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Benefit Summaries Now Available on Guardian Anytime!

Critical Illness Isn't Just an Ordinary Employee Benefit

Why You Can't Afford to Brush Off Dental Wellness


	Benefit Summaries Available on Guardian Anytime! To make Guardian Anytime easier to use and give you the information you need quickly, we've made two important changes to the site. First, benefit summaries are now available online. This means that instead of contacting your Guardian sales representative or customer service representative to obtain a high-level summary of benefits, you can log in to www.GuardianAnytime.com and view, print, or email the information 24/7. Benefit summaries are available for all coverages except critical illness, medical, and prescription drug. The benefit summary link is easily accessible from the Forms and Materials page in Guardian Anytime. A second important enhancement to the site is that you now have greater access to the Confirmation of Benefits (COB) screen. You can view this information via the link on the Forms and Materials page and can view, print, or email the COBs for all of your employees. Guardian is committed to streamlining our services to meet your needs as effectively as possible. We hope these enhancements will make your user experience even more productive and convenient. If you're not already signed up with GuardianAnytime, please visit www.GuardianAnytime.com to get started. Critical Illness Isn't Just an Ordinary Employee Benefit...It's a Critical One Critical Illness insurance is a valuable employee benefit that can help alleviate the financial burden of a critical illness, including cancer, heart attack, stroke, and others. There's a common belief that as long as you have medical and disability income coverage, you can handle the financial impact of a critical illness. But it's not true. The reality is there are lots of medical expenses related to a critical illness that aren't covered by medical or disability insurance – treatments, doctor's visits, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses – not to mention non-medical expenses like lost wages, travel, and child care. These expenses can really add up and bankrupt even financially-healthy families. Critical Illnesses are more common than you might think. In fact, nine out of 10 consumers know someone or have a family member who has suffered a critical illness.* So, it's safe to say that eventually a critical illness will affect virtually every family. Here are some key facts on Guardian's Critical Illness insurance†: Lump sum amounts available from $1,000 to $50,000.‡ Hospitalization payments available up to $500 per day due to a non-critical illness such as an accident or injury. Guaranteed issue available up to $20,000, based on group size, on groups with as little as 15% participation and on small groups with non-contributory plans down to 6 lives.§ Portable plans available up to age 70.¶ No pre-existing condition limitation on employer-paid plans. Contact your broker for more information. * Guardian Omnibus Study, 2008 † Not available in CA, CT, NY, MN, NH, or VT ‡ $20,000 in Florida § State restrictions apply ¶ Not available in FL, ME, MD, MT, TX, UT, or WA

Why You Can't Afford to Brush off Dental Wellness

The connection between oral and overall health is becoming clearer each day. The right dental benefits can promote healthier behavior, and healthy employees are more productive and more satisfied and typically have lower medical expenses. Look at these facts from a recent NADP study* on consumer dental behaviors, showing that people with dental benefits have:

Healthier attitudes: They are more likely to eat healthy, exercise, get an annual physical, brush twice a day, and go to the dentist twice a year.
Better oral health habits: They are less likely to smoke and they brush and floss more frequently.
Less disease: They report a lower incidence of major diseases and conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Are your dental benefits driving the right behaviors?
The important findings from the NADP study demonstrate the relationship between dental benefits and health, as well as the need for benefits that drive healthy behaviors. To help evaluate whether your dental benefits are working for your organization, you should be asking yourself these four important questions:

1. Are my employees taking advantage of the strength of the network?
The network is the cornerstone of any dental plan. A strong network gives members better access to dentists who can provide care that saves them money and keeps them healthy. For you, more in-network claims can mean lower costs at the next renewal.

2. Does the design of my plan maximize benefits?
Flexibility allows you to work with your broker to customize a plan to meet your group's specific needs. Have you considered plans that reward members for seeing in-network dentists? These plans often cost less than equivalent plans without incentives. In addition, look for features that can stretch annual maximums, such as a rollover option that preserves unused benefits for future use.

3. Is preventive care a priority?
Features that encourage preventive care, such as oral cancer screenings, enhanced periodontal treatments, and adult fluoride treatments, can impact health and help reduce costs in the long run. Also, look for plan provisions that may provide additional cleanings if medically necessary.

4. Are there tools to empower my employees to make the right benefit decisions?
Online tools, such as a dental cost estimator, can help employees best understand the cost of care and recognize the savings they'll get from going in-network. It should also be easy for them to go online and find an in-network dentist who meets their needs. In addition, you need to be able to easily determine if the plan is working by using tools such as claims reports.

Contact your broker for more information.

* NADP, The Haves and the Have Notes, Consumers With and Without Dental, 2010.

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