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Vision Insurance
Robert Laura, 20 Sep 2026

Medicare Open Enrollment: Through a Retirement Coach's Eyes

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Every fall, millions of retirees go through Medicare Open Enrollment and have to make decisions about their coverage for the year ahead. For many, it's a time where they just check the same box as last year and assume all will go as planned.

As a retirement expert on both the financial and psychological aspects of life after work, I see this decision differently. Medicare Open Enrollment isn't just about electing the right benefits for the year ahead. It's a chance to think bigger, about everything you need to live an independent retirement, long after this enrollment window closes.

That starts with a question worth asking yourself: What changed since you left behind employer-sponsored benefits, and have you truly replaced what you lost?

Replacing Benefits, Not Just Income

Until retirement, your paycheck and your benefits both come from your employer. But when people plan for the retirement transition, they mostly plan for the day the paycheck stops, not the day their benefits stop too. Vision, dental, and life insurance might feel like fixtures, until the day they disappear, and the bill for replacing them lands squarely on you.

That's why comprehensive retirement planning should replace benefits, not just income. In my conversations with soon-to-retire clients, benefits are almost always the last thing on their radar, until they're gone. But once you walk away from work, you take on more responsibility for your insurance coverage than your employer ever did, especially when it comes to Medicare.

Think of Medicare Open Enrollment as a chance to audit that coverage the same way you'd audit any other part of your retirement portfolio, line by line, instead of assuming it still covers what it used to. Original Medicare typically doesn't pay for routine eye exams, glasses, or contacts*, which is one of the first gaps worth checking for.

What's Really on the Line

You've probably heard about the health risks of skipping an eye exam, like undetected cataracts or glaucoma, among others. What gets talked about less is everything else your vision affects, or even enables, in everyday life. Here's what's actually on the line:

Reading the fine print. Prescription labels, financial statements, the menu at a dimly lit restaurant.
Staying a step ahead. The uneven curb, the car stopping short, the warning light on the dash, catching it before it becomes a problem.
Running your own errands. The pharmacy, the DMV, the airport, all without needing someone else's eyes to get you there.
Leisure on your own terms. Finishing a crossword, following a recipe, watching the game without needing the front-row seats.

The One Box Worth Checking Twice

Medicare Open Enrollment will always look, on paper, like a form. But underneath it is a much simpler question: What do you want to still be able to see clearly five, ten, twenty years from now, and are you willing to protect it while you still have the choice?

The good news: You don't have to wait for this window to close, or reopen next year, to act on it. A VSP® Individual Vision Plan is available year-round to fill the gaps Medicare and lost employer coverage leave behind. Plans start as low as $13 a month with no waiting period, so you can use your benefits the same day you enroll, and members save an average of over $360 a year¹ compared to paying out of pocket.

So don't just check the box this year. Make sure you have the coverage you need to see the retirement you've been picturing.

¹Savings based on state and national averages for eye exams and most commonly purchased brands and lens enhancements. This number represents average savings for VSP members at in-network providers. Your actual savings will depend on the eyewear you choose, your plan, the eye doctor you visit, your copays, and your premium. Source: VSP book-of-business paid claims data for Aug-Jan of each prior year.

*Check your Medicare Plan to see if your vision care needs are covered and/or if a VSP Individual Vision Plan is right for you. VSP Individual Vision Plans does not coordinate benefits with Medicare.

Information received through VSP Individual Vision Plans channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician, or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Medicare Open Enrollment: Through a Retirement Coach's Eyes