Dental Insurance: It's Just Good Business

by Mark Matzke

Everyone talks about health insurance including the need for it, how to sell it, the best plans, and what to consider. Dental is just an add-on for many brokers. But, choosing dental insurance can be just as confusing as choosing medical coverage for employers and consumers.

As a broker, you have an opportunity to help employers and consumers understand the need for dental insurance, thereby helping grow your business. The benefit of selling dental plans is two-fold: the market potential is high and there is a general push among consumers to improve overall wellness, of which oral health is a significant part.

Dental Plans Equal Good Business Sense

More than 110 million Americans have no dental insurance, including more than 9 million in California alone, according to Harold Slavkin, dean of the USC School of Dentistry.

As healthcare costs continue to outpace the inflation rate, many companies are taking a more detailed look at how they spend their healthcare dollars. Dental insurance is often eliminated because of cost pressures. The Society of Human Resource Management notes that dental insurance tops the list of benefits employers are looking to cut.

It makes good financial sense for employers to offer dental coverage to their employees. It may cost them money initially. But, employers need to consider the absenteeism and lower productivity that result in the absence of coverage. Employers can even offer a voluntary dental product in which the employee pays the full premium, which is an excellent way to reap the benefits of dental insurance without increasing business costs.

It goes beyond productivity alone. It's also about the impact of dental health on overall health. Most employers don't realize that there's a correlation between oral health and overall health. This makes dental health that much more important and is a supporting point in the argument for investing in dental coverage.

The following is a simple, but dramatic chain of events that affects a company's bottom line:

1. No dental coverage

2. No dental visits

3. No early diagnosis

4. Greater absenteeism

5. Lower productivity

Education, Education, Education

We've talked about the business case for dental coverage, but we can't ignore the argument that dental health affects overall health. A study by the Academy of General Dentistry reveals that more than 90% of all systemic diseases have oral symptoms, meaning the dentist could be the first healthcare provider to diagnose a health problem. The Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health notes that many Americans have no dental insurance because they don't have access to affordable coverage and this lack of access is directly responsible for the prevalence of dental disease.

It's easy to make employers understand once you've talked them through it. Here are some pointers:

Start With The Numbers

The expense is a prime reason why many companies do not provide dental benefits. But, investing in dental coverage and preventive care saves money on more expensive procedures later on, which helps keep insurance premiums lower for employers. The American Dental Hygienists' Association estimates that every dollar spent on prevention in oral healthcare saves $8 to $50 on costly restorative and emergency procedures. Preventive dental care, early detection, and proper treatment save the U.S. $4 billion annually in healthcare costs, according to a Public Health Reports study.

Focus on the Bigger Picture

You'll make a stronger case for investing in dental coverage by educating employers on the link between oral health and overall health. A variety of tools and information is available for you to reference. Consider the following:

¥ Dental hygiene visits can help save lives through early detection of cancer and other diseases that threaten seniors and older adults, according to Lin Sarfaraz, RDH, former president of the California Dental Hygienists Association.

¥ People with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as are those without periodontal disease, according to the American Academy of Periodontology. This bacteria-harboring tartar is easily identified and removed with a simple dental visit.

¥ As many as 80% of American adults have some form of periodontal disease, according to a 2007 study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

¥ A study from Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control reveals that the mortality rate for people with gingivitis and periodontitis is 23% to 46% higher than the rate for those who donÕt have those conditions. TheyÕre linked to increased rates of cardiovascular disease and stroke, as well as to an increase in mortality from other causes, such as infections.

Offer Alternatives

There is hope if your clients still have concerns about costs and just aren't buying into the argument linking dental health and overall health. Discuss voluntary dental plans that include basic, major, and preventive services. These plans can be can stand-alone or combined with lower-cost, employer-sponsored plans that offer employees the opportunity to buy the additional benefits they and their families want.

Reassure Them

Point out that the employer already offers coverage for medical needs, which are typically unpredictable, expensive, and an insurable risk. However, dental needs are mostly predictable, low cost, and low risk. In addition, the employer will gain the good will of employees for simply offering them the option.

Armed with this type of information, you should meet far less resistance in selling dental plans to California companies. In addition, there are more openings for discussing dental coverage in a benefits package because they can be sold with larger health plans or on their own.

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Mark Matzke is president of Humana Dental.