As a home health care provider, Jonda Ackley dedicates her life to taking care of Genesee County seniors and persons with disabilities who prefer to receive care in their own homes, instead of being placed in institutional care. Ackley, a Flint resident, performs a very important job for our community, but the job doesn’t pay very well and doesn’t provide health insurance.
Ackley has been a Genesee Health Plan member for since 2008. Under GHP’s Plan B, Ackley has access to basic health services, including doctor visits, prescription drugs, cancer screenings and X-rays. However, vision services are not covered for Ackley or the 25,000 other GHP members.
Most uninsured residents of Genesee County, including Ackley, are unable to pay for the cost of a vision exam and glasses. Without good vision, many people struggle with tasks at work and with performing daily activities like driving.
Genesee Health Plan started a low-cost eyeglass program in October 2009 to address this unmet need. GHP’s vision program is open to all Genesee County residents who do not have vision insurance or the ability to pay full price for glasses.
If a person has an up-to-date eye prescription, they can schedule an appointment to see a GHP eyeglass specialist. The eyeglass specialist helps the person pick out a set of frames from a variety of choices.
Genesee Health Plan works in coordination with the MSI Optical Lab in Adrian, which fills the prescription and mails the finished glasses back to GHP. The person returns to see the GHP eye specialist, who makes sure the frames fit properly and that the prescription was filled accurately.
Because of Genesee Health Plan’s new vision program, Ackley was able to obtain deeply discounted eyeglasses. Her new glasses help her better care for her patients. They also help her to indulge in one of her favorite activities: reading newspapersto keep informed of current events.
“It’s a great relief to be able to afford basic care,” Ackley says of the new vision program. “It’s things like this that really help the community out.”