Peace Garden News

Two U.S. Senators have introduced new legislation aimed at improving vision care quality and protecting consumer choice in the vision insurance market. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) have put forward the Vision Lab Choice Act of 2024, which seeks to amend Title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act. The proposed changes would allow optometrists greater freedom in selecting medical labs and suppliers, potentially lowering costs for both patients and doctors.

The current market is dominated by two Vision Benefit Managers (VBMs), who provide coverage to a significant portion of Americans with vision benefits. These VBMs often own frame and lens manufacturers and dictate which labs optometrists can use, limiting choices for providers and their patients.

Senator Cramer stated, “Vision Benefit Managers are often a hurdle to optometrists and eye care specialists providing the best care to their patients.” He emphasized that expanding consumer choice could improve service quality, adding, “I joined Senator Murphy in introducing the bipartisan Vision Lab Choice Act of 2024, so doctors will have more autonomy over which labs they work with and where they source their materials.”

Senator Murphy highlighted the control VBMs exert over various aspects of the vision industry. “Right now, VBMs control practically every part of the vision industry – the insurance plans, the manufacturers for frames and lenses, the vision labs – and they use that power to eliminate choice and drive up costs for doctors and patients,” he said. He believes that this bill will address part of this issue by ensuring optometrists are not forced to use VBM-preferred labs.

The legislation has received endorsements from several organizations including the American Optometric Association, National Consumers League, Patients Rising, Hispanic Leadership Fund, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) Global Policy Initiative, and Black Women’s Health Imperative.