MetLife announced recently that its new individual dental product, MetLife TakeAlong DentalSM, has rapidly begun receiving state insurance department approvals, and will be available in the marketplace in the first quarter 2016. With this product, businesses of all sizes will be able to expand coverage to more of their employees, such as part-time or retired workers, whom they may have not been able to include previously in a traditional dental plan due to administrative burdens or cost.
“We know from MetLife’s 13th Annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study that dental insurance is a key benefit for many workers, with more than two-thirds listing it as a ‘must have’ benefit,” said Christen White, senior vice president and head of group dental and vision at MetLife. “Compared to those who don’t have dental insurance benefits, employees who have dental are significantly more likely to indicate they will stay at their employer—81 percent versus 70 percent—and that they are satisfied with their benefits—87 percent versus 50 percent—so the implications for employee loyalty are significant.”
Added White, “At MetLife, we’re focused on helping employers find the right benefits solutions to better balance costs and employee needs, so we have designed a product that gives employers the opportunity to expand dental benefits at no cost to them, and with little to no administration, yet still provide their employees with quality dental insurance. We are especially excited that one private exchange has already signed up to provide TakeAlong Dental as soon as it launches.”
Unlike many individual dental offerings that only feature a percentage discount card or provide very limited coverage and networks, TakeAlong Dental will provide covered services similar to group plans, including the same network of pre-screened providers, online access and claims handling that are available to all of MetLife’s group benefits customers.
“With the number of part-time workers and pre-retirees growing in today’s workforce, the need for a voluntary dental solution has never been greater. Employers and brokers who have been unable to find a dental insurance solution to fit the unique needs of their diverse workforce will appreciate TakeAlong Dental,” added Matthew Gallina, vice president, growth strategies, MetLife. “Since MetLife supports the end to end administration from enrollment to employee billing to ongoing service, the workload on employers is minimal. And for employees, we’ve made it simple: it’s guaranteed issue, affordably priced, and portable so they can take it with them. This will allow employers to be confident that they have made the best decision for their business.”
To date, MetLife TakeAlong DentalSM has been approved in Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada and West Virginia, and is pending approval in the remaining states, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Brokers and agents will be able to provide TakeAlong Dental to their clients in these and other states by the end of the First Quarter, 2016. To learn more about MetLife’s Group Benefits offerings, please visit https://www.metlife.com/brokers/benefit-products/group-employee/index.html.
MetLife, Inc., through its subsidiaries and affiliates (MetLife), is one of the largest life insurance companies in the world. Founded in 1868, MetLife is a global provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management. Serving approximately 100 million customers, MetLife has operations in nearly 50 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.
