- Support for this program was provided by: Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

Berkeley College: Ed ucation drives opportunity.

Be inspired.

[upbeat jazz music] ♪ ♪ - Hello, this is John Harmon, founder, president, and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, just thanking you all for tuning in to "Pathway to Success."

Today's guest is Ms. Carin Hep, sales director, small group and individual programs for Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut.

Carin, welcome to "Pathway to Success."

- Thank you, John.

It's a pleasure to be here.

Thank you for having me.

- We're extremely delighted to have you.

You know, we've been planning this for some time, and it's finally come to fruition.

So can you share with our viewers a little bit about you, where you're from, big family, small family.

- Sure, yeah, so I'm born and raised in New Jersey, at the Jersey Shore actually.

So I am a Jersey girl through and through.

I'm a graduate of Stockton University, also here in New Jersey, and I am also a graduate of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting.

I have one sibling, and he lives in New Jersey as well, and he is the father to my darling four-year-old nephew, who I absolutely adore.

- Well, I'm sure your nephew will appreciate today's shout-out.

Why did you select your school of choice for higher education?

- And I actually ended up earning a bachelor's degree in business, so I changed courses while I was there, but I also wanted to stay close to home, and that school was pretty close to home.

- Well, close to home, still got a little bit of Shore-ness about Stockton University, and so I can get that.

Professionally, some of the things you did leading up to what you're doing now at Delta.

- Yeah, so I've always worked in the employee benefits industry, and I spent some time at the Blues in New Jersey, and I worked in the dental division there.

And I also currently am president of the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals, their coastal chapter.

So that organization really represents brokers in the industry, and also represents everyone, all of the residents of New Jersey and across the country to make sure that, you know, they have access to benefits.

And so it's a great organization that I'm proud to be a part of.

- So can you elaborate a little bit?

How long have you been president?

And what are some of the things that you guys do?

- Yeah, so I'm actually coming to the end of my two-year term as president, and really, we get involved at the state and the federal level.

And one of the things I really enjoy about this organization is, we're not only protecting the rights of, you know, everyone, like I said, in New Jersey, but across the country.

We get to go to Washington D.C. and lobby on Capitol Hill.

We talk to our representatives, and we make sure that they understand our position, and what it means to us, and what it means to the people that we provide benefits to as insurance representatives and brokers, who make up the majority of our organization.

- Now, it's interesting, the correlation between federal legislation that ultimately comes to the state.

And so the fact that you're able to not only be engaged here locally, but also nationally through this organization, I think is a great thing.

In terms of Delta Dental, what do you do there?

- So my role at the organization is, I oversee the small business program, and I drive growth, and I manage retention for our small business, and when I say small business, I mean employers with 2-50 employees.

But I also provide solutions to small employers that they can offer to their employees to improve their oral health, their eye health, and their overall health, to their workforce, which really is a great ROI for small business owners.

- So we'll come back to that a little later on, about the value of benefits being extended to employees and so on and so forth, but this is only in our conversation, but I'm gonna get right at, what's the secret sauce?

What separates Delta Dental from other players in this industry?

- You know, we have been in business since 1969, so we really are the dental experts.

And we also offer the largest network to our customers, so we have the largest number of participating dentists not only in New Jersey, but across the country.

- Wow.

- And what that really means for our customers is, they are able to stay in network.

Really, we have in network utilization of up over 90%.

And what that translates to for our customers is that more savings, less out of pocket.

We build those networks, and we maintain those networks, and we have relationships with those providers.

So we don't partner with any other networks.

They are our networks, and we have the relationships.

And I would say, the other thing that sets us apart is, we operate out of New Jersey.

So our offices are right here in New Jersey, so we work right here within the community.

- So give us a sense of your footprint.

- We're a company of about 300 employees.

And we provide coverage for over 1.9 million people in New Jersey and Connecticut.

And like dental benefits, we also see the value and how important and integral vision is to our overall health.

So we recently released our dental vision product to our groups and our individuals.

And, you know, you don't have to be a customer of Delta Dental to see the benefits from Delta Dental coverage.

And the Delta Dental Foundation of New Jersey distributes grants to organizations of around $1 million each year that provide assistance to disadvantaged women, children, seniors, veterans, and others in the community that don't have access to dental care.

Delta Dental's volunteerism among our associates is really a part of our culture.

And we encourage our associates to get involved with certain activities such as Habitat for Humanity builds, and World Cancer Walks, and beach cleanup.

So we are committed to making New Jersey a better and healthier place to live.

- Well, the fact that Delta Dental makes resources available for underserved communities for those who may not have access to dental care, and I think that's great on the part of your company.

That said, a typical day for you at Delta Dental is what?

- A typical day for me, I would say, there's really not a typical day.

My team and I, we focus on small business, working in the community and helping provide the benefits that employees so desire.

- Speak to the correlation between oral health and overall health.

- Yeah, that's really important, John.

And I'm glad you asked that.

That is something that I talk about every day.

The correlation between your oral health, and I'll even add your eye health to your overall health, it's really important for people to know that the dentist can detect over 120 conditions just by looking in your mouth.

The optometrist can detect over 200 conditions by looking in your eye.

So if you think about people who may not go for their checkups because they consider themselves to be fairly healthy, but they may be going to the dentist during the year, maybe twice a year, that dentist might be the only provider that they see in that year.

And if a dentist can detect something that may be going on systemically, your chances for early detection and early intervention, and early treatment are gonna produce better outcomes.

So it really is your overall health when you think of medical, dental, and vision.

- We hear that many small businesses say they can't afford dental insurance.

Can you speak to that?

- So when it comes to vision and dental benefits, which are less expensive than medical, sometimes small employers don't think that it's in the budget for them to offer, and what I would say to that is that Delta Dental of New Jersey, we have a lot of different ways that we can customize plans that make them affordable for the employer, but I would also remind people that an employer sponsored benefit is seen as a very valuable benefit by employees.

Ancillary benefits are essential to attracting top talent.

When an employer is offering that ancillary benefit, employees are paying attention, right, especially in this economy, which employees tend to move about a little bit more than maybe they did many, many years ago.

So if an employer's offering a benefit, employees are looking at that.

They want a benefit that is gonna provide them a focus on their oral health, a focus on their eye health.

And so you may be giving yourself an advantage over another employer when someone is considering coming to work for you.

And also your existing workforce, if someone's looking at other options, they may say, "Well, I have a great benefit package," and that may make the decision for them whether or not they leave.

So it's really something to consider when you're thinking about whether or not you want to offer those benefits.

And if you're looking at your existing workforce and keeping that talent.

Dental benefits are the third most requested benefit by employees, after medical and retirement plans.

So if an employer doesn't have it in the budget to offer a dental plan, they can still sponsor a plan and pass some or all of the cost onto their employees, and that's really what we call a voluntary plan.

I'd like to elaborate a little bit on voluntary benefits and what that means when an employer is sponsoring a benefits plan.

So an employer can sponsor a benefit and pass all of the cost onto their employees, and that's what is known as a voluntary offering.

And the difference between that and an employee having to go out and seek coverage on their own is that the employer sponsored plan typically is more robust, has better benefits.

Also, the cost of that plan is typically less than it is for an employee to go and seek individual benefits on their own.

- You know, I thank you for really elaborating on the mutual benefit or mutual value for the employer and the employee.

So, Ms. Carin Hep, Delta Dental, we're gonna take a break here on "Pathway to Success."

We'll be back in a moment.

- The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey is your pathway to success.

We encourage you to visit our website at www.aaccnj.com or call us at 609-571-1620.

We are your strategic partner for success.

- Welcome back to "Pathway to Success."

I'm your host, John Harmon, founder, president, and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

And today's guest, Ms. Carin Hep, sales director, small group and individual programs for Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut.

Leading into the break, you know, we were talking about small businesses, and potential costs, and the value proposition to their employees for extending what people would call supplemental benefits.

Dental hygiene is so important, and Carin really pointed that out, and so I just hope that our listeners really leaned in when she was making those points, but let's go back to small business.

What are three things that small businesses should look for when selecting general or ancillary health benefits?

- Yeah, John, I would say, the first thing that a small business should look for when they're selecting an ancillary benefit is network.

Start with a network.

Does the network provide enough access to providers, whether they be optometrists, or whether they be dentists or specialists?

Is the network wide enough to provide access and encourage utilization by your employees?

If there's a network that provides access, then your employees are going to mitigate those out of network costs and added expenses.

The second thing I would say is plan design.

What is it that your workforce really needs?

Are you looking for a plan that offers preventive benefits only?

Are you looking for something that maybe offers preventive benefits and basic services?

Or are you looking for a very robust plan that offers coverage for more serious type of care or orthodontic coverage?

What does the workforce look like, and what do their families look like?

Because maybe you have a workforce that has children that are now going to be coming upon those ortho years, and they're gonna need that coverage.

So I'd say plan design really is important, and I would say the third is cost.

What does your contribution strategy look like?

How much will you pay for the plan?

How much cost will you pass onto your employees, some or all of it?

Does that encourage participation?

Will your people or your employees enroll in the plan?

And does it make sense for their families as well?

Because a healthier workforce is a more productive workforce, so you want to take families into consideration as well.

- And a workforce with great smiles also.

- Exactly, exactly.

- But you mentioned plan design, network, and costs, and so just continuing talking about small businesses because they make up a significant portion of those who are providing employment here in New Jersey.

- Yeah, so you made a really great point.

The small business community, that's the backbone of our economy here in New Jersey.

- So, Carin, what types of small business dental plans does Delta Dental currently offer?

- Delta Dental, we pride ourselves on offering really big business benefits to small employers, the benefits that I think previously were only afforded to large businesses.

We really have a very large portfolio of plans that small businesses can customize, and when I say customize, really choose the benefits for their employees that make the most sense, anywhere from a plan that covers preventive care only to a plan that covers preventive, diagnostic, and major services.

For large or small groups, they can include ortho coverage for children.

We also have ACA compliant plans for children, which provide pediatric benefits.

And we also have plans that are DHMO plans, which provide in network coverage with fee schedules and come at a lower premium.

So we really have a very large selection of plan designs and how a business offers those, whether it be a dual option or one offering.

They really can work with us and our team to customize and make it work for their workforce.

- So when a small business is selecting the appropriate plan in this current challenging environment, what are you seeing, and how do they go through the process of getting the right combination of deductibilities, of contributions, et cetera, et cetera?

- You know, so we're really seeing employers-- a big demand for vision and dental benefits.

So as I mentioned, we launched our Delta vision product in Q4 of 2022.

And employers really have an appetite for these benefits.

So we're also seeing employers interested in plans without waiting periods, which we offer.

Some of the other benefits available through Delta Dental of New Jersey include coverage for dependents up until age 26.

Also, our small business plans provide additional coverage.

It's an additional visit and additional cleaning for expectant mothers.

So women who are pregnant have different needs, especially dental needs.

So that is also a part of our product portfolio.

- Carin, what are the unique needs versus a large employer and a small employer?

- Yeah, that's a great question, John.

So large employers have the benefits of economies of scale.

Their production costs because of that are typically less than the production costs for a small employer.

Small employers, if they want to raise capital, they can't issue bonds or stock.

Really, they have to rely on business loans.

So when it comes to the day-to-day, you're really talking about cash flow and employee management.

A small employer or a small business owner typically is wearing several different hats, and one of those hats includes HR, and with HR comes benefits.

So a small business owner probably isn't the expert in offering benefits, seeking out a plan, vetting the plans, comparing networks, implementing the plan, and then managing the day-to-day of the plan.

So that's why it's really important for a small business owner to have someone to help them with those HR needs, whereas a large employer may have a whole division or department that handles just that for them.

- You hear all about the economy now, the inflation.

Are there things that the insurance industry's doing right now to help some of the smaller employers?

- Yes, well, I can speak to what Delta Dental of New Jersey is doing, and a few things.

We actually just lowered our rates in the 10-50 size business market.

We did that late last year.

We are also adding new voluntary plans to our portfolio, so we can expand those offerings.

And we've added Delta vision to our portfolio.

So again, we have a lot of different solutions for employers, especially small employers, that can help them meet their budget needs.

- So why should an employer review the dental plans before the renewal comes up?

- So every year there's an annual open enrollment period for employers.

Typically it's every year.

And really, the main reason is because you want to make sure that the plan that's in place is the plan that is still meeting the needs of your workforce.

Maybe your workforce grew.

Maybe you hired a lot of new people.

Maybe your workforce has decreased, and you have less employees.

You've had to downsize.

It's really important to take a look at, again, the network, the plan design, and the cost.

So it's really an opportunity to review your benefits and make sure that they're the right fit for the workforce that you have.

- So I gotta bring this to a close.

Quick, quick question, from your perspective, why should a corporation like Delta Dental support the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey?

- Well, I feel like there's a lot of synergies between our organizations.

And your community involvement at the government level, you're encouraging businesses.

You're advocating on behalf of business owners and your members.

And really, Delta Dental offers coverage to not just small businesses, as we've discussed here today, John, but to businesses of all sizes.

So really, in our partnership with the Chamber, this is really what we offer, and we're proud to be able to offer your members solutions that they can offer to their employees.

- Carin, we're so grateful to have Delta Dental as a member at the President's Club level with the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey and want to thank you for being with us today.

- Thank you.

- And to those who tuned in, until the next time on your pathway to success, this is John Harmon, founder, president, and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

Thank your for tuning in today.

[upbeat jazz music] ♪ ♪ Hello, today's message is about health.

Health is wealth.

You know, the Chamber focuses on four areas: Education, health, workforce, and business.

And we just heard Carin Hep from Delta Dental talk about 120 potential illnesses as a result of poor oral hygiene, could have some adverse implications on your vision, your kidneys, et cetera.

If we have learned anything, the COVID-19 pandemic, the loss of life, and the many people that were sick or became gravely ill as a result, particularly Blacks in New Jersey, the social determinants of health, employment, income, housing, transportation, and then the chronic diseases, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes, they really plague the Black community.

So I would encourage everyone to get a checkup not only for your heart, your lungs, your blood, but also stop in and see your dentist today and get that all checked out because your health is critical to creating wealth and taking care of your family.

We want you to be here.

We want your smile to be bright.

We want you to live as productive, as vibrant as possible.

Just remember, the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey is not only concerned about your economic well-being, but also your health.

Have a great day.

[upbeat jazz music] ♪ ♪ - Support for this program was provided by: Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

Berkeley College: Ed ucation drives opportunity.

Be inspired.

♪ ♪