A recent survey from The Harris Poll—and commissioned by XP Health, a digital vision health platform—reveals that the majority of employed U.S. adults value vision care, but only 48% of those with vision benefits always use this coverage to pay for vision exams or prescriptions.
Tell me more about this poll.
The Harris Poll, a global consulting and market research firm, surveyed 1,009 full-time employed adults over the age of 25 in the United States.
The survey was conducted online between February 3-13, 2023. The respondents were divided into four key subgroups: people of color; age (25+); remote workers; and income (> or < $75K).
How did vision health rank?
Compared to overall physical health, which 83% of respondents rated as a “very important” aspect of personal health, 75% of respondents rated vision health as a very important aspect of their personal health.
Any negative factors?
Over the past three years, 58% of employed adults stated that their screen time has increased overall, and a majority of them further indicated that this may be negatively impacting their vision.
What did they have to say about costs?
When it comes to eyecare—regardless of the benefits and coverage—costs were the main factor keeping respondents from taking care of their vision.
Of those who had vision benefits, 69% felt that benefits were inexpensive, but 55% still noted that they often paid high out-of-pocket costs for vision care even with benefits.
Furthermore, 30% of respondents found it easier to pay out-of-pocket than to use the benefits they had, and 64% of respondents felt “sticker shock” at appointments after finding out the cost of their glasses.
Suggested solutions?
Ultimately, the study indicated that clearer information about vision benefits would increase their usage, regardless of what those benefits were being used for. Most of the respondents (59%) felt that their employer was responsible for offering more information about their vision plans.
Limitations?
Because this survey was focused on employer-provided plans, respondents were not asked whether they felt their eyecare professional held any responsibility for explaining vision benefits and coverage.
Take away.
The survey attempted to identify gaps in how vision care is valued among U.S. employees as well as what kind of care they receive.
This suggests that employers should be providing more concise information to their employees regarding what benefits they qualify for as well as how/when to access them.