For 2009, would you like to avoid that "sharp stick-in-the-eye" sales syndrome?
If so, let’s get busy and get the creative juices starting to flow. You don’t want to be one of those sales type of humanoids that’s going to get caught up in the economic meltdown distractions … do you?
The best way to avoid that type of environment would be to try on an innovative thinking cap … just made for you.
Here are some items that should have been on your 2008 Christmas list for Santa:
Facts … dental facts … some new dental facts that pertain to what’s going on today in our voluntary and employer-paid group world.
Listen to what employees are saying about dental benefits…straight from their mouths.
There is a high perceived value – In an increasingly competitive environment, a strong benefits package can play a key role in attracting and retaining top talent. Dental coverage plays a huge role in rounding out that package – based on research indicating that prospective and current employees place great value on dental benefits.
A survey of attitudes toward dental benefits found that a majority of respondents did not view the rising cost of health care as a credible reason for cutting dental benefits – and 80 percent of the respondents felt it was “very important/somewhat important” that prospective employers provide dental benefits.
There are varying needs — Different groups face different oral health challenges. Generational attitudes and family status can drastically affect the type of dental care employees are likely to need and expect.
Understanding these variances can help you choose dental benefit options that best meet the requirements of your prospects and clients employees.
The importance of good oral health
Try to understand and communicate the positive impact of preventative care.
Oral Health — A major oral health study examining more than years of dental claims data on under 1 million claimants/enrollees presented clear evidence that dental benefits — and the increased accessibility to dental care provided — lead to dramatic improvements in oral health.
Overall Health — Furthermore, an overwhelming 85 percent of Americans report awareness that their oral health is very important to their overall health — a belief confirmed by increasing scientific evidence that links the two. In fact, many serious systemic health conditions — including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer — can be detected early by an oral examination.
Likelihood to seek care – Despite clearly understanding the need to take care of their oral health, employees often neglect to do so when dental benefits are not made available — reporting “lack of dental insurance” as the primary reason for not seeking preventative care from a dentist within the past 12 months.
Every $1 spent on prevention saves $4 in treatment — Another study found that about 51 percent of those without dental benefits reported seeing a dentist within the past year — as compared with more than 70 percent among individuals with dental benefits.
By offering dental benefits that suit the employee base, you can motivate the workforce to maintain good oral health and, therefore, overall health and higher productivity.
Productivity – Neglected oral health can lead to physical consequences that negatively influence an employee’s overall quality of life and productivity at work. Pain and suffering due to untreated diseases can cause problems with eating, speaking, and paying attention.
Among adults, more than 164 million work hours are lost each year due to dental problems.
Employees also risk missing additional work hours when their children suffer from poor health. The Surgeon General reports that 51 million school hours are missed each year due to dental-related illnesses.
Want to keep the attention of your employer audience? Especially while your educating and talking on the drab benefits propaganda that we espouse…then try this one on for size: Direct Reimbursement!
It’s often referred to as DR…it’s been around for many years…it’s more popular in the southern sections of the country…and the concept is heavily endorsed by the American Dental Association. If you plan on talking about it, make sure you totally understand it and be sure to discuss its pros and cons with industry experts before venturing out in the business world with your new 2009 attention getter.
Direct Reimbursement is not an insurance product, it is a self-funded group dental plan in which the employee is reimbursed based on a percentage of dollars spent for dental care provided, and which allows employees to seek treatment from the dentist of their choice…there is no dental network involvement.
The American Dental Association strongly supports DR, the dental profession’s preferred method of financing dental treatment. The two primary reasons for this support are freedom of choice and fee-for-service dentistry.
DR works much like reimbursement for employee expense accounts. In fact, administration is as easy as A-B-C:
A. Employee and/or covered dependents receive treatment from a dentist of their choice.
B. The employee pays the dentist’s bill and presents a paid receipt or proof of payment to the employer or third-party administrator.
C. The employee is reimbursed according to the plan design that is chosen to meet the company’s needs.
There are no monthly insurance premiums — so you pay only when your employees actually visit the dentist. As much as 88-90 percent of your benefit dollars goes to actual dental care. There are no complex claim procedures or forms to complete. And, employees are free to choose any dentist they like, including their current one. Many third-party administrators offer direct assignment, that is, payment is made directly to the dentist.
Direct Reimbursement is a very interesting concept, especially as it relates to traditional insured (or funded) dental plans. You’re sure to keep the attention of your listener…just make sure that your up-to-speed on the subject … and that your listener doesn’t know more than you do about DR when you feel you might want to open up the conversation.
How about Individual Dental products or Senior Dental products? Better get moving on getting up to speed on these items as they are HOT for 2009. Especially with the aging population and the workforce staying in place beyond age 65 in today’s deteriorating work environments. Better yet, these products don’t carry any Regulatory baggage requirements as they relate to Association marketing, nor carry any participation requirements as do their sister group dental platform products.
Also, some of the sexier individual dental products may have an “embedded” vision or wellness benefit inside the product. Generally, in the form of a set annual fee payout for an eye exam or wellness exam that is performed during the year.
The “coupling” of products time has arrived…and is alive and well for 2009…namely, ancillary products such as group dental, group vision, individual dental, senior dental, hearing health riders, or group Rx products.
What prescription drug benefits were to the 1970-80’s, and what dental benefits were to the 1980-90’s, vision and hearing benefits have become to the 2000’s. The aging of the baby boomers joined with the extended life span of the boomers’ parents, all corrective vision consumers, virtually assures vision care, (historically a step-child benefit) a more secure seat at the benefits bargaining table. The further advancements made in Laser Vision Correction technology will only continue this trend.
Look for employees to start using their benefits more, a lot more than years past…especially if most workers foresee a layoff or fear their job being terminated. This will cause an increase in the overall product loss ratios, which could interpret into a sizable increase in renewal premiums that you’ll be delivering at the end of 2009 for the 2010 renewal year. WOW…2008 has ended, 2009 just got started, and we’re looking already at 2010 sales strategies.
Somebody better … because when that bus comes around the corner, we want to be on it and not under it.
Whatever it takes … GO for it!