National Health, Best Life Assurance Join to Market Their Dental Plans : MEDICAL

National Health Care Systems, an Irvine-based prepaid dental health-management organization, and Best Life Assurance Co. of California, a Laguna Hills insurance company, have begun to jointly market their dental plans.

Under a joint-venture agreement, the companies are offering California employers an opportunity to buy both a prepaid dental plan and more traditional fee-for-service insurance from one vendor to give their employees a broader choice of dental insurance coverage.

Officials of National Health Care and Best Life Assurance say they are hopeful that the dual-option package will significantly boost their corporate revenues.

“The dual-choice option will enable us to offer our members a significant new benefit which will allow them the right to choose their own dentist under an indemnity insurance plan,” Dr. Carl E. Bozzo, chairman and chief executive of National Health Care Systems, said. “This compares with our own Denticare Dental Plan, which is prepaid and lower in cost.”

Robert E. Leverton, general counsel and vice president of Best Life Assurance, said both companies will chip in funds for marketing and advertising the dual-option plans. He said National Health Care Systems will handle customer eligibility and enrollment for both the indemnity and prepaid plans, while Best will continue to underwrite and pay claims of its indemnity plan.

Leverton said that in the first two months of marketing, the joint venture has sold the dual option to six Southern California employers.