VSP's Fight For Your Reimbursement Increases Causing Employee Stress

Thanks to a loyal reader for submitting this video (see comments).

Apparantly, VSP employees, who have one of the best benefit packages in the world (for example: 15% 401k Contribution...twice that of IBM), have been fighting for Provider fee increases.  Yep...it's hand to hand combat out there as they attempt to obtain reimbursement increases for their downtrodden providers.  As a result, employees at VSP are apparantly pretty stressed. 

So, what does VSP do?  View the video below.  Rumor has it that the benefits described (read post of July 14, 2009) will soon be available to the employees of VSP's 26,000 Providers through a special grant; the result of outstanding profits from VSP's various companies who sell their products and services to...you guessed it...VSP Providers.

http://www.kcra.com/video/21532360/index.html

Reality is that I wish I could provide these services to my employees.  And, under normal circumstances, I'd applaude any company that did this for their team.  That said, VSP (and other vision plans) earns its largesse by; a) controlling 55million patients and; b) cramming ridiculously low reimbursements and ludicrous policies down the throats of Providers, many of whom are dominated by VSP patients and scared to say a word. 

What's going on with Vision Plans isn't fair...and sooner or later things are going to change.

Comments

[VSP IS UNBELIEVABLE]

I only participate in VSP signature plan, which in Ohio they have not raised our Eye exam fees in the past 10 years eventhough we submit their joke of a new fee schedule every year to VSP. When I call them and say hey in FLORIDA< CALIFORNIA you pay almost double what you pay in Ohio for an eye exam. VSP gives me the answer your at the maximum fee schedule for your area. Don't even call your VSP represenative because they will not do anything for you, they are a figure head for VSP. Now I have a neighbor that has VSP for years and sees me all of the sudden he calls me upset and says VSP sent me a letter stating that our new VSP coverage you don't participate in their plan and I can't see you and here is 5 other optometrist in the area that take the lesser plan that I have to see. He was at first upset at me almost as if I had wrote the letter. I told him I couldn't believe VSP wrote him a letter stating that. I told him to go back to his Human Resourse person and see if he could get back on the signature plan first. If they said no I told him to drop VSP and save his premiums and I could do a discount that would be better for both of us

[Angela Smithson]

You should try and save the video using a screen capture software. The link is already gone from the news station's website; I wonder how long until they pull the video. VSP's logo appears on the main page of the news station's website, so obviously they are a sponsor. As you say, follow the money...