Delta Dental Launches New Voluntary PPO in California; Small and Medium Companies Can Offer Affordable Dental Benefits to Uninsured Employees.

SAN FRANCISCO -- California employers with as few as 5 employees can now offer affordable, voluntary dental benefits to workers and their families with access to the state's largest dentist network. E[acute accent]Effective August 1, Delta Dental of California, a San Francisco-based nonprofit dental service corporation, has launched a dental PPO program that lets company employees fund their own affordable dental benefits. Participating employers collect and submit only the payment and eligibility information of those enrollees opting to participate in order to obtain the program's competitive pricing advantages. E[acute accent]Under a voluntary benefits program, employees can choose whether or not to participate, paying either all or a majority portion of the premium. Delta Dental's voluntary PPO offers the advantage of group underwriting, which helps keep rates affordable. Company officials say the program holds special appeal to employers unable to fund group dental benefits, but willing to perform a few simple administrative tasks to make the benefits available to their workers and their families. E[acute accent]"Small and mid-size groups are typically interested in this kind of program, because even if they are unable to afford dental benefits themselves, they can still leverage their payroll systems to help employees gain access to valuable benefits," said Belinda Martinez, Delta Dental's senior vice president for Sales and Marketing. "These kinds of programs can also work well with consumer-directed and flexible spending account set-ups," she said. E[acute accent]The program's low cost is due in part to a benefits design that phases in coverage after 12 months to minimize the impact of turnover and adverse selection. There is 100 percent immediate coverage for diagnostic and preventive services, with coverage for all other services beginning on the 13th month of enrollment. The low monthly rate is guaranteed to remain unchanged for at least 24 months. E[acute accent]Delta Dental's voluntary PPO is available to employers, associations, affinity groups and other trust organizations. Orthodontia coverage is available for groups enrolling 25 or more primary enrollees, and rate discounts are available for group dental plans offered in conjunction with a Section 125 plan.

E[acute accent]Delta Dental of California is part of a San Francisco-based holding company system that collectively serves nearly 21 million enrollees in both commercial and government-sponsored programs throughout the nation. It is also a member of the Delta Dental Plans Association, whose member companies cooperate on programs that today cover more than 46 million enrollees nationwide.