ST. LOUIS—The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has not yet responded to a request by the chair of a Congressional committee for information about the FTC’s accountability in overseeing the vision care insurance market, as of VMAIL's press time yesterday. In a letter to FTC chair Lina Khan on Wednesday, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, requested a staff-level briefing "to understand the extent to which the FTC has worked to ensure that the vision care market serves the best interests of American consumers,” VMAIL reported.

In a post on the American Optometric Association’s website yesterday, the organization drew parallels to Comer’s request with its backing of the Dental and Optometric Care Access Act of 2023. Introduced in the House in March, 2023, the bipartisan bill, H.R.1385, “prohibits private health insurance plans from setting rates for items and services, except for dental cleanings, provided by a doctor of optometry, of dental surgery, or of dental medicine for which the plan does not pay a substantial amount.

“Additionally, an agreement between a plan and such a doctor for limited scope dental or vision benefits may last longer than two years only with the prior acceptance of the doctor for each term extension. Plans also may not restrict such a doctor's choice of laboratories or suppliers,” according to the bill.

Doctors may elect to waive the application of the payment amount and choice of laboratories provisions of this bill. The bill does not supersede state laws regarding health insurers and dental or vision benefit plans.