Delta Dental Plan

Dental Contract Appealed: Delta Dental Plan of California said the Pentagon has agreed to delay the recent award of a $1.7-billion dental contract after Delta protested the decision awarding it to a competitor. Delta has held the contract to provide dental services to 1.8 million Defense Department employees and their families since 1987. After a competitive bidding process, the Pentagon awarded the contract to United Concordia Cos., of Camp Hill, Pa.

Delta Dental Plan of California won a five-year renewal of a contract, valued at about $1 billion, with the Department of Defense to provide dental benefits to military retirees and their families. The agreement is effective May 1, the San Francisco-based company said. The Defense Department's Tricare Retiree Dental Program has about 650,000 participants. The contract reduces the mandatory enrollment period and the waiting period for full benefits to a year.

Takecare and Delta Dental to Pool Efforts: Takecare Health Plan and Delta Dental Plan of California announced a marketing alliance aimed at the 200,000 Californians eligible for benefits under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Takecare, a Concord, Calif.-based health maintenance organization, will try to fatten its share of that market--now about 11%--by offering federal workers, at no extra charge, a dental benefits plan from Delta's HMO subsidiary, PMI. The plan takes effect Jan.

Delta Dental Plan of California has retained a big state contract to provide dental services to the poor, state officials announced. The award is valued at $650,000 annually, or $3.9 billion over six years. Under the contract, Delta will provide administrative and dental services for nearly 5 million Medi-Cal recipients. Medi-Cal is the state's version of the federal Medicaid health insurance program for the poor.

Delta Dental Plan has received a contract that could be worth $1.5 billion to provide dental care services to about 4.2 million retired military personnel and their family members, the U.S. Defense Department said. Delta Dental is a nonprofit, private organization based in San Francisco. The $1.5 billion is the government's estimate of the total revenue the organization could receive for providing dental care to those eligible in U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and U.S.

Delta Dental Plan of California won a five-year renewal of a contract, valued at about $1 billion, with the Department of Defense to provide dental benefits to military retirees and their families. The agreement is effective May 1, the San Francisco-based company said. The Defense Department's Tricare Retiree Dental Program has about 650,000 participants. The contract reduces the mandatory enrollment period and the waiting period for full benefits to a year.

Delta Dental Plan of California has retained a big state contract to provide dental services to the poor, state officials announced. The award is valued at $650,000 annually, or $3.9 billion over six years. Under the contract, Delta will provide administrative and dental services for nearly 5 million Medi-Cal recipients. Medi-Cal is the state's version of the federal Medicaid health insurance program for the poor.

Attacking a practice described as widespread in the health care industry, the Justice Department and Arizona's attorney general moved Tuesday to end a dental plan agreement that prevents dentists from discounting their fees. Delta Dental Plan of Arizona admitted no wrongdoing, but under a proposed consent decree filed in federal court in Phoenix, Delta will notify its participating dentists that the plan's "most-favored-nation" pricing provisions no longer apply.

The Pentagon said it will provide dental insurance coverage to an estimated 2.5 million dependents of active-duty members of the armed services under a $121-million contract. The contract with the Delta Dental Plan of San Francisco, however, is limited to dependents of personnel stationed in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Most patients never receive a simple saliva test that can help prevent tooth decay. The reason? Dentists traditionally don't offer it, because they stand to make more money filling a cavity than preventing it, says Dr. Rory Hume, dean of UCLA's School of Dentistry. While a filling costs $100 to $200, the test runs about $25 to $50. What's more, insurance companies typically won't pay for it.

Delta Dental Plan has received a contract that could be worth $1.5 billion to provide dental care services to about 4.2 million retired military personnel and their family members, the U.S. Defense Department said. Delta Dental is a nonprofit, private organization based in San Francisco. The $1.5 billion is the government's estimate of the total revenue the organization could receive for providing dental care to those eligible in U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and U.S.

Dental Contract Appealed: Delta Dental Plan of California said the Pentagon has agreed to delay the recent award of a $1.7-billion dental contract after Delta protested the decision awarding it to a competitor. Delta has held the contract to provide dental services to 1.8 million Defense Department employees and their families since 1987. After a competitive bidding process, the Pentagon awarded the contract to United Concordia Cos., of Camp Hill, Pa.

Attacking a practice described as widespread in the health care industry, the Justice Department and Arizona's attorney general moved Tuesday to end a dental plan agreement that prevents dentists from discounting their fees. Delta Dental Plan of Arizona admitted no wrongdoing, but under a proposed consent decree filed in federal court in Phoenix, Delta will notify its participating dentists that the plan's "most-favored-nation" pricing provisions no longer apply.

Takecare and Delta Dental to Pool Efforts: Takecare Health Plan and Delta Dental Plan of California announced a marketing alliance aimed at the 200,000 Californians eligible for benefits under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Takecare, a Concord, Calif.-based health maintenance organization, will try to fatten its share of that market--now about 11%--by offering federal workers, at no extra charge, a dental benefits plan from Delta's HMO subsidiary, PMI. The plan takes effect Jan.

Don't feel like a small fry just because your firm failed to make The Times' lists of most profitable and largest companies. Some of California's largest employers and best-known institutions--including Levi Strauss & Co., Carnation, Kaiser Permanente and the University of California--didn't make the list, either. The survey for The Times 100 supplement was limited to California-based, publicly owned corporations. That excludes the countless privately owned firms, public agencies, nonprofit organizations and corporations based out of state, all of which play a major role in the California economy.