From 1 March The statutory health insurance pay again for the glasses

Costs partly from four diopters
Good news for eyeglass wearers: Patients with severe ametropia will in future receive a visual aid by prescription. This is currently reported by the German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (DBSV). Thus, insured patients with a short or farsightedness of more than six dioptres no longer have to pay their own glasses, with a corneal curvature, the new regulation starts at four dioptres.

Glasses had to be paid so far
Patients with bad eyes had previously lost out - because new glasses were needed, this had to be paid in most cases. The health insurance companies took over the costs only in individual cases. However, this is about to change: As the German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (DBSV) informs, legally insured patients with a short or farsightedness of more than six diopters will receive prescription glasses in the future. In case of astigmatism, more than 4 diopters are sufficient to cover the cost.

The cost of a pair of glasses will in future be taken over by the coffers in some cases as low as four dioptres. (Image: wemm / fotolia.com)

Gap in the visual aids supply closed
The new regulation was decided in the course of the adopted on Thursday law for the strengthening of the welfare and aids supply (HHVG), reports the DBSV. According to the announcement, the association had made strong that with the assumption of the eyeglass costs, a serious gap in the visual aid care statutory health insurance will be closed.

Scheme is expected to come into effect in mid-March
Until 2003, all people with statutory health insurance who were suffering from ametropia were entitled to a visual aid. From then on, however, adults had to bear the costs themselves, because the funds were only responsible if, in spite of glasses or contact lenses, a maximum of 30 percent of sight was achieved.

Who could hardly see anything without visual aid, but by the correction more than more than 30 percent reached, therefore got no support. "It can not be that people with severe vision defects stay without proper visual aids. The correction of the current regulation was overdue, "said DBSV President Renate Reymann according to the statement.

The new regulation is expected to enter into force in mid-March. In order for the health insurances to be able to bear the costs, a prescription from the ophthalmologist must be available. In the case of children and adolescents, the costs for the lenses have already been covered by the health insurance funds. (No)