What to know about voluntary (employee-paid) dental
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A competitive benefits package — including great dental coverage — could make the difference in attracting and retaining the best talent. In fact, 68 percent of employees consider dental benefits as important when deciding whether to stay at their current job or move to a new one.
There’s no question that regular dental check-ups are important for your employees’ health. While it’s nice to have a pearly white smile, good oral health is particularly important for employees with certain health conditions, including:
- Diabetes: People with diabetes have a higher chance of having gum disease — an infection of the gum and bone — which can lead to pain, persistent bad breath, chewing difficulties and tooth loss, in some cases.
- Pregnancy: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the children of mothers who have untreated cavities or tooth loss are more than three times more likely to have cavities themselves.
- Heart conditions: Gum disease is associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease, and poor oral health increases the risk of a bacterial infection in the blood stream, which can impact the heart valves.
Not only is an incomplete benefits package a risk to talent and harmful to employees with certain conditions, but poor dental hygiene is costly to employers. Studies show that there's an estimated $45 billion loss in productivity due to oral health issues that lead to increased work absences. If you're looking for ways to support your employees' oral hygiene while keeping overall costs down, voluntary dental insurance might be the solution.
What is voluntary dental insurance?
You may have heard of a contributory medical or dental plan where you, the employer, contribute at least 50 percent toward the premium; or a noncontributory plan where the employer pays 100 percent of the premium, but there's another option available. Voluntary benefits are offered by an employer but are supported 100 percent by the employee through regular payroll deductions, and the employee pays the full cost of the premium.
The challenge for encouraging participation in voluntary benefits is that employees may hesitate to enroll because they don't understand the benefits. Communicating new benefit options ahead of an upcoming Open Enrollment Period (OEP) is key to helping them feel more comfortable and informed.
Typically, voluntary benefits plans offer the same services and cost-share levels as other benefit designs. Wellmark's voluntary dental plan offers two options, so your employees can choose the coverage that suits their needs best.
Among employers, interest in voluntary benefits is growing, too. According to HR Dive, about one-third of U.S. employers intend to increase the range of voluntary benefits they offer to employees by 2027, based on a report from Gallagher.
How a voluntary dental plan might benefit you
There are two benefits to offering voluntary dental to your employees:
- Attracting and retaining talent — The competition to attract the best talent can be fierce in today's employment landscape and a good benefits package can make the difference. Employees are looking for a complete benefits package, and voluntary benefits make it easy to offer a range of benefits without contributing to your bottom line.
- Cost savings — Because dental benefits are elected and paid by the employee, almost no cost is incurred by adding a voluntary coverage option. Even businesses with a tight budget can offer a robust dental benefits package to employees with Wellmark's voluntary dental benefit. These savings benefit your employees too, because employees can take advantage of a dental plan at group health insurance rates, which are generally lower than the cost of individual health insurance.
Voluntary dental could benefit your business
Wellmark's voluntary dental plan design is available to large, midsize and small groups. If you are interested in exploring the voluntary dental benefit for your organization, contact your authorized Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield account representative to discuss plan options.