CIGNA Dental announced
the expansion of its DPPO product suite
to include three new CIGNA Dental WellnessPlus* features
that reward members who receive preventive
dental care by increasing their benefits.
"Incentives in employee benefits
are an important tool employers can use
to encourage employees to adopt healthy
behaviors," said Rebekah Whitehouse,
chief marketing officer for CIGNA Dental. "This
fresh new consumer-focused approach applies
concepts routinely used in medical plans
to the field of dental benefits, with
the goal of improving the overall health
of employees while increasing opportunities
to control costs and improve productivity."
Effective January 1, 2007, these
enhancements to CIGNA Dental’s
DPPO plans promote healthier outcomes
by combining the flexibility that employers
want with the incentives employees value.
According to the American Association
of Dental Hygienists, each $1 spent on
preventive dental care could save $8
to $50 in restorative and emergency treatment.1
WellnessPlus *
The new WellnessPlus features,
which are available as part of CIGNA
Dental’s DPPO and Indemnity product
offerings, will allow employers to
choose from dental plan modules that
offer a varying level of incentives
to employees for receiving preventive
dental care. When members receive any
Class I service, which includes preventive
care services such as cleanings, oral
exams and X-rays in year one, their
benefits increase in the following
plan year. The three modules include:
- Progressive Maximum –members
receiving preventive care in any year
earn a higher dollar maximum in the
next year, up to a certain level set
by the employer.
- Progressive Benefit – members
are rewarded for receiving preventive
care in any year by earning higher
benefit levels for certain services
in the following year. Depending on
the plan design the employer selects,
the increased benefits could apply
to Class II services, which include
basic dental care such as fillings
and basic restorative services and/or
Class III services, which include major
services such as crowns, bridges and
root canals. Each year members remain
enrolled in these plans and continue
to receive preventive care, their benefit
levels increase in the following plan
year, until reaching a pre-determined
level set by the employer.
- Progressive/Regressive Benefit – members
who receive preventive care are rewarded
with increased benefit levels in the
following year. If after attaining
an increased benefit level, members
do not receive preventive care, their
benefit level will decrease in the
following year; however, the benefit
level will never fall below the original
benefit level.
"Employers want the freedom to
customize their DPPO-based dental product
to correspond to their specific needs,
such as cost control, network access,
and flexible funding options,"
said Whitehouse. "With WellnessPlus they
can do just that, while stressing the
importance of regular preventive care."
1www.adha.org (American
Dental Hygienist Association)
*WellnessPlus is not available in all
states.
About CIGNA Dental
Based in Plantation, Florida, CIGNA Dental
meets the dental coverage needs of
more than 10.7 million members, and
the employer needs of more than one-third
of all Fortune 100 companies. CIGNA
Dental members access care from one
of the largest dental HMO and dental
PPO networks in the U.S., with more
than 83,400 DPPO contracted access
points (over 45,000 unique providers)
and over 28,530 DHMO contracted access
points (over 8,500 unique providers).
CIGNA was one of the first insurance
companies to offer dental indemnity,
introducing its first plan in 1964,
and became the first national carrier
to enter the Dental HMO market. CIGNA
Dental refers to the following operating
subsidiaries of CIGNA Corporation:
Connecticut General Life Insurance
Company, and CIGNA Dental Health, Inc.,
and its operating subsidiaries and
affiliates.
