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Aetna Introduces Dental-Only Insurance Plans For Individuals And Their Families


WEBWIRE

Plans offer affordable option for the more than 100 million americans without dental insurance

HARTFORD, Conn. — Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) announced today that it has begun selling stand-alone dental plans to individuals and families, which are now effective as of June 1, 2008. These new products will initially be offered in Arizona, Delaware, Illinois and Pennsylvania, with plans to expand their availability to additional states in the future.

Individuals, including those who are eligible for Medicare, will be able to purchase these plans at any age. In addition, there will be no medical underwriting, meaning that individuals are automatically accepted if they apply (prices will vary based on age and geographic region).

There will be two PPO-style options for individuals to choose from — the Aetna Individual AdvantageSM Dental PPO Plan and the Aetna Individual AdvantageSM Dental PPO Plus Plan. Both plans will give members access to Aetna’s PPO network of participating dental practices, which includes more than 105,000 available dental practice locations throughout the country.

Individuals can find more information on these plans and purchase them directly at www.aetna.com/buydental or by calling 1-877-243-3682.

“The fact that 47 million individuals in our country do not have health insurance is often mentioned, but it is rarely noted that more than twice as many individuals lack dental insurance,” said Frank McCauley, head of Aetna’s Consumer Business Segment. “We believe that a stand-alone dental product will help increase access to important dental care.”

Aetna’s Emphasis on Dental Health
Recently, numerous studies have demonstrated the connection between dental health and overall health. This includes research conducted by Aetna and the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine that shows a correlation between periodontal disease and individuals with chronic conditions, including people with diabetes or heart disease.

“Our research with Columbia indicates that promoting preventive dental care can have an impact on the overall wellness of our members,” said Alan Hirschberg, head of Aetna Dental.

In addition to this research, Aetna has worked with Columbia to develop a number of continuing education courses for participating dentists on the connection between dental health and overall health. Columbia also provides the content for Aetna’s dental education website, Simple Steps to Better Dental Health®.

Health Insurance Plans for Individuals
In addition to this stand-alone dental product, all of Aetna’s individual health insurance plans give members the option of adding on a dental PPO plan (the optional plan is not the same as the stand-alone dental product offerings).

Aetna’s health insurance plans for Individuals and Families are currently being sold directly to consumers or through independent insurance agents and brokers in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming and Washington, D.C. Additional information about Aetna’s plans for individuals and their families is available at www.AetnaIndividual.com or by calling 1-866-582-9629 or your insurance agent.



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