A Reason to Smile: Health Net of California Launches 'Health Net Dental'.

Health Net Dental Removes the Barrier of Accessing Dental Care by Providing Low-Cost Coverage

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. -- Health Net of California is giving Healthy Families participants a reason to smile: low-cost dental insurance is now available in nine additional counties in California.

"Tooth decay is a leading cause of missed school days among school-age children," said Robert Shechet, D.D.S., chief dental officer for Health Net of California. "We need to make every effort to ensure that all children have access to dental care, and it cannot be understated: Access to dental care is dependent on access to dental coverage. We need to help children get access and preventive treatments."

The new dental counties are: Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Sacramento, San Diego, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare and Ventura. Health Net Dental also is available in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The Health Net Dental program will help many families fulfill California's oral health requirement. California requires that all children have a dental checkup by May 31 of their first year in public school (kindergarten or first grade). One of the aims of the legislation is to assess the current dental epidemic that is plaguing California. According to the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, approximately 478,000 children (ages 2-5) do not have dental insurance and only 58 percent of children (ages 2-5) have ever received dental care.

Studies also have shown that dental health issues can present significant personal and academic challenges for students. The UCLA report cites that a consistent lack of dental care can lead to tooth decay, which in turn causes an accelerated loss of teeth. The loss of teeth can impair speech development, nutritional development (from an inability to eat nutritious foods), and psychological problems for children (from an unusual appearance). Tooth decay (and associated dental problems) also is a leading cause of missed school days among school-age children.

"For many families, access to high-quality and affordable dental insurance is often the link that will help them receive preventive dental care," continued Dr. Shechet. "The Health Net Dental program will hopefully remove the cost barriers that keep many families and children from visiting a dentist."

Health Net of California is one of the few health plans that offers both comprehensive health and dental coverage through California's Healthy Families program. Healthy Families is a state and federally funded program designed to help low-income families access high-quality and affordable health AND dental coverage. The cost for insuring children through the Healthy Families program is $4 to $15 per month per child, with a maximum cap of $45 a month, regardless of family size.

For additional information on the Health Net Dental program or to learn more about Healthy Families, please call 1-800-213-6991.

Health Net of California, a subsidiary of Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT), is one of the largest health plans in California, serving nearly 2.3 million members statewide. It contracts with more than 51,000 physicians, 300 hospitals and 4,600 pharmacies, giving its members greater choice and more convenient access to care. Its commercial HMO/POS and Medicare lines of business have received the "Excellent" accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. For more information about Health Net, visit its Web site at www.healthnet.com.