Assurant Employee Benefits’ Dental Plans Can Help Families Maximize Benefit Dollars

Lifetime of Smiles^® Program Can Help Consumers Reduce Out-of-Pocket Expenses

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Developed to meet ongoing consumer needs, Assurant Employee Benefits’ Lifetime of Smiles^® dental health program, with Family Share Max^® and Preventive Max Waiver^® options, can help families maximize their dental benefit dollars while helping to improve their overall health.

“Our Lifetime of Smiles program is dedicated to improving consumers’ smiles for a lifetime”

“Our Lifetime of Smiles program is dedicated to improving consumers’ smiles for a lifetime,” said Stacia Almquist, vice president of dental for Assurant Employee Benefits. “Also, with Family Share Max and Preventative Max Waiver, we’re giving families more control and the flexibility to spend their family’s dental dollars the way they want.”

The Lifetime of Smiles program benefits* may include:

• Up to four periodontal cleanings in a 12-month period to help prevent gum disease
• Brush biopsies to help with early detection of oral cancer
• Periochips to control bacteria and reduce the size of periodontal pockets
• Genetic testing to help identify individuals who are at genetic risk for gum disease
• Posterior tooth-colored fillings preferred by many dentists and their patients
• Dental healthcare discounts on Xylitol products clinically proven to help reduce cavities
• Online Dental Health Center, a trusted resource that offers the most up-to-date information available on preventive dental care

Under the program, families also can take advantage of the Family Share Max^® and Preventive Max Waiver^® options being offered.

Family Share Max, which replaces traditional individual maximums, allows families to pull from one shared dental coverage pool in a way that most effectively meets their specific needs and budgets. In a 2013 national consumer survey¹, 63 percent of consumers said that at least one family member needs more dental work than the others during the year. Consequently, 55 percent would prefer one shared dental dollar amount for the entire family, rather than each individual having separate funds. Family Share Max meets those needs, allowing families to decrease out-of-pocket costs and maximize their benefit dollars.

Another option, Preventive Max Waiver, covers preventive treatments like exams, cleanings and most x-rays, yet they do not count against the maximum coverage. This encourages preventative dental care while making more benefit dollars available for costlier procedures.

“Families don’t have to put off important dental work because of individual dental coverage limits or because they’re close to their maximums anymore,” Almquist said. “Family Share Max and Preventive Max Waiver let families prioritize their dental needs, which help them resolve dental issues more quickly and without breaking the bank. This is important given the strong connection between oral health and overall health.”

To demonstrate how Family Share Max gives consumers more options in using their dental benefits and why Preventive Max Waiver can help stretch their benefit dollars, Assurant Employee Benefits developed an online comparison tool.

Assurant Employee Benefits also offers the nation’s largest dental PPO network², giving consumers access to more than 100,000 unique dentists nationwide, which can help lower claim costs, provide in-network fees to help reduce out-of-pocket expenses and increase customer satisfaction.

For more information, visit www.assurantemployeebenefits.com.

About Assurant Employee Benefits

Assurant Employee Benefits specializes in quality employee benefits and services, including long-term and short-term disability, life insurance, voluntary benefits such as cancer, critical illness and accident, dental coverage, and disability reinsurance management services. Assurant Employee Benefits is the brand name for insurance products underwritten by Union Security Insurance Company and for prepaid dental products provided by affiliated prepaid dental companies. In New York, insurance products are underwritten and prepaid products are provided by Union Security Life Insurance Company of New York, which is licensed in New York and has its principal place of business in Syracuse, New York. Plans contain limitations, exclusions and restrictions. Contact us for costs and complete details. www.assurantemployeebenefits.com

Assurant Employee Benefits is part of Assurant, a premier provider of specialized insurance products and related services in North America and select worldwide markets. The four key businesses -- Assurant Solutions, Assurant Specialty Property, Assurant Health, and Assurant Employee Benefits -- partner with clients who are leaders in their industries and build leadership positions in a number of specialty insurance market segments in the U.S. and select worldwide markets.

Assurant, a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500, is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AIZ. Assurant has approximately 14,500 employees worldwide and is headquartered in New York's financial district. www.assurant.com.

^*Dental prophylaxis cleaning is limited to 1 time in any 6 month period and periodontal maintenance procedure is limited to 1 in any 3 month period. Total number of combined dental prophylaxis cleanings and periodontal maintenance procedures cannot exceed 4 in a 12 month period. Classification of services varies by plan design. Currently not available in all states.

¹National consumer survey by CARAVAN^® Opinion Research Corporation, February 2013.

²The Ignition Group, L.L.C., data as of September 2012. The dental preferred provider network offered by Assurant Employee Benefits includes dentists under access arrangements with Dental Health Alliance, L.L.C.^® and other dental PPO networks.