Delta Dental Insurance Company
develops programs to reach Texans without dental
benefits
July 9, 2002
New programs target small business
employees and individuals
Irving, Texas
- While the number of people with dental benefits
nationwide increased over the past several years,
two out of three full-time employees working for
small businesses still do not have dental insurance.
Self-employed individuals face an even greater challenge
in gaining access to comprehensive dental benefits.
Delta Dental Insurance Company is
taking aim at both these underserved populations
with the launch of two new dental benefits programs.
Small Business Advantage (SBA), designed for companies
with five to 249 employees, offers a full range
of dental programs - just like those offered to
larger employers, but with built-in cost controls.
The Individual/Family Dental HMO, offered through
Delta Dental affiliate Alpha Dental Programs, Inc.,
is a dental HMO available to single payers and their
dependents.
"Our goal is to increase access
to dental benefits, and these underserved populations
represent a great majority of the uninsured in Texas,"
said Robert Elliott, president of Delta Dental Insurance
Company. "We view this unfulfilled niche in
the benefits marketplace as an ideal opportunity
to extend affordable dental coverage where it was
previously was unavailable or difficult to obtain."
Small Business
Advantage
Small Business Advantage (SBA) is designed for businesses
with 5 to 249 enrollees. It is available either
as a totally voluntary product, partially employer-paid
and fully employer-funded.
Two general agents, BenefitPort
and BenefitMall, assist with SBA programs for employers
contributing 50 percent or more of the cost, although
brokers and clients may also go directly through
Delta Dental Insurance Company. Customized programs
and voluntary programs may also be purchased through
Delta Dental. The company has partnered with Morgan
White Administrators to administer SBA, which helps
reduce marketing and administrative costs. More
information is available by calling Delta Dental
at (800) 775-0523.
"SBA benefits small employers
because it offers a full portfolio of dental programs
at competitive prices usually available only to
larger groups," said David White, president
and CEO of Morgan White. "We are very excited
about this new program and the opportunity it gives
Morgan White not only to work more closely with
Delta, but also to fill a current void in the Texas
marketplace."
The Individual/Family
Dental HMO
The Individual/Family Dental HMO, offered through
affiliate Alpha Dental Programs, Inc., is available
to individuals and their dependents to age 19. Enrollees
select a network dentist and visit this dentist
for their dental care needs. Specialist services
and orthodontia are also available. For information,
visit Delta Dental's web site at www.deltadentalins.com,
or call (800) 422-4234 between 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. Central
Time, Monday through Friday.
About Delta Dental Insurance
Company and affiliates
Delta Dental Insurance Company has more than one
million enrollees in 10 states and is part of a
holding company formed last year with parent company
Delta Dental Plan of California and Delta Dental
of Pennsylvania. Alpha Dental Programs, Inc. is
the Texas dental HMO affiliate of Delta Dental Insurance
Company and provides coverage to more than 53,000
Texans. All are affiliated with the largest member
of the Illinois-based Delta Dental Plans Association,
whose independent member companies together cover
more than 42 million people nationwide.
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