Cannon EyeCare in Seattle Accepts Lifewise Assurance student insurance

Cannon EyeCare is a Lifewise Assurance in Network Provider

Cannon EyeCare’s University District (U-Village) and downtown (Pike Place) offices are in network with Lifewise Assurance student insurance. In fact, our doctors are “Preferred Providers” which means we can get you the best deal in town. Read on to learn what your plan will cover.

Does Lifewise student insurance cover eye exams?

Many of our patients in the University District/ Roosevelt/ Montlake neighborhoods are students at the University of Washington. We get calls weekly asking us, “does Lifewise student insurance cover eye exams?”

The short answer is, if your card says “Lifewise Assurance” then yes, there will be some eye coverage. If it says “Lifewise Independent” then we would only be able to bill your insurance for medical eye issues, not routine eye exams or contact lens fits. You can always pay out of pocket for your eyecare of course. Our comprehensive eye exam is $225 in 2025; contact lens fittings would be an extra $110-130 in most cases. Cannon EyeCare strives to provide the best eye exam in Seattle. Check out our online reputation for proof.

There are two distinct types of Lifewise Assurance eye care benefits: iShip and GAIP. “ISHIP” insurance is “International Student Health Insurance Plan”, and is given to most international students at UW. GAIP is the “Graduate Assistant Insurance Plan.” Cannon EyeCare in University District (U-Village) is in network with ISHIP and GAIP versions of Lifewise. Coverages differ between these plans, but we see them very often since we are so close to the UW campus.

Read on below to learn the particulars of each plan’s eye care and hardware (glasses or contact lens purchase) benefits.

What are the vision benefits for ISHIP (international) and GAIP (grad student) versions of Lifewise Assurance?

These two insurance plans offer very different vision benefits. ISHIP is simpler and easier to understand, so we will start there. Routine eye exams and contact lens fits should be covered once per school year if you have active iShip insurance.

For glasses wearers It’s that simple. Oh, and you’ll have $300/year of “Hardware Benefits” which can be used to purchase glasses.

For contact lens wearers, it’s a little more complex, but still simpler than the GAIP coverage. Students with ISHIP should also be able to get their eye exam AND the contact lens fitting fees covered annually, but there is a catch. Lifewise takes the money for the contact lens fees out of your hardware benefit. So, for example, if you get an eye exam a spherical (non-astigmatism) contact lens fit with us, nothing would be due on the day of service. Yet when Lifewise pays us the $110 for the contact lens fit fee, it would be deducted from your hardware, leaving ($300 – $110=) $190 for the purchase of glasses or contacts.

GAIP vision benefits are a bit more complex. The GAIP insurance is not the best in town, but a vision benefit does come along with your compensation package. GAIP patients would owe zero for an eye exam on the day of service, but Lifewise only pays a portion of that fee. Then Lifewise instructs our practice to bill the patient (you) for the remaining amount. For new patients, the typical amount you’ll get billed is about $115 for a comprehensive eye exam. Patients who have seen us in the last 3 years get a better deal, with just about $86 due after the claim processes. The “hardware benefit” with GAIP is rather complex, but they will pay about $105 toward a pair of glasses.

Again, things are a bit more complex for contact lens wearers using GAIP insurance. Nothing will be due on the day of service, you’ll get a bill for a bit more than the $115 noted above after Lifewise covers just a portion of your contact lens fitting fee.

When do Lifewise Assurance student vision benefits reset?

These benefits reset/refresh at the start of the fall semester, so your exact date may vary a bit. Any eye exam or hardware benefits not utilized by the start of the following school year would expire worthless. There’s no going back to capture last school year’s vision benefits.