Dental and Dental-Vision Plans Fill Voids, Lead to Other Sales

As an ever-growing number of property/casualty agents cross-selling life/health products continue their quest to attract and sustain the interest of clients and prospects, many of them continue to overlook dental and combined dental/vision plans. They shouldn’t.

The time to seize these opportunities is now, before your competitors do. And that’s because you’re going to find:

• A waiting and receptive audience.
• One of the easiest sales you’ve ever made.
• Doors open to the sale of other products and services, both property/casualty and life/health.

People from all walks of life need and want dental and vision coverage. Yet despite their longtime clamoring, our organization’s research reveals that only 35 percent of employer groups with 250 or fewer employees offer dental. Further, only 10 percent of the nation’s populace is covered by voluntary (employee pay-all) or individual (one-life) dental, and the figure for those who have vision coverage is miniscule.

Granted, many employers are slicing, not adding to, benefits. But we’ve found that even the most cost-conscious of employers are receptive to adding dental … especially when they’re informed, which should be early in the presentation, that the coverage can be paid for entirely by their employees.

Also, employers should be informed or reminded that the findings of countless surveys always have dental and vision at or near the top of the list of benefits most requested by employees. Further, they should be alerted to the fact that their offering dental and vision benefits can and does cut down on employee absenteeism and thus helps maintain, and often improve, company production goals.

Visits to a dentist and eye care specialist are necessary for all adults. They usually detect problems that, if caught in the early stages, can not only improve health, but help curtail costlier treatments that could follow.

Regularly scheduled trips to the dentist not only give individuals winning smiles; they can, in fact, save precious teeth.

And regularly scheduled visits to an eye care specialist not only improve vision but, through eye exams, uncover the early stages of glaucoma, diabetes and high blood pressure.

In addition, when employers offer dental and vision coverage, their image is immediately enhanced among their employees. Not only has the employer been listening to them, but they have taken a positive step to answer their requests and needs! All mentioned are solid sales points to emphasize to employers.

Both voluntary (employee pay-all) and individual dental plans, which have followed still-popular group dental offerings, are creating much of the excitement these days, and are terrific worksite marketing products whether sold on a group voluntary or one-life basis. These high quality plans are low cost ($10 to $40 per month) bargains. Most are guaranteed issue and cover pre-existing conditions. Thus, there is no need for the applicant to furnish a statement of dental history.

With most of these plans, one-time deductibles or minimal annual deductibles are often included, and expenses for dental treatments are typically reimbursed on a reasonable and customary basis. Also, most plans cover major dental services and some even pay part of the cost for orthodontia. And, representing another major sales factor, most of these plans offer the insured the choice of his/her own dentist.

Some of the new products evolving feature multi-options for employees. In simplest terms, employees have the option to choose from one of three plans. The first is a limited benefit program; it offers inexpensive dental treatment for periodic cleanings, fillings, etc. It’s a preventive dental program, and only costs $10 to $12 per month.

The second program is a step-up; it features services for comprehensive care including, as an example, dentures and, with some plans, orthodontia. The price for this plan is about $30 to $40 per month. Then there’s what could be referred to as the “luxury line of offerings”—it covers all the above and more.

Most voluntary and one-life plans have restrictions, primarily concerning waiting periods that aren’t found in typical employer-paid group plans. However, the restrictions aren’t so severe as to dampen the enthusiasm of prospects. That’s because they understand they’ll finally have a valuable product that they’ve long been asking for and, once they have the coverage, they can use the insurance immediately for most routine dental care. And over a short waiting period, they can file for major dental benefits.

And now, some words of caution. The product chosen, as it relates to the mentioned voluntary employee pay-all dental plan, should not have significant participation requirements. Some carriers have 50-75 percent participation requirements. Those are not plans industry marketers should attempt to sell because of what could prove to be inherent difficulties in achieving the enrollment requirements. Succinctly, you’ll be able to sell a lot more dental on an ongoing basis with plans that are still high quality, but require lower participation.

Further, and not-so-incidentally, dental can also be sold successfully outside the corporate sphere to municipalities, associations, and various affinity groups.

Speaking of selling, the mentioned individual (one-life) plans can lead you to another huge and waiting audience of individuals who are all around you.

In addition to employees not offered benefits by their employer, they include:
• The growing number of entrepreneurs running home-based businesses.
• Contractors and subcontractors (painters, plumbers, handymen, etc.).
• Seniors often not covered for dental.
• Older and married students at colleges and trade schools.

Finally, but far from least, there’s a new program available to most employer/ employee groups with five or more (working 20 hours or more weekly), who can select from a menu of dental and dental/vision plans. Included within the multi-option program offerings are fully-insured personal and group voluntary, plus executive dental or dental/vision benefits.

These low cost ($16 to $41 per month) top-notch plans enable insureds to have coverage for themselves and their families, and choose their own dentist and eye care specialist. There’s a small one-time deductible for dental services, and no deductible for vision services that include eye exams and, as needed, glasses or contact lenses. The maximum annual benefit per insured ranges from $1,250 to $1,500.

There you have it … the facts—and some of the latest plans—within the popular dental and dental/vision marketplace. And, guaranteed, your mentioning that you’ve added dental and dental/vision plans to your portfolio will not only attract interest and add to your bottom line on an ongoing basis, but prove an effective door-opener to the sale of other products and services.

Who could ask for anything more?

Renny V. Thomas, II, Ph.D., MBA, is executive vice president and COO of CAL/GROUP, a nationwide managing general underwriter headquartered in Palm Springs, Calif., which provides fully-insured plans as well as 100 percent excess-of-loss insurance for dental, vision and prescription drug card plans. He can be reached at (760) 416-9262, or rthomas@calgroup.com. Offering dental and vision benefits can and does cut down on employee absenteeism and thus helps maintain, and often improve, company production goals.