26th March 2019
Finishing a giant stride off the back of a boat into clear blue Caribbean waters is pretty awesome. For someone with poor vision, having a prescription dive mask increases the enjoyment even more. Having your insurance pay for it? Even better.
Our customers frequently call and ask, “Can I pay for the dive mask with my insurance?”.
We created this guide to clarify how and if you can pay for your prescription dive mask or swim goggles with an FSA/HSA or vision insurance, but keep in mind every policy is different.
Please consult with your individual policy provider for the most accurate information as it pertains to you.
FSA/HSA and Prescription Dive Masks/Goggles
What is an FSA/HSA?
The purpose of this guide is not to go through the difference in this type of accounts but in general, many individuals through their employment or self-insurance have access to a variety of health care accounts including flexible spending accounts (FSA) and health care savings accounts (HSA). Some of these accounts allow you or your employer to contribute and even have the funds be deducted pre tax. Whatever type of fund you may have, in general if you have a prescription for glasses, you may use funds from these accounts to pay for your prescription dive mask or swim goggles.
How to purchase prescription swim goggles or dive mask with your FSA
If you have an FSA/HSA or similar account, using your account to purchase our prescription products is easy.
- If your provider sends you a debit card for prescription purchases, you can attempt to use that card at checkout on our site. Sometimes the card providers flag the e-commerce purchases and deny them in which case simply give us as call and we can process the order over the phone through our physical terminal which is coded to allow FSA/HSA purchases.
- If your plan requires you to pay up front for the purchase, pay at checkout as normal, and shoot us an email requesting a detailed receipt for reimbursement. You then submit the claim to your account provider.
What is FSA eligible?
In general, the prescription products including the frame (the dive goggle/mask or swim goggle) plus the lenses are eligible for reimbursement through healthcare savings accounts / flexible spending accounts. Accessories such as snorkels, defog, and bags are generally not covered.
Using Vision Insurance to Pay for Prescription Dive Mask or Swim Goggle
Even if you have an FSA/HSA account, depending on the account rules, they may require you to submit a claim to your vision insurance first (many do not require this step). If you have vision insurance and no healthcare savings account, many insurers allow you to submit an out of network claim for your purchase from See the Sea RX. The same rules apply as with FSA style accounts- generally the mask and lenses are covered while other accessories are not.
If you have any questions about our prescription dive masks or using a healthcare account debit card for your purchase, feel free to give us a call, or send us a message through the chat box on the bottom of your screen.
