Sight. Hearing. Taste. These three wonderful senses help people of any age perceive, interact with, and experience the world in full.
The body parts that allow us to enjoy these faculties are not immune to the general wear and tear associated with aging. They, along with the magnificent capabilities they enable, tend to deteriorate as we get older.
Some people — maybe your clients, maybe even you — may inadvertently take dental, vision, and hearing insurance for granted. It’s important you recognize its value and convey it to your clients.
Let’s dive into the how, who, and why of selling DVH plans!
Selling DVH Insurance
First up, the how. We’re happy to report that these plans can be sold in five steps!
1. Introduce DVH Insurance into the Conversation
What the eye doesn’t see, or the client doesn’t hear, the agent doesn’t sell. You never know how far a single appointment can take you unless you actually fact find and talk with your clients. One simple question can open the door to an entirely new conversation and a new coverage need (or two or three!) to address.
What the eye doesn’t see, or the client doesn’t hear, the agent doesn’t sell.
Following up with a Medicare client? After you ensure they’re still satisfied with their current coverage, try asking these questions:
- “Do you regularly visit the dentist or eye doctor?”
- “Do you have coverage to help pay for those types of visits?”
- “Who do you have your dental/vision insurance with?”
It’s even easier to bring up DVH insurance if you see your client wearing glasses or a hearing aid. For example, you can try this simple approach: “I noticed you’re wearing glasses. May I ask, when it comes time to replace them, will you have to pay out of pocket, or do you have an insurance plan that will help the costs?“
2. Find Out What DVH Plans Your Client Has (or Thinks They Have)
The blind can’t lead the blind. If you haven’t yet, now’s the time to ask your client what DVH plan(s) they have and who they’re with.
If they have a DVH plan, or multiple plans, ask them if you can check if they’re enrolled in the best one(s) for their budget and needs. Let them know you just want to make sure that there isn’t a plan for a better price or one with better benefits, based on their personal needs.
Asking your clients about their current DVH coverage is actually extremely important to ensure your client doesn’t think they have coverage that they don’t actually have.
3. Educate Your Client on the Value of Good DVH Coverage
Clients may not always see your pitch through rose-colored glasses. Another monthly premium or two may tempt them to view the glass as half-empty when it comes to purchasing proper DVH coverage, but explain to them why it’s actually half-full!
Let your clients know that good DVH coverage is important because it can help them maintain healthy teeth, eyes, and ears. Also, inform them there’s even evidence that good oral health and eye health can be linked to good overall health!
Additionally, make sure they’re aware of the average costs of certain DVH services and how paying for a plan can actually be more budget-friendly than paying for services out of pocket.
While you’re at it, tell them about some common benefits of DVH plans:
- Coverage for routine dental services and most dental supplies (e.g., cleanings, exams, fillings, extractions, etc.)
- Coverage for routine eye and hearing exams and treatments
- Network savings available for reduced services fees
- The freedom to choose the provider of your choice
- A calendar-year maximum benefit to pay for services
- No underwriting required for guaranteed issue plans
Pro tip: As you’re explaining the value of DVH insurance, do your best to avoid using elderspeak when talking with clients age 65 or older. Also, refrain from going overboard with details and insurance jargon that will just go in one ear and out the other. It’ll save both you and your clients time.
4. Utilize Integrity’s Technology Solutions
Determining who could really benefit from a supplemental DVH plan can be easier if you use a reliable client relationship management (CRM) system like IntegrityCONNECT. This platform empowers you to work smarter and more efficiently to take your business to a whole new level.
Utilize the integrated quoting and enrollment to view the largest selection of MA plans straight from a client’s profile in the CRM for easy e-apps. Side-by-side comparison allows you to quickly guide clients to the best available coverage options. You’ll be able to easily assess if a DVH plan will be beneficial to tack onto your clients’ existing Medicare coverage!
Also, encourage your clients to create a secure consumer PlanEnroll profile to share and update their data and preferences seamlessly with you. Share this guide to help them get started!
5. Write Them into a New DVH Plan If It Makes Sense to Do So
You’ve made it this far. When it comes time to potentially make a DVH sale, don’t let your eyes be bigger than what you can or should manage to do for the client.
Just because they’ve listened to your amazing insurance sales pitch and allowed you to look into their other options, doesn’t mean you should change up their current coverage.
We recommend that, when you’re in DVH sales situations, you should play them by ear. Analyze as many factors as you can, including your client’s budget, their coverage needs, and their available options’ premiums, networks, and benefits. If your client could benefit from enrolling in a (different) DVH plan, great!
Tell them your recommendation and explain why you think it’s the best route for them to take at this point. Then, if they’d like you to do so, help them enroll into the plan via a paper or online application.
Analyze as many factors as you can, including your client’s budget, their coverage needs, and their available options’ premiums, networks, and benefits.
If you find your client currently has great DVH coverage for their budget and needs, it’s best to let them be. Unfortunately, you won’t see any extra commission for your hard work right then and there, but this move will go a long way toward building client loyalty.
Candidates for DVH Coverage
Next, the who! You might be surprised to learn that your DVH prospects could already be in your Medicare or under-65 book of business.
Think About Medicare Supplement Beneficiaries
Generally, Medicare Supplement plans do not provide coverage for routine dental or vision services. Your clients with a Med Supp plan may or may not realize this (it’s important you explain this during the time of quoting and enrollment) and that coverage could be something they really want or need.
You can touch base with Med Supp beneficiaries already within your book of business and present the option of purchasing DVH insurance through your preferred DVH carriers*. Also, be prepared to offer DVH products during enrollment meetings with new clients purchasing Med Supp plans!
Your Med Supp clients may not realize their plan does not provide routine dental or vision services.
*Requires RitterIM.com login to access.
Consider Current Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries
Unlike Med Supps, a majority of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans do include some DVH benefits. However, the coverage usually isn’t comprehensive, resulting in your clients being exposed to potentially high out-of-pocket costs for these health care services.
Luckily, DVH products can perfectly complement your clients’ MA plans and provide the enhanced coverage they need! Your book of business is just ready and waiting, full of more selling opportunities.
Look Outside of Medicare to ACA Beneficiaries
Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans now include dental coverage for children and will include dental coverage for adults in 2027, however, most plans out there today do not include DVH benefits.
If you’re building your Medicare pipeline by selling under-65 insurance, or even if you just focus on ACA sales alone, you have the opportunity to cross-sell DVH coverage to these clients.
By offering supplemental coverage solutions to your ACA clients, they can avoid paying for services out of pocket like routine vision exams, glasses, hearing exams, and more.
The additional premium for a supplement plan may seem off-putting to clients at first. But you can lay out cost comparisons of a DVH plan premium against the out-of-pocket cost for paying for health services without coverage. After all, educating clients is one of the most important aspects of being an insurance agent.
Remember DVH Plan Replacement
If you’re already selling in the DVH market, there’s a chance your book of business holds some DVH plan replacement opportunities. It may make sense to recommend a new DVH plan to a client who already has one in place.
Whether the reason is lower premiums or better benefits, your clients will certainly appreciate that you’ve taken the time to explore other options that might work better for their specific situation.
It may make sense to recommend a new DVH plan to a client who already has one in place.
Another reason to consider proposing DVH replacements is that ancillary products like DVH insurance can be sold year-round. Unlike selling Medicare products, you won’t be at the mercy of an enrollment period!
Additionally, you’ll also open the opportunity to check in with clients you might otherwise only connect with during the Annual Enrollment Period.
The Need for DVH Insurance
Finally, we’ve come to the why. Cross-selling DVH products allows you to give clients an affordable way to help fill in the gaps and get the coverage they need.
Accessibility
Young and middle-aged adults usually don’t have a problem obtaining dental, vision, and hearing (DVH) insurance since employers usually offer some form of it.
However, for older adults, obtaining DVH coverage can be more difficult for Medicare-eligible individuals because their primary option for major medical insurance could leave something to be desired when it comes to coverage of routine or preventative care for certain faculties.
Medicare.gov states that, “In most cases, Medicare doesn’t cover dental services like routine cleanings, fillings, tooth extractions, or items like dentures.”
Research has found that only 8.4 percent of MA plans offered a dental benefit that met quality standards on par with employer-sponsored plans. Additionally, while 86.6 percent of MA plans included some form of dental benefit, only 4.1 percent of beneficiaries were enrolled in plans with comprehensive dental coverage.
Overall Health
If something goes wrong with one’s teeth, eyes, or ears, it could affect the way he or she eats, speaks, or distinguishes danger, among other things. And, poor oral health can lead to even more health problems. For example, it has been associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk.
It’s evident receiving preventative, routine, and immediate DVH health care is critical to one’s overall well-being, regardless of his or her age. However, if Medicare beneficiaries don’t have dental coverage, they’re less likely to go to the dentist; and dental care postitively impacts oral health.
Selling DVH insurance can benefit you and your clients. The opportunity to sell these plans is right within reach, and with the right tools, you’ll surely be prepared to offer them!
Looking to secure contracts or receive some extra sales support? Registering with Ritter is simple and free!
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Medicare or any government agency.
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