Mr. Steve Pollock reports

SUN LIFE U.S. OFFERS NEW DENTAL PLAN OPTIONS TO HELP MEMBERS REDUCE OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS AND MAINTAIN PREVENTIVE CARE

Sun Life Financial Inc., as part of its Lifetime of Smiles oral health platform, has launched two new PPO dental plan options for employer clients, to help their employees stretch their benefit dollars and get more coverage for the dental care they need. The preventive rewards option incentivizes people to get regular cleanings by adding money to the annual maximum amount covered by their policy when they maintain preventive care. The RollMax option allows dental members to roll over a portion of unused annual maximum dollars for future use. Both options provide additional funds to cover more dental care, from preventive or routine care to major services such as root canals, dentures or oral surgery. Employers can use Sun Life's comparison tool to see which plan option is the best fit for their employees.

"Oral health is an integral part of overall health, which is why we're enhancing our plan options to emphasize the value of preventive care and help our members get more out of their dental coverage," said Steve Pollock, president of DentaQuest, part of Sun Life U.S. "When people stay engaged with their dental health, they experience better outcomes and spend less out-of-pocket. If unexpected dental procedures are necessary, our members will have broader coverage through these plan options."

Sun Life U.S. is continuing to develop ways to make dental insurance work harder for members. Dental services often incur out-of-pocket costs for consumers, which can make it challenging to maintain the care they need. A recent study from KFF, an independent non-profit organization focused on national health issues, showed that 35 per cent of people delayed necessary dental care due to cost. Rolling over or adding to annual maximums gives members more flexibility in how and when they receive dental care, leading to better oral health outcomes.

As one of the largest providers of health-connected benefits, Sun Life U.S. is focused on broadening access to health services and helping people get the care and coverage they need. With more than 130,000 unique providers, Sun Life U.S. offers one of the largest commercial PPO dental networks in the country according to Zelis Network Analytics, and is the second-largest provider of dental benefits in the U.S. by membership. Through its DentaQuest business, Sun Life U.S. provides dental benefits for Medicaid, CHIP and Medicare Advantage programs, and supports more than 80 dental practices around the U.S.

Preventive rewards and RollMax are currently available in 32 states for policies effective Jan. 1, 2024, with additional states coming on-line throughout the remainder of 2023.

About Sun Life Financial Inc.

Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of March 31, 2023, Sun Life had total assets under management of $1.36-trillion.