February 22, 2012
CAI Insurance Agency

Employer Sponsored & Voluntary Dental Programs

Miscellaneous - IMA1401.jpgMore and more employees (and prospective employees) expect Dental Insurance to be a part of your Benefits Package. Good dental health is a critical compement to good overall health of your employees - Poor dental hygiene can contribute to conditions leading to heart disease, stroke, and other circulatory conditions. Considering the fact that you can offer Dental Insurance to your small to mid-size group at little or no cost to the business, the question is - Can you afford not to make Dental Insurance a part of your Benefits Program?

 
Group Dental Insurance may be sponsored by the employer or may be offered as an entirely Voluntary Program to employees. Employer sponsorship generally results in a slight premium discount - usually 5% - 10%. Some Dental Insurers require your employees to utilize their Dental PPO, while others will permit your staff to utilize any qualified provider. Plans can be offered to nearly any size group, starting with small employers of two or more. Employers of 20 or more may qualify to Self Insure their dental program through our in house Third Party Administrator

 
At CAI, we work with the major regional providers of Dental Insurance so we can match your objectives with the most appropriate insurance company and product. Some of the factors we consider when matching an insurer with your business include:

  • Employer Sponsored vs. Voluntary - Some insurance companies require employer sponsorship of very small groups. In other cases, employers may want to participate with premium contributions on behalf of their employees.
  • Number of Employees - some insurers prefer small groups, others like big companies
  • Location - Are all of your employees concentrated in a single geographic area or are they spread across several states
  • Network - Dental PPO programs may come at a discount compared to an open access program.
  • Self Funding - Dental insurance programs typically provide defined annual benefits at relatively low limits. Employers desiring broad, open access to providers and the ability to customize their benefits may find Self Insurance to be a low risk and attractive option.