Innovative Service Helps Dentists Reach 40% of Uninsured Americans
Albany, Oregon (PRWEB) July 28, 2014 -- A staggering 85.9% of Affordable Care Act enrollees are opting out of dental coverage. Research from the Department of Health and Human Services shows of the Of the 8,019,736 people who have purchased benefits through the Affordable Care Act, only 1,129,739 have purchased dental benefits. At the same time, the Surgeon General states dental problems account for 164 million hours of missed work, 51 million days of missed school and 41 million days of restricted activities. Dental disease is the number one disease in the Nation, yet expensive and impractical insurance plans are not what the people want.
Dentists strive to improve the oral health of their communities but have been at a loss when trying to reach the large number of uninsured. There is no question that preventive dental care is an urgent need for all Americans. However, the barrier of traditional insurance is obviously too great for a large percentage of the population to overcome. In an effort to solve the enormous gap in health care provision Oral BioTech, an Oregon company has created a solution that is a win-win for both doctors and patients: Compass.
Compass is an in house membership plan that eliminates the need for traditional insurance all together. Much like a club membership to a grocery store, for a low monthly fee, patients receive annual preventive appointments as well as discounts for restorative or elective cosmetic procedures.
The benefits of Compass are numerous when put side-by-side to traditional dental insurance:
• No Deductibles
• No Annual Maximums
• No Claim Forms
• No Age Limitations
• No Pre-Determination of Benefits Required
• Benefits begin immediately (no waiting periods)
To become a Compass provider the dentist simply signs up as a provider at http://www.compassdentist.com. They gain immediate access to the administrative services and get a website with their custom plan information. With Compass, patients and providers can choose a plan that will provide the most benefits to patients based on their individual dental needs. The most popular plan is a simple Service Membership that provides patients with:
• Professional dental cleanings (2x /year),
• Dentist exams (1-2x/year) ,
• Required x-rays,
• One emergency exam/year (if needed),
• Smile Consultation
• 15% off other dental services (including cosmetic procedures)
Compass is a perfect option for people that don’t have insurance, or who want to have more control over their oral health. For less than the cost of a cup of coffee a day, patients can get the preventive coverage they need. For dental teams offering Compass they will see an increase new patient flow, patient retention and treatment acceptance.
Bob Bowers, COO of OralBio Tech states: “Compass is a dental membership plan for the 40% of people who do not have dental insurance. Dental disease is the number one disease in the United States and changing that starts with patient’s having affordable access to quality dentists and preventive dental care.”
To learn more about becoming a Compass provider or to find a Compass provider near you visit: http://www.compassdentist.com
References:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2014/MarketPlaceEnrollment/Apr2014/ib_2014apr_enrollment.pdf, July 27, 2014
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/datastatistics/surgeongeneral/report/executivesummary.htm, July 27, 2014
Laura Moriarity, CariFree, http://www.carifree.com, +1 612-655-1418, [email protected]
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