Aetna Introduces Dental-Only Insurance Plans For Individuals And Their Families

Main Category: Dentistry
Also Included In: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance;  Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 05 Jun 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Aetna (NYSE:AET) announced that it has begun selling stand-alone dental plans to individuals and families, which are now effective as of June 1, 2008. These new products will initially be offered in Arizona, Delaware, Illinois and Pennsylvania, with plans to expand their availability to additional states in the future.

Individuals, including those who are eligible for Medicare, will be able to purchase these plans at any age. In addition, there will be no medical underwriting, meaning that individuals are automatically accepted if they apply (prices will vary based on age and geographic region).

There will be two PPO-style options for individuals to choose from - the Aetna Individual AdvantageSM Dental PPO Plan and the Aetna Individual AdvantageSM Dental PPO Plus Plan. Both plans will give members access to Aetna's PPO network of participating dental practices, which includes more than 105,000 available dental practice locations throughout the country.

Individuals can find more information on these plans and purchase them directly at http://www.aetna.com/buydental.

"The fact that 47 million individuals in our country do not have health insurance is often mentioned, but it is rarely noted that more than twice as many individuals lack dental insurance," said Frank McCauley, head of Aetna's Consumer Business Segment. "We believe that a stand-alone dental product will help increase access to important dental care."

Aetna's Emphasis on Dental Health

Recently, numerous studies have demonstrated the connection between dental health and overall health. This includes research conducted by Aetna and the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine that shows a correlation between periodontal disease and individuals with chronic conditions, including people with diabetes or heart disease.

"Our research with Columbia indicates that promoting preventive dental care can have an impact on the overall wellness of our members," said Alan Hirschberg, head of Aetna Dental.

In addition to this research, Aetna has worked with Columbia to develop a number of continuing education courses for participating dentists on the connection between dental health and overall health. Columbia also provides the content for Aetna's dental education website, Simple Steps to Better Dental Health®.

Health Insurance Plans for Individuals

In addition to this stand-alone dental product, all of Aetna's individual health insurance plans give members the option of adding on a dental PPO plan (the optional plan is not the same as the stand-alone dental product offerings).

Aetna's health insurance plans for Individuals and Families are currently being sold directly to consumers or through independent insurance agents and brokers in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming and Washington, D.C. Additional information about Aetna's plans for individuals and their families is available at http://www.AetnaIndividual.com or by calling 1-866-582-9629 or your insurance agent.

About Aetna Dental

Aetna Dental is one of the nation's leading providers of integrated and stand-alone dental products, serving more than 14 million dental members. In 2006, Aetna launched its Dental/Medical Integration program, which includes enhanced benefits and educational outreach to members, helping them achieve optimal health. Aetna is the brand name used for products and services provided by one or more of the Aetna group of subsidiary companies. The Aetna companies that offer, underwrite or administer dental benefits coverage include Aetna Health Inc., Aetna Health of California Inc., Aetna Health of the Carolinas Inc., Aetna Health of Illinois Inc., Aetna Health Insurance Company of New York, Corporate Health Insurance Company, Aetna Dental Inc., Aetna Dental of California Inc. and/or Aetna Life Insurance Company.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 37.3 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates.

http://www.aetna.com