VSP Vision Care
VSP Vision Care (VSP) is a vision care health insurance company operating in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It is a doctor-governed company divided into five businesses: “eye care insurance, high-quality eyewear, lens and lens enhancements, ophthalmic technology, and connected experiences to strengthen the relationship between patients and their eye doctors.” It has about 80 million members worldwide and is the largest vision insurance company in the United States.
| Formerly | CVS (California Vision Services) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Vision insurance |
| Predecessors | Alameda Contra Costa Optometric Society Joint Council on Vision Care |
| Founded | September 1955 in Oakland, California |
| Founder | Bernhardt N. Thal |
| Headquarters | , US |
Number of locations | 34,000 (2016) |
Areas served | United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the UK |
Key people | Michael Guyette (President and CEO of VSP Global) Michelle Skinner (Chief Provider & Industry Relations Officer) |
| Products | Vision insurance, eyeglass frames and lenses |
Production output | 19 million frames (2017) |
| Brands | Eye Designs, Eyeconic, Eyefinity, VSP Optics Group, Marchon Eyewear, Altair Eyewear, VisionWorks |
| Members | 85 million (2017) |
| Subsidiaries | Marchon Eyewear, Inc., Office Mate, Altair Eyewear, Visionworks |
| Website | vspglobal |
Formed in 1955 as a nonprofit organization by a group of optometrists in Oakland, California, it became a national provider, and expanded internationally by 2007. In 2003 the Internal Revenue Service revoked VSP's tax exempt status citing exclusionary, members-only practices, and high compensation to executives.