As 350,000 retired autoworkers lose their dental benefits tomorrow, some insurers and dentists see an opportunity, according to the Detroit News.
Bright Side Dental, a practice with three locations in the metropolitan Detroit area, began offering a discount dental program aimed at retirees, the newspaper reported. For a yearly fee of $225, discount members can get two exams, two cleanings, and two x-rays. Bright Side Dental has since extended the program to other patients.
Meanwhile, Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, which currently insures most of the retirees, is trying to convince them to pay for individual policies while staving off competition from Blue Cross, the newspaper said. Delta last week launched a plan targeted specifically to this group of United Auto Workers retirees 55 and older, and monthly rates for the dental plan run from $28.50 for the low option to $45 for the high option, the newspaper said.
Blue Cross is reaching out to automotive retirees with its own individual plans, though they are not specifically designed for retired autoworkers, the newspaper reported. The newspaper said Blue Cross' monthly rates range from $37.53 to $44.09 per member and cover routine cleanings, fillings, and dentures at minimum.
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