The majority (71%) of employers believe that dental plans enhance employee wellbeing, according to the 2011 Dental Benefits Survey conducted by Denplan.
The key factors influencing employers’ choice of dental plan is price (25%), simplicity of the product (20%), and broker recommendation (10%).
For employees who already have a plan, the key reasons for making their choice were price (44%), budgeting/no unexpected bills to pay (38%), level of cover (32%), and access to a network of dentists (30%).
For employees considering a dental plan, cost is by far the key consideration in choosing a plan (81%) followed by simplicity of product and level of cover.
More than half (58%) of employees and 61% of organisations believe a dental plan is a tangible usable benefit. There also appears to be good scope for organisations to provide dental plans as part of benefits packages with 58% of employees who do not currently have a dental plan stating they would appreciate access to it as part of their benefits portfolio, and 64% saying they would consider a dental plan if their employer offered it.
Denplan also surveyed employers’ and employees’ views on the rest of the health and wellbeing benefits on offer, with the most commonly offered benefits being group critical illness, private medical insurance and dental plans.
There are still 23% of organisations that offer no health and wellbeing benefits to their staff at all, indicating there is still growth potential to bring health and wellbeing benefits to a new segment of the market.
Pam Whelan, corporate dental sales manager at Denplan, said: “The Dental Benefits Survey shows how important dental benefits are to both employees and corporate decision makers.”
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