Group Dental
Dental care is a part of healthy living, and for this reason a dental benefit plan is a highly appreciated employee benefit. Yet, many of your clients do not offer a dental benefits plan as part of their overall benefit programs. This can add a financial burden for employees. Fortunately, MetLife has the knowledge and innovation to offer a range of affordable dental benefit plans to fit the needs of nearly all employers.
The MetLife Preferred Dentist Program (PDP)
The MetLife PDP is the cornerstone upon which we have built a wide range of dental benefit options. We are the largest commercial dental benefits administrator in the United States,1 serving over 20.5 million people including over 17.7 million participants through the MetLife PDP.2 The benefits of the PDP and our flexible plan designs enable you to offer a dental program that meets plan objectives and maximizes value for employer and employee alike.
- Over 80,000 dentist locations consisting of carefully credentialed dentists participate in the PDP nationwide, including over 18,000 specialists, with turnover at only 1.29% in 2004, and virtually no closed offices.
- Employers and employees can save money because participating PDP dentists accept negotiated fees that typically range from 10-35% below community average charges.3
- The PDP provides freedom of choice no office "lock-ins" or required specialty referrals. Employees may go out-of-network at any time and still receive benefits.
- All of MetLife's PDP plan design utilize MetLife's Quality Initiatives Program to help control costs.
Quality Management
Big provider networks alone may not provide the most value from dental benefits investments. We believe that you'll want to suggest a carrier that understands the changing trends in dentistry and has developed quality and utilization programs that address these changing needs.
To keep abreast of these changes, we established the MetLife Dental Advisory Council (DAC). The DAC is a group of academic and practicing dentists and corporate representatives responsible for overseeing MetLife's quality initiatives, dentist and employee communication and education, and integration of research and professional standards into claim payment policies.
Other aspects of MetLife's Quality Initiatives Program
- Strict up-front and periodic re-credentialling of dentists helps to increase confidence in the qualifications of participating dentists
- Monitoring of dentist treatment patterns to help manage costs and improve program value
- Claim review by independent licensed dentists helps provide for appropriate plan reimbursement
- On-site consultations, self-assessment surveys and ongoing communications to help participating dentists promote a safe environment for patient care in accordance with safety guidelines
- Valuable discount programs and technology to help dentists reduce overhead, improve overall business practices, and promote a stable network
A Concern for Your Clients' Privacy
At MetLife, we are dedicated to protecting your clients' right to privacy. That is why if they would like to authorize someone, such as a spouse, relative, or a friend to help them with matters concerning their dental benefits, they need to complete the Dental HIPAA Authorization for Disclosure of Personal Health Information form by clicking on the link below:
Dental HIPAA Authorization for Disclosure of Personal Information
Note that the completion and return of this authorization is completely voluntary. This will allow MetLife to release information about their dental benefits, including health information, to the person(s) specified. Please remember this concerns their personal records and can only be signed by an employee or their legal representative (such as a power of attorney, guardian or conservator).
Plan Designs
Preferred Dentist Program
A range of flexible plan alternatives is available to help meet the specific needs of employers. Plan designs can provide varying levels of incentives to use in-network providers, ranging from overlay plans (same benefit, coinsurance and maximum levels in- and out-of-network) to plans that can provide more cost savings (benefit levels vary in- and out-of-network). Certain plan designs are subject to restrictions and are not available in all states.
In addition, PDP Copay Plans may provide an attractive alternative to standalone or dual-option programs containing a Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO) or access plan. These fee-for-service plan designs offer competitive pricing alternatives to "capitated" plans.
Voluntary Dental Options
For groups with 10+ enrolled employees, MetLife offers a variety of voluntary dental plan designs, utilizing the Preferred Dentist Program (PDP).
All voluntary dental programs are supported by communication, enrollment and customer service support to help promote these plans to employees. We handle the implementation and enrollment tasks with a minimum of employer involvement, further reducing administrative burden.
Indemnity Programs
MetLife offers a variety of reasonable and customary (R&C) and scheduled plan designs to ensure the flexibility that employers demand. These plans can be combined with our Preferred Dentist Program which can provide savings on out-of-pocket expenses for employees who use participating PDP dentists.
For a glimpse at PDP participant group information, including online dentist searches with mapping capabilities, program information and more, Click Here.
Like most group dental policies, MetLife group policies contain certain exceptions, waiting periods, reductions, limitations and terms for keeping them in force. Please contact us for costs and complete details..
- MetLife Market Research, December 31, 2004
- MetLife data as of August 2005
- Based on internal analysis by MetLife