Ameritas Acquires a Large Dental Benefits Provider

Dental Select came out of the discount plan business and now has 470,000 customers.

Bill Lester (Credit: Ameritas)

Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. announced today that it has acquired Dental Select, a large group insurance agency and benefit plan administrator.

Ameritas is a Lincoln, Nebraska-based insurer with a large dental and vision benefits business. It has relationships with about 4.5 million customers.

(Related: Bill Lester to Succeed JoAnn Martin at Ameritas)

Dental Select is a Salt Lake City-based company that came to life in 1989. The company started out running dental discount network programs. It now sells dental, vision and accidental death and dismemberment plans as well as individual dental insurance. The company also helps employers administer self-insured benefit plans.

Dental Select has about 470,000 customer relationships.

Ameritas and Dental Select are not saying how much Ameritas paid for Dental Select.

Bill Lester, the chief executive officer of Ameritas, said in a comment about the deal included in the announcement that Ameritas will operate Dental Select as a subsidiary.

One of Dental Select’s strengths is its technology-focused approach to insurance, Lester said.

— Read Ameritas Names President And Accounting Chiefon ThinkAdvisor.

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