Little public funding is available in the United States for vision-related rehabilitation services to restore the independent functioning of people who do not have an explicit vocational goal. This problem especially affects older adults, who constitute a large majority of the population experiencing severe vision loss. Some service providers have begun to find ways to have Medicare and other health insurance plans, which pay for rehabilitation for many other functional impairments, cover vision-related rehabilitation in some cases. This article discusses the history of coverage of vision-related rehabilitation by health insurance and identifies opportunities for expanded coverage within the rapidly changing health care environment.
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