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DELTA DENTAL PLAN OF ILLINOIS August 16, 2004 - LISLE, Ill. Delta Dental Plan of Illinois (Delta Dental Illinois) is pleased to announce the launch of its subsidiary TruAssure insurance company. Tom Colgan, former Delta Dental Illinois Board member and current Chief Marketing Officer, has been appointed chief operating officer of TruAssure. Colgan joined Delta Dental Illinois in 1996 as a member of the Board of Directors and became chief marketing officer in 2003. Dr. Robert Dennison, chief executive officer and president of Delta Dental Illinois, will serve as chief executive officer of TruAssure as well. Colgan views his role with TruAssure as an entrepreneurial opportunity, a good fit for his background. "I'm very comfortable building a business from the ground up," said Colgan, "and that is what we'll be doing to ensure that TruAssure excels in the marketplace." Colgan is one of four founders of Resource Information Management Systems (RIMS), one of the first companies to offer claims administration software to insurance companies. The company became the nation's leading developer of claims administration software. RIMS was recognized as one of Inc. Magazine's top 500 fastest growing, privately held companies in 1986 and 1987. Colgan left RIMS in 1992. In 1999, Colgan and four others founded Health Network Systems (HNS), which created a national provider file. The file was the first of its kind, and assisted in the correct selection of healthcare providers in the claims administration process. Investors in HNS received a three-to-one return on their investment when the company was sold two years later. Most recently, Colgan was Executive Vice President of VestaCare Inc., where he supervised the creation and implementation of partnerships between VestaCare and other managed care organizations and was responsible for all revenue growth. He also was the Vice President of Sales for First Health in Downers Grove, Illinois from 1992 to 1999. "I have a unique perspective that I will apply to TruAssure as we build the company," said Colgan. "Many of the same skills I used growing RIMS and HNS will be put to use with TruAssure. I look forward to growing TruAssure into a market leader in the industry." "Tom has been a tremendous asset to Delta Dental Plan of Illinois as a Board member," said Dennison. "With his strong experience and impressive background, I can't think of a person better suited for the role or better equipped to take the reins of TruAssure and grow the company to its full potential. I am so pleased to have him on our team." TruAssure expects to launch vision and life products in the 1st Quarter of 2005.TruAssure Insurance Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Dental Plan of Illinois offers a full suite of ancillary group coverages to its corporate clients. In conjunction with Delta Dental Plan of Illinois' dental products, TruAssure has group term life, AD&D, STD, LTD and vision products at very competitive prices. To learn more about TruAsure, call 800-414-4988 or email GetAnswers@TruAssure.com. During National Children's Dental Health Month and throughout the year, Delta Dental Plan of Illinois (DDPIL) is focusing on children's smiles with its "Teeth-on-the-Go" bookbag program. Teeth-on-the-Go is a fun health program based on curriculum requirements that provides elementary school teachers and oral health professionals with a variety of learning tools to use to educate children on the importance of oral health and show them how to care for their teeth. This "bookbag" program, geared to children in kindergarten through 2nd grade, incorporates a variety of visual and audio learning tools, including books, sing-along tapes, and oversized teeth and a toothbrush, that show children how they can have healthy teeth and gums. It also includes the importance of teeth to a child's overall health, the impact of nutrition on teeth and proper oral hygiene and toothbrushing techniques. "While our main focus is administering dental benefit plans, we feel strongly about promoting the importance of good oral health and have a serious commitment to improving oral health education and access to care," said Dr. Robert E. Dennison, President and Chief Executive Officer of DDPIL. "Since we are headquartered and do business in Illinois, we are particularly concerned about the people in our own backyard. We're using Teeth-on-the-Go to focus on children's smiles in Illinois. It's never too early to teach the importance of oral health. Education is key to help establish healthy habits and hopefully, prevent more serious problems." DDPIL has distributed 80 bookbags to teachers and oral health professionals throughout the state. The bookbags are free to these professionals and are offered on a first-requested, first-served basis. The Peoria District Dental Society is one group that received a Teeth-on-the-Go bookbag. In fact, after a DDPIL representative presented Teeth-on-the-Go to the Society, the group requested 30 bookbags to distribute to educational and health professionals they work with. "The Teeth-on-the-Go bookbag is a valuable tool in helping us spread the word about good oral health around the community," said Georgana L. Donnelly, RDH and Executive Secretary of the Peoria District Dental Society. "We have sent the kits to many groups in Peoria including a local health education center, local schools, Illinois Central College dental hygiene school, Girl Scout and Brownie troops, day cares, nurses and dentists in the community. We're making sure that children throughout the community are educated about the importance of oral health and how to care for their teeth." DDPIL is a not-for-profit dental service corporation specializing in providing comprehensive, easy-to-use and cost-effective benefits to over one million employees and family members in more than 3,000 employee groups throughout Illinois. Based in Lisle, Ill., DDPIL offers an array of extensive nationwide network-based managed fee-for-service, PPO and dental HMO plans. |