On the grow: Baton Rouge-based Starmount Life Insurance Co., including its sister company, AlwaysCare Benefits Inc., says its national dental provider network increased by nearly 35% to 270,000 access points. The network expansion includes general dentists and specialists across the country. The companies’ dental plan members now have access to DenteMax Plus networks as a result of a preferred provider organization network agreement, officials say, adding the network expansion means insured members will have more choices to access in-network dentists and receive substantial discounts on dental services. Starmount and AlwaysCare have more details.
Spare change: The Foundation for Woman’s Hospital has nominated a Baton Rouge 8-year-old for the William R. Simms Award for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy. As Business Report highlighted in the current issue, Joey Roth created the Jars for Change project, which placed jars in public spaces to raise money for a charitable cause. In August, he donated $5,000 to Woman’s to fund a project called “Joey Time,” which connects NICU babies to their moms via iPads and FaceTime. Those wishing to support Roth for the award can vote for him online through Friday, May 1. Get more details on Roth’s initiative at the Jars for Change Facebook page.
No safety net: Cold-weather states are hot spots for better personal budgeting, according to results of a WalletHub.com study of 150 metro areas around the country. Louisiana lagged behind most areas, with no metro area in the state ranking better than Lafayette’s No. 109. Baton Rouge is ranked No. 124. As The Advertiser reports, the financial website says some three in five American adults don’t budget at all. One in seven say they don’t even have a good idea of what they spend on housing, food and entertainment. Nine of the top 10 metro areas for personal budgeting are located in the frigid North. Read the full story.
