Each year, doctors perform about 700,000 Lasik surgeries for people.
While so many people need Lasik surgery, it can be difficult to figure out how to afford Lasik surgery.
Lasik financing can be a challenge when you don’t know where to look. Improve your vision with this guide on how to pay for Lasik eye surgery.
Save Up Money In Your Bank Account
One of the first things you can try is saving up some money in your bank account.
If you don’t need Lasik surgery right away, you may want to start putting aside a little bit of money each month so that you can pay for it all at once. You can figure out how much your surgery will cost and then go from there.
At first, this can seem really daunting. It may seem like it will take forever, and some people may struggle to find the money to set aside each month.
Sit down with a trusted friend or family who is good at budgeting and see how you can make it work. Some savings account also have a high APY, which will help you earn a little bit of extra money each month.
Use a Flex Spending Account
If you can’t save up some of your own money in your own bank account, you could use money from your flexible spending account (FSA). This is a tax-free way to save on the surgery.
Thankfully, the IRS will consider the amount you have to pay to correct your vision, including the surgery, as a medial cost so you will be able to use your account to cover this.
An FSA lets you put your income into a bank before taxes are taken out. However, you can only use the money in an FSA on medical costs. This is a way to finance your Lasik surgery without having to pay any interest, and you can do it on your own.
Once you are ready for your surgery, you won’t have to worry about taking out a loan or paying interest. You can only use this option though if you have employer-sponsored vision benefits. Your employer and insurance will also have to offer a flexible spending account.
Even if you don’t have enough money in your account to get the best Lasik surgeon, you can still cover some of the costs without having to pay out of pocket.
Apply for a New Credit Card
If you don’t have the option to open a flexible spending account, you could always look into applying for a new credit card.
If you can qualify for a new credit card that has a 0% APR, this may be a great way to pay for your surgery. That way you can still afford to have it and pay the money back later when you get the chance.
However, if you do this, you should make sure that you pay the balance off before your introductory period is over.
Talk to Friends and Family
If none of the above options can work for you, you can always try talking to your friends and family about taking a loan out from there.
Compared to other medical procedures, Lasik isn’t super expensive, so someone you know may be willing to loan you a little bit of money to have the procedure done.
This is a great way to get a loan without potential interest fees. Just make sure that you do pay them back.
Use Multiple Strategies
It also never hurts to combine different strategies to be able to pay for your surgery.
You may use a flex spending account for some portion of the surgery while also using a personal loan to pay for the rest. You may even use more than two different ways to pay for the surgery.
By finding different ways, this could reduce the amount of money that you will have to borrow and decrease the amount of interest you will have to pay.
Get a Personal Loan
You could also apply for a personal loan through a private company. To do this, you will have to have a good credit score and a good income situation.
Before getting a third-party loan, you should check and compare the cost between that and getting financing.
You also shouldn’t go with the first personal loan company that offers you one. Check around to make sure that you are getting the lowest possible interest rate.
Apply for Financing
Lastly, one of the most popular options to pay for Lasik is with financing.
To apply for the financing, you will have to go through a credit check, and the best interest rate will largely depend on that.
Most eye doctors won’t set up their own financing system. Instead, they will offer it through other third parties where you can cover small medical expenses.
With how expensive some medical procedures are, it’s completely normal to agree to small monthly payments for procedures like Lasik.
Before you look into financing, you should first make sure that your eye doctor does offer it because some of them don’t.
Each company will have a different way of planning out the payments. Some of them have you pay in a span of a few months, and some will let you spread out the payments over time with no extra cost. Some of the short-term finances don’t have any interest attached to them at all.
You will generally be asked for a credit check, your driver’s license, and the name of the eye surgeon you plan to use.
Learn More About Lasik Financing
Lasik financing can be a great way to pay for your surgery and not have to worry about glasses afterward.
With how expensive medical procedures have become, it can be difficult to figure out how to pay for it.
However, you can check out some of our other blog posts for more ideas on how to afford other expensive medical procedures.
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