Guardian Dental Plan Members Save More Than $220 Million in Rollover Benefit Dollars

NEW YORK, April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), a leading provider of employee and voluntary benefits for small and midsize businesses, today announced that it has placed more than $220 million in client accounts since introducing its dental Maximum Rollover program in 2004. More than $170 million was rolled over to customer accounts in 2006 alone.

The rollover dollars represent the money that dental plan members collectively saved due to the program. The Maximum Rollover option allows Guardian Dental plan members to roll over a portion of their unused annual maximum into a personal Maximum Rollover Account (MRA), in case the need for more extensive dental care arises in the future. Traditional dental plans require members to use or lose their benefit dollars.

More than 40% of individuals enrolled in eligible Guardian plans received rollover dollars. The 2006 deposits of $170 million were 238% higher than the 2005 deposits of $50 million. The growing number of participants in the program drove the triple digit increase.

Guardian's Maximum Rollover program is designed to encourage consumers to receive preventive treatment, while also empowering them to save benefit dollars that they would lose under a traditional plan. Consumers must make regular dental visits to trigger eligibility for rollover benefits.

"Guardian pioneered the development of dental annual maximum rollover programs, which are growing in popularity," said Dr. Richard Goren, DDS and Guardian's second vice president, Group Dental. "Dental rollover accounts gives our brokers a competitive advantage and our members value the ability to accumulate funds for future dental care. As we mark the 50th anniversary of our Group business, the success of this program underscores our commitment to employee benefits innovation and leadership."

Guardian's Maximum Rollover features include the following:

-- Allows members who have submitted small claims to build up their MRA for a time when they will need to cover large claims.

-- Rewards long-term employees by allowing the rollover account to accumulate over time.

-- Provides members with consumer choice. By carefully controlling their spending, members can have more dollars available when needed.

-- If a member uses the services of Guardian or FCW Preferred Providers exclusively during the year, they can rollover an even larger amount.

For more information please contact your local Guardian Group Representative or log on to http://www.guardianlife.com/ to find a representative near you.

Guardian is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Group employee benefit business. In honor of this milestone the company will issue a series of educational surveys and reports to help employees, employers and benefit decision makers better understand how they can jumpstart their financial lives, improve recruitment, retention and employee satisfaction by maximizing the use and power of their workplace coverage. The first report released in the series is entitled, Benefits & Behavior: Spotlight on Dental. The report can be found at http://www.guardiandental.com/

About Guardian

Founded in 1860, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY (Guardian) is one of the largest mutual life insurance companies in the United States. As of December 31, 2006, Guardian and its subsidiaries had $39.5 billion in assets (on a consolidated statutory basis). With more than 5,000 employees and 3,000 financial representatives, as well as more than 80 agencies nationwide, Guardian and its subsidiaries protect individuals, businesses, and their employees with life, disability, health, long-term care, and dental insurance products, and offer 401(k), annuities and other financial products and trust services. More information about Guardian can be obtained at: http://www.guardianlife.com/.