Vision insurance

Even as employers increasingly shift the cost of these programs on to employees through voluntary plans, workers are seeing value in them.

Commentary: Many employers are struggling to get employees to enroll in voluntary programs; busy workers often don’t take the time to understand what’s being offered.

Advisers who excel in the vision field do the best job of making the connection between vision and medical plans, some experts say. Shannon Enders, a founding partner at Lakeshore Employee Benefits in Norton Shores, Mich., says when he brings the idea of connecting vision and health data to clients’ attention, “they quickly become very interested.”

An aging workforce, coupled with demands for the latest eyewear fashions, is putting pressure on employer-sponsored vision benefits.

Vision and dental benefits can be harnessed to play a larger role in employee health than the sum of their parts.