More people in Belgium will be able to claim a health insurance reimbursement for glasses and optical contact lenses from next year, the NIHDI's Insurance Committee decided on Monday morning.
Currently, glasses from dioptre 7 (-7 or +7) and optical contact lenses from dioptre 7.75 are being reimbursed. In future, health insurance will intervene for glasses and lenses with a strength starting from dioptre 6.
"This will make a difference for a lot of Belgians," Luc Van Gorp, president of CM Health Fund, in a press release on Monday. "We are happy that glasses and contact lenses will become more affordable for a lot more people."
Specifically, it involves a reimbursement of €79 to €369 per contact lens depending on what type of lens is needed. Bifocal, trifocal or progressive lenses are reimbursed for those with at least -6 far-sightedness. This new reimbursement applies to all ages.
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Additionally, the specific reimbursement rules for lenses for people under 18 and over 65 remain in force: they can also claim a refund with a diopter lower than 6 under certain conditions.
The health insurance company is investing an extra €3.3 million for this measure, but it is not yet known when exactly in the next year the measure will take effect.
CM members whose compulsory health insurance does not intervene will be reimbursed up to €50 per calendar year until their 18th birthday and €40 per calendar year from the age of 19 when buying glasses or contact lenses through their supplementary health insurance.
