Dental/VisionAlmost half of U.S. employees are not fully taking advantage of their vision benefits, potentially putting themselves at greater risk for costly eye problems and systemic diseases.
The ink barely was dry on H.R. 3962, the House health reform bill, before dental industry leaders hunkered down to fight drastic changes to dental coverages and how dental plans were administered.
For all the discordant debates, sometimes violent town hall meetings and shouts of 'You lie!' from lawmakers that have fraught the discussion of health care reform this year, it's more than likely that employers didn't hear the voice of a more civil participant in the proceedings - the dental industry.
Sitting here desperately trying to sip a glass of red wine through still-numb lips following several shots of Novocain this afternoon at my friendly neighborhood dentist, I find myself wondering why on earth a self-respecting risk and benefits manager would run through an entire year's dental plan in only one sitting. Am I missing the boat when choosing the coverage to be offered to my fellow employees?
Routine eye care facilitated by employee exploitation of vision care benefits can be a vital adjunct to standard employee health promotion efforts, helping to detect and address serious clinical conditions beyond those pertaining exclusively to eye care, recent research shows.
EBN recently picked the brains of executives at leading dental benefits providers and dental benefits organizations to ask them about what trends they saw emerging in dental benefits over the next several years, and the tips they'd offer to employers to make sure their dental benefits matched those trends.
The saying goes the eyes are the window to the soul, but a new study suggests that the eyes may also hold the key to shedding millions off health care costs.
Laser surgery, one of the biggest innovations in vision care in recent decades, hasn't made a lot of headway as a covered benefit.The operation, called Lasik, permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, using a laser.
Dental and vision plans have remained unchanged since they originated nearly 50 years ago. All plans are nearly identical in design from one insurer to another.
Two strong forces are at work in the dental benefits market, creating new plan designs that are progressive on one hand, 'retro' on the other and increasingly consumer-centric