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HealthPartners Launches New Children's Dental Benefit
First of its kind benefit promotes lifelong oral health
June 4, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – HealthPartners today launched Little Partners Dental, a new dental benefit for children age 12 and younger that provides full coverage for all dental care services. HealthPartners designed the benefit to improve children's access to dental care, help children develop good oral health habits and reduce the risk and high cost of dental disease later in life. Little Partners Dental is the first benefit of its kind in the nation.
Unlike traditional dental benefits that come with deductibles, coinsurance or annual maximum benefits, Little Partners Dental provides 100 percent coverage for covered services' performed by a network dentist for children 12 and under – with no deductibles, coinsurance, or annual maximums.
"We know that cost is often a barrier for families seeking dental care for their children." said David Gesko, DDS dental director for the HealthPartners Dental Group. "We also know that children who lack proper dental care often end up with significant, irreversible oral health problems as adults, such as tooth loss, chronic infections and aesthetic concerns from a compromised smile." Gesko said improving children's access to dental care by making it more affordable for their families gives children a great start on a lifetime of oral health.
"There is a growing body of evidence of a link between poor oral health and chronic disease, so we look at this benefit as an investment that our organization, our purchasers and members are making in the long-term health of our youngest members," said Forrest Flint, vice president, HealthPartners Dental Plan. "We want to make dental care more affordable and accessible for children and their families."
About HealthPartners
Founded in 1957, the HealthPartners (www.healthpartners.com) family of healthcare companies serve more than one million medical and dental health plan members nationwide. It is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization in the nation, providing care, coverage, research and education to improve the health of members, patients and the community. For the third year in a row, HealthPartners is rated one of the best commercial health plans in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, NCQA's "America's Best Health Plans 2007" and is ranked "Highest in Member Satisfaction among Commercial Health Plans in the Minnesota-Wisconsin Region" by J.D. Power and Associates.
Contact: 952-883-5223
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