METLIFE INTRODUCES FULL SERVICE DENTAL BENEFITS PLAN FOR RETIREE MARKET
NEW YORK, April 05, 2007
MetLife today announced a new dental plan to help employers meet the needs of their retirees. MetLife’s Full Service Dental for Retirees is a turnkey offering that bundles standard and enhanced dental plans along with participant marketing, enrollment, customer service, record-keeping and billing services. Retirees pay 100% of the premium.
Dental coverage is seen as a valued benefit by employees of all ages, and today’s retirees, who, in general, are living longer and healthier lives than previous generations, are looking for continued access to affordable oral health care.
"Continuing dental benefits into retirement — especially with a plan that provides the freedom to use any dentist — allows retirees to maintain trusted relationships with their dentists as well as helps reduce the financial obstacles that can prevent obtaining appropriate oral health care. Employers can play a critical role as MetLife research indicates maintaining dental benefits coverage is very important to pre-retirees and retirees," said Michael Schwartz, MetLife vice president, Dental Product Management.
Retirees can enroll — via paper, phone or internet — in one of two dental options based on their personal needs and budgets. Both options provide for preventive services as well as basic dental services. The enhanced option provides additional benefits for major restorative services. There are different deductibles and annual maximums between the two options, and retirees can also choose coverage for their spouses, domestic partners, and dependent children.
Both benefit options under MetLife’s Full Service Dental for Retirees provide participants the freedom to utilize any practicing dentist and receive benefits for covered services. Plan participants also have access to MetLife’s Preferred Dentist Program (PDP) — a nationwide network of nearly 100,000 dentist locations consisting of carefully selected general and specialty dentists. Dentists participating in MetLife’s PDP agree to accept MetLife’s negotiated fees (typically 10% to 35% less than average fees in their local community) as payment in full for all services covered by the plan. Participating dentists even agree to extend these fees for services not covered under the plan, providing added value beyond the dental coverage.
MetLife’s Full Service Dental for Retirees plan is presently available to employers with retirees living in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
MetLife administers dental benefits for nearly 21 million people, more than any other commercial carrier. MetLife is a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), a leading provider of insurance and financial services with operations throughout the United States and the Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific regions. Through its domestic and international subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife, Inc. reaches more than 70 million customers around the world and MetLife is the largest life insurer in the U.S. (based on life insurance in-force). The MetLife companies offer life insurance, annuities, auto and home insurance, retail banking and other financial services to individuals, as well as group insurance, reinsurance and retirement & savings products and services to corporations and other institutions. For more information, please visit www.metlife.com.