Vital Savings by Aetna^® is a lower-cost alternative to traditional dental insurance. This program will be of significant interest if you do not have an individual dental plan and are not covered by a group plan through your employer. All you do is present your card when you go to a participating dentist. The Vital Savings by Aetna logo tells the dentist to charge you the discounted service rate which has been agreed with Aetna instead of the retail cost.

As a bonus, participants will enjoy access to savings on vision, fitness and alternative health care free of charge.

Highlights of the program include:

• No pre-existing conditions exclusions
• No waiting periods
• No health questions to qualify
• No deductibles
• No maximums
• No limitations on number of visits
• No age restrictions
• No claim forms
• Providers throughout the United States

Within 48 hours of receiving your payment, a membership kit will be sent to your home. The kit will contain your personalized ID card, a list of participating dental office locations close to your home, and information about a wide range of resources to keep you informed and answer your questions.

No. Vital Savings by Aetna^® is NOT INSURANCE. With this program, you won’t have the costs, hassles or restrictions of dental insurance. The participating dentists have agreed, by contract with Aetna, to charge subscribers fixed, reduced fees for their services. Because Vital Savings by Aetna^® is not insurance, there are no benefits payable to participants, nor does Aetna compensate providers for services they may render to participants. You are responsible for paying the discounted fee directly to the participating provider at the time you receive services.

No, but the subscription fees shown are exclusively for members of participating affinity groups. If you are not part of such a group, contact our 24/7 call center for information about how you can register in the non-group version of the program.

Contact the 24/7 call center at 1-877-239-2295.

As long as you are a member in good standing of a participating affinity group sponsoring the plan, there are no restrictions on participation.

Information for groups interested in the program can be obtained from the program manager:

Affinity Group Underwriters, Inc.
4510 Cox Road, Suite 111
Glen Allen, VA 23060
t. (877) 673-9797 (toll-free)
f. (804) 283-9989
e. info@agu.net (include the words “Vital Savings” in the subject line).

Absolutely, agents and brokers are the primary distributors of this program. Contact Affinity Group Underwriters for details (see contact info in previous question).

Please have them contact our call center. They may be members of another group that participates. Or, we can refer them to the non-group program (which costs more but provides the same savings).

If you select family registration, all members of your immediate family currently living in your household can be registered. Any new family members can also be registered later. If you register as an individual and want to register family members later on, you simply change your registration selection and pay any additional fee required.

You can request additional ID cards and/or replacement cards by contacting us at our 24/7 call center (1-877-239-2295) or online through the Contact Us feature of our website at www.affinitybenefits.com/vitalsavings.

There are no limits on how often you and your family can use your card as long as it is valid and your subscription fees are current.

Yes, payment is due at the time of service unless you have made different payment arrangements directly with the provider.

If a participating dentist does not recognize your Vital Savings by Aetna^® card, simply ask the office staff to call 1-888-BE-VITAL (1-888-238-4825) and a customer service representative will supply the necessary information.

If a participating Vision One provider does not recognize your card, advise the provider that Vital Savings by Aetna^® is a discount program available through Cole Managed Vision, plan # 47196. If they still have questions, they should call the Cole Managed Vision provider helpline (toll-free 1-800-793-8616) for clarification.

Discounts are available only when visiting a participating dentist. If your current dentist participates in the Aetna Dental Access network, you simply need to present your ID card to receive instant discounts. If not, you may wish to select another dentist who does participate in the program so that you can take advantage of the discounts.

Because Vital Savings by Aetna^® is supported by the Aetna Dental Access^SM network, you have over 62,000* available dental practice locations to choose from nationwide.

Go to www.affinitybenefits.com/vitalsavings and select Find a Provider to locate participating dental office locations in your area. Or, you can call us toll-free at 1-877-239-2292.

*According to the Aetna Enterprise Database as of July 1, 2005.

No, the discounted fee a dentist charges is based on many factors, including the area in which the dentist practices. Once you are a participant in Vital Savings by Aetna^®, you can use the website to look up negotiated fees in your area for common dental procedures. Just go to the Fee Schedules section of the website and register for Aetna Navigator, Aetna's secure interactive website. Then go to the Estimate the Cost of Care^SM tool.

The Vision One network is comprised of a mix of retail and independent providers. The major retail providers include Sears, JCPenney^®, Target^® and most participating Pearle Vision^® Centers. In addition, there are numerous independent optical providers in the Vision One network.

You may call the Vision One Member Services automated toll-free line at 1-800-793-8616 24 hours a day. Additionally, representatives are available to answer any questions Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET and Saturdays 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET. You can also search DocFind, Aetna's online provider directory, on the website to find participating Vision One locations.

No. You may take your valid prescription to a Vision One location to have it filled at discounted prices.

Your cost as a Vital Savings by Aetna^® participant is $38 for a basic eyeglass exam. Standard contact lens exams are $78, and you'll receive $10 off the provider's normal charge for a specialty contact lens exam.

The discount is 10 percent on disposables and 20 percent on non-disposables purchased from a participating provider.

No. Your Vision One discount may not be combined with any specials or in-store promotions, but the provider should compare the two so that you receive the best price.

See the website (http://www.affinitybenefits.com/vitalsavings) for details and contact information for each of the bonus savings programs. Contact information can also be obtained by calling 1-877-229-2395.

There are three ways to register:

1. Online at www.affinitybenefits.com/vitalsavings. Complete the online registration form and supply your payment information.
    
2. By telephone. Call one of our customer service representatives toll free at 1-877-239-2295.
    
3. By mail. If you have received a brochure from your affinity group, a paper registration form may have been included as part of the brochure. It can also be obtained from the website (www.affinitybenefits.com/vitalsavings). Provide the information required, include your payment and mail it to the address shown on the form.

Note that you must have a valid sponsor number for your affinity group to register. If you do not know the sponsor number, contact your affinity group or call the 24/7 call center at 1-877-239-2295.

You may pay by credit card or check on either a semi-annual or an annual basis.  Approximately a month before your registration period ends, we will send you a renewal invoice.

Your satisfaction is important to us. If you are not satisfied with the program for any reason within the first 30 days, you may cancel your participation and receive a full refund (less the registration fee). If you cancel your subscription there is a 12 month waiting period before re-registration is allowed.

Call our 24/7 call center toll free at 1-877-239-2295 for any questions or assistance in registering. A dedicated team of trained service professionals will be standing by to help you. You may use this number anytime during your participation in Vital Savings by Aetna for prompt assistance. You may also use the “Contact Us” feature on the website and receive your answers via e-mail.