HARTFORD, Conn., October 6, 2003 — Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) today announced a new product – Vital Savings by AetnaSM – that offers employees and retirees without dental insurance access to one of the nation’s largest dental discount networks. Vital Savings provides access to a network of 48,000 dental office locations nationwide and it targets the 40 percent of Americans who currently lack dental insurance.
"What makes this program unique is that Aetna, already a major player in the health care and dental care markets, is offering a national network of dentists to meet the needs of an underserved market," said Mark T. Bertolini, senior vice president of Specialty Products, which includes Aetna Dental. "In these uncertain economic times, when people face difficult choices about how to provide dental care for themselves and their families, we think Vital Savings is a great alternative.
"Vital Savings by Aetna opens a large network of dentists to many who need service. This product is good for consumers because it offers immediate savings, and it’s good for dentists because it expands their potential client base without creating additional administrative issues," Bertolini said.
Vital Savings by Aetna will reach many different markets, such as:
- People whose employers offer medical insurance only.
- Part-time employees who may not have a benefit package that includes dental from their employers.
- People who have opted out of dental insurance for personal or financial reasons.
- Retirees who do not currently have dental insurance.
The program is a flexible addition for employers, who can either choose to contribute to an employee discount program, or not. A person participating in Vital Savings pays a monthly or annual fee and can choose among participating dentists, whom they then pay directly for dental service at discounted rates. Other than enrolling, there are no forms or claims to be filed by the consumer or dentist.
"It is important to note that this is not insurance," Bertolini said. "This is a program where people can take advantage of a credentialed network that Aetna has put together because of its expertise, size and financial strength. We provide access to this network for a fixed fee, but the consumer chooses their dentist, service level, and dental care programs individually."
At no additional charge Vital Savings can also be used to gain access to vision care services through Vision One®, a registered trademark of Cole Managed Vision.
Though this program will be offered by Aetna to large plan sponsors initially, it is anticipated that Vital Savings will become available to additional audiences like students, COBRA participants and individuals over the next 6 – 18 months.
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability and long-term care products, serving more than 13.0 million medical members, 11.3 million dental members and 11.7 million group insurance customers, as of June 30, 2003. The company has expansive nationwide networks of more than 579,000 health care services providers, including nearly 349,000 primary care and specialist physicians and 3,589 hospitals. For more information about Aetna, please visit the company’s web site at www.aetna.com.
