Vision Monday
The leaders of two major vision care organizations, VSP Global and the American Optometric Association, faced off here last night in a dramatic debate about optometry’s role in managed vision care. The Healthcare Reform Open Forum held at the St. Louis Airport Marriott Hotel last night focused on whether stand-alone vision plans should or should not be permitted to directly participate in the insurance exchanges being established as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Formatted like a presidential debate, with opening and closing statements framing a series of questions posed by live audience members as well as virtual attendees viewing a simulcast, the forum featured a panel of three representatives of the American Optometric Association and an equal number of VSP Global executives.