Business
WellPoint buys dental benefits firm
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 11, 2009
Indianapolis Blues giant WellPoint has boosted its dental benefits business with the $100 million purchase of DeCare Dental, an insurer based in Eagan, Minn.
DeCare covers 4 million people, which doubles WellPoint's dental membership to 8 million, according to a news release announcing the deal.
WellPoint's dental business remains much smaller than dominant dental benefits companies like Delta Dental, which claims to cover 51 million people, but it will eclipse membership at UnitedHealth Group's OptumHealth Dental, which is approximately 6.2 million.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/05/11/bibf0511.htm.