Humana Closes the Gap Between Dental Insurance and Wellness
July 08 2015 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
National dental plan leader launches new plan
designs featuring coverage beyond annual plan maximum, wellness
program integration
Often viewed as an afterthought to health care plans, dental
plans have largely sat on the sidelines as medical plans have
shifted their focus to long term health and wellness. Humana Inc.
(NYSE: HUM) is changing that dynamic with sweeping changes to its
dental plan benefit structure and integration with medical and
wellness plans.
Effective August 1, new employer-based Humana dental plans will
include no-cost coverage for preventive care including cleanings,
exams, x-rays, space maintainers and oral cancer screenings;
first-of-its-kind coverage beyond the dental plan’s annual maximum;
sophisticated reporting for members and employers to help maximize
plan benefits; and rewards and incentives for members enrolled in
the HumanaVitality® wellness program through their medical
plan.
“Dental health plays a key role in the health and well-being of
both an individual and an employer’s workforce,” said Dean M. Fry,
D.D.S., National Dental Director at Humana. “Now more than ever,
it’s clear that dental care needs to be an integrated part of an
employer’s larger wellness strategy for the health of its
workforce.”
As evidence of employers’ need to embrace dental care as part of
their overall wellness strategy, Dr. Fry points to a 10-year
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that revealed that
oral health problems in the U.S. led to 164 million lost work hours
and 12.7 million days of restricted activity each year.1
Humana is the first company to extend coverage beyond the dental
plan’s annual maximum, giving members assurance that dental care
need not be delayed even in the case of costly dental services. In
the event a Humana dental member needs care that extends beyond the
annual plan maximum set by their employer, he or she will benefit
from both Humana’s negotiated discount with their dentist and 30
percent coverage of the overall cost. For many people, this amounts
to as much as 60 percent savings.
The company is also harnessing dental claims data to better
inform members, personal nurses, care coordinators and health
coaches that work with members that have both Humana medical and
dental plans. For example, a diabetic might be prompted by a care
coordinator, armed with the date of the member’s last dental visit,
that it’s time for an annual checkup because diabetics are more
prone to gum disease.
To help people better understand their dental health and learn
surprising health facts related to their personal oral health
status, Humana developed a dental health assessment called My
Dental IQ. The on-line self-assessment probes six areas of health
and daily habits that impact dental well-being. Upon completing My
Dental IQ, users receive a personalized assessment and list of
recommendations, links to additional information, and a printable
report to be shared with their dentist. My Dental IQ is available
to members and non-members. Employer reporting is also available to
show aggregate employee dental health issues to help structure and
shape dental benefit plans to improve employee overall
wellbeing.
About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is a leading
health and well-being company focused on making it easy for people
to achieve their best health with clinical excellence through
coordinated care. The company’s strategy integrates care delivery,
the member experience, and clinical and consumer insights to
encourage engagement, behavior change, proactive clinical outreach
and wellness for the millions of people we serve across the
country.
More information regarding Humana is available to investors via
the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site
at www.humana.com, including copies of:
- Annual reports to stockholders;
- Securities and Exchange Commission
filings;
- Most recent investor conference
presentations;
- Quarterly earnings news releases;
- Replays of most recent earnings release
conference calls;
- Calendar of events (including upcoming
earnings conference call dates and times, as well as planned
interaction with research analysts and institutional investors);
and
- Corporate Governance information.
1 Centers for Disease Control:
http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/publications/factsheets/adult_oral_health/adults.htm
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150708005264/en/
Humana Corporate CommunicationsJeff Blunt,
513-826-7094jblunt@humana.com
Humana (NYSE:HUM)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2024 to Aug 2024
Humana (NYSE:HUM)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2023 to Aug 2024