Rewards Members for Getting Preventive Care
PLANTATION, Fla., Dec. 19, 2006 /PRNewswire/ -- CIGNA Dental today
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 Dental Hygienists' Association, 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
preventive dental 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 basic dental care
services which include fillings and basic restorative services and/or
major dental care 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."
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.
(1) http://www.adha.org (American Dental Hygienists' Association)
* WellnessPlus is not available in all states.
SOURCE CIGNA Dental
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Related links:
http://www.cigna.com
http://www.adha.org
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/165050.html /
CONTACT:
Nicole Blatcher, CIGNA, +1-215-761-4756,
nicole.blatcher@cigna.com
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