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7/8/15

Humana Closes the Gap Between Dental Insurance and Wellness

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Often viewed as an afterthought to health care plans, dental plans have largely sat on the sidelines as medical plans have shifted their focus to long term health and wellness. Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is changing that dynamic with sweeping changes to its dental plan benefit structure and integration with medical and wellness plans.

Effective August 1, new employer-based Humana dental plans will include no-cost coverage for preventive care including cleanings, exams, x-rays, space maintainers and oral cancer screenings; first-of-its-kind coverage beyond the dental plan’s annual maximum; sophisticated reporting for members and employers to help maximize plan benefits; and rewards and incentives for members enrolled in the HumanaVitality® wellness program through their medical plan.

“Dental health plays a key role in the health and well-being of both an individual and an employer’s workforce,” said Dean M. Fry, D.D.S., National Dental Director at Humana. “Now more than ever, it’s clear that dental care needs to be an integrated part of an employer’s larger wellness strategy for the health of its workforce.”

As evidence of employers’ need to embrace dental care as part of their overall wellness strategy, Dr. Fry points to a 10-year Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that revealed that oral health problems in the U.S. led to 164 million lost work hours and 12.7 million days of restricted activity each year.1

Humana is the first company to extend coverage beyond the dental plan’s annual maximum, giving members assurance that dental care need not be delayed even in the case of costly dental services. In the event a Humana dental member needs care that extends beyond the annual plan maximum set by their employer, he or she will benefit from both Humana’s negotiated discount with their dentist and 30 percent coverage of the overall cost. For many people, this amounts to as much as 60 percent savings.

The company is also harnessing dental claims data to better inform members, personal nurses, care coordinators and health coaches that work with members that have both Humana medical and dental plans. For example, a diabetic might be prompted by a care coordinator, armed with the date of the member’s last dental visit, that it’s time for an annual checkup because diabetics are more prone to gum disease.

To help people better understand their dental health and learn surprising health facts related to their personal oral health status, Humana developed a dental health assessment called My Dental IQ. The on-line self-assessment probes six areas of health and daily habits that impact dental well-being. Upon completing My Dental IQ, users receive a personalized assessment and list of recommendations, links to additional information, and a printable report to be shared with their dentist. My Dental IQ is available to members and non-members. Employer reporting is also available to show aggregate employee dental health issues to help structure and shape dental benefit plans to improve employee overall wellbeing.

About Humana

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is a leading health and well-being company focused on making it easy for people to achieve their best health with clinical excellence through coordinated care. The company’s strategy integrates care delivery, the member experience, and clinical and consumer insights to encourage engagement, behavior change, proactive clinical outreach and wellness for the millions of people we serve across the country.

More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com, including copies of:

  • Annual reports to stockholders;
  • Securities and Exchange Commission filings;
  • Most recent investor conference presentations;
  • Quarterly earnings news releases;
  • Replays of most recent earnings release conference calls;
  • Calendar of events (including upcoming earnings conference call dates and times, as well as planned interaction with research analysts and institutional investors); and
  • Corporate Governance information.

1 Centers for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/publications/factsheets/adult_oral_health/adults.htm

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