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CMS-1403-FC
Response: We understand and can appreciate the
commenters’ concerns. However, the Medicare statute does
not provide for the coverage of every service or item that
may increase an individual’s quality of life or which may
provide a medical benefit. For example, in addition to
excluding eyeglasses from coverage, the Act also generally
excludes coverage of dental services, orthopedic shoes, and
hearing aids. We understand that eyeglasses aid
individuals in conducting activities of daily living;
however, the Medicare statute makes only limited exceptions
to the statutory eyeglass coverage exclusion, such as for
“conventional eyeglasses and contact lenses,” in certain
cases. Moreover, we believe the appropriate regulatory
interpretation of this statutory exclusion is to remain
consistent with our longstanding views, and finalize the
proposed regulation without modification.
Comment: Some commenters stated that the regulation
does not rely on the plain language of the statute. The
commenters suggested that eyeglasses and low vision devices
are dissimilar: eyeglasses are optical systems to aid the
vision of a person who essentially has normal vision, while
low vision aids are prosthetic in nature for persons whose
vision is impaired in other ways than refractive error.
The commenters believe that the regulation fails to
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