Thursday, June 19, 2014

DentaQuest Brings Oral Health Perspective to AHIP Institute 2014


Last week, DentaQuest presented at the America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Institute 2014 conference in Seattle. AHIP Institute is the largest gathering of health plans and related services. Mike Enright, National Director for Commercial Sales at DentaQuest; Steve Pollock, Chief Operating Officer at DentaQuest; and Dr. Rob Compton, Executive Director of the DentaQuest Institute, made the case that ancillary products like dental and vision are  highly desired by consumers and important to health plan growth.
Consider that 20% of purchasers on the federal health insurance marketplace in this first year bought a dental plan in addition to a medical plan. For many this is the first time they have ever had dental benefits. Standalone plans on exchanges are filling a need for consumers who did not have access to dental benefits previously. Health plans that partner with dental plans to offer comprehensive, reliable and cost effective benefits are well positioned to provide consumers with a high value product.
DentaQuest surveyed health plans both this year and last year for their thoughts on including a dental benefit in their offerings. In 2013, 83 percent responded that they planned to add a dental benefit. This year, 100 percent confirmed a desire to add dental. We heard this theme repeated in multiple presentations at this conference—having ancillary products – especially dental and vision – in a health plan’s product mix is a differentiator. Beyond that, these benefits open opportunities to better manage overall health and wellness.
Over 3,000 people attended the conference, which this year focused on engaging the consumer in their healthcare choices. To honor that theme, the opening session featured leaders from three consumer focused companies – REI, Trader Joe’s and Nordstrom, Inc. DentaQuest was the only dental benefit company participating; we are honored to have had the opportunity to present at such a distinguished conference.