Level I services include semiannual examinations, semiannual cleaning, x-rays and diagnosis. Most plans cover at least preventive and diagnostic care. In order to emphasize prevention, many plans cover the Level I services at higher reimbursement levels than Level II or III services. Like dental care, vision care is a relatively new employee benefit, offered by employers that can afford to expand their employee benefits plans to include additional fringe benefits previously considered budgetable. Vision care is most often covered on a scheduled basis that pays a fixed dollar amount for examinations, lenses and frames.
Vision care is almost universally noncontributory due to the potential for biased selection.
Many plans do not cover contraceptive prescription drugs, for example, or nicotine chewing gum prescribed for smokers who are typing to quit. There are a number of variations, but the principal types of prescription medication plans are open panel, closed panel, mail order and prescription drug card plans.