FRANKFORT, Ky.—In response to a new Kentucky state law (HB 465), Cigna will discontinue VSP Vision Care’s Integrated Primary EyeCare Program (IPEC), effective Sept. 15, 2015. The statute, signed into law March 30, 2015, allows Kentucky doctors the opportunity to participate directly with the Cigna medical network without being required to participate in a vision care plan.

The law not only prohibits insurers from requiring a doctor’s participation in a vision care plan in order to become a network provider for a health plan, but it also prohibits an insurer from requiring additional terms and conditions for an optometrist that are not required of any other doctor in the provider network for services within the scope of practice.

“VSP remains the administrator for the Cigna Vision routine vision care products and services, and VSP will continue to administer benefits for routine eyecare services as contracted,” a VSP spokesperson told VMail. “Kentucky doctors who participate on the VSP panel will continue to be able to serve Cigna Vision customers. However, in order for those doctors to deliver medical services to these patients they will need to contract directly with Cigna. Cigna will be contacting VSP network providers in Kentucky to offer the opportunity to participate on the Cigna medical network.”

On July 15, 2015, VSP Vision Care distributed an email to its panel doctors in Kentucky with information about Cigna’s changes and the opportunity for all Kentucky optometrists and ophthalmologists to directly participate on the Cigna medical network.



Backed by the Kentucky Optometric Association (KOA) and the American Optometric Association (AOA), the new law “comes after months of third party advocacy and legislative efforts by the KOA and AOA to roll back these tying arrangements between health and vision care plans for credentialing and contracting optometrists,” according to the AOA, which believes “the move could prove to be a bellwether for other states.”

“The announcement from VSP clearly delineates the ability of a Kentucky optometrist to choose to participate in either a medical plan from Cigna or the routine vision plan from VSP,” says Karoline L. Munson, OD, KOA president. “There is no longer a forced participation in one plan to gain access to the other.”

A VSP spokesperson told VMail, “These changes are not the result of the planned acquisition of Cigna by Anthem.”