s based in Louisville Kentucky and was founded more than 50 years ago in 1961. It began life as a nursing home company, and all these years later is the biggest owner and operator of hospitals in the country, currently standing at 77.
Humana has weathered its share of controversies over the years and gone from financial strength to strength. The vision care plan is Humana Vision, and is as simple and direct as its name suggests. There’s only one network available, and that’s EyeMed, which is a giant that services all the larger retailers and chains you’re likely to find.
There’s only one tier of cover that offers fairly industry-standard levels of copay and allowance cover. It costs $15.99 which includes a $1 a month admin fee but doesn’t include the one-off $35 enrolment fee. It’s a simple plan, and if it suits your needs it comes in at a reasonable cost.
Humana Vision: Big business
- A big firm, with a lot of far reaching policies
- Eye care a very small portion of the company's overall portfolio
Humana is a powerful player in the medical world. It's a big firm, with a lot of far reaching policies. That gives it a significant amount of financial heft, and the stability that comes with it. In difficult times, a degree of extra certainty is a very welcome bonus.
The eye care package is a very small portion of the company's overall portfolio, and it doesn’t look to have had a great deal of thought or love lavished upon it.
Humana Vision: Simplicity itself
- Option to insure yourself personally, or your immediate family
- Policies are provided through the EyeMed network
If you select a Vision plan from Humana, you’re given the option to insure yourself personally, or your immediate family. Those are your only choices.
Policies are provided through the EyeMed network, which gives you good coverage, especially if you’re used to the convenience of shopping for eye care while you’re at the supermarket.
The package charges monthly premiums of $15.99 (not a penny less, maybe a few pennies more if you factor in the once-only membership fee of $35, ouch).
Humana Vision: By the numbers
- Receive a yearly exam for a $15 copay
- in-network allowance of $150 for your frames
For your premium you receive a yearly exam for a $15 copay. There’s an in-network allowance of $150 for your frames and a 20 percent discount for any spend over and above that figure.
For contact lenses, you’re stumping up a $40 copay for the exam, again yearly, and your allowance is the industry standard $150.
There are a host of very specific lens finishes and materials, each with a separate copay that’ll add up if you want the whole kit and caboodle.
There are some out-of-network options, but not many and they aren’t spectacularly generous. It’s very much what you’d expect for the premium, but with no room for customization based on your personal circumstances and eye health.
Humana Vision: Verdict
Humana’s a big, reliable name in the health finance sector. Your money’s as safe with this company as it would be in the bank. Humana has a proven track record in the medical world, and is one of the largest government contractors.
The company remit is huge, and the vision care side of the insurance offering is very small and undeveloped. There’s only one plan, available for you or you and your loved ones. The individual premium is $15.99, and that comes with a raft of very standard eye care benefits. It’s a one-size-fits-all cover, but if that size is right for you it’s a solid offer.
