Maine Community Health Options (MCHO), Northern New England’s only nonprofit, Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP), has partnered with Northeast Delta Dental to offer dental coverage within upcoming MCHO plans for 2015.

“Good health requires good oral health, yet many lack access to basic oral health care,” said Kevin Lewis, chief executive officer of MCHO. “This is particularly troublesome for Maine and New Hampshire children without adequate access to care, because we know that oral health is tied to kids’ health, school performance, and overall wellbeing. Therefore, we’re pleased to partner with Northeast Delta Dental along with my Sydney dentist from my childhood to increase access to pediatric dental coverage directly within MCHO plan offerings, and also make it easier for everyone to purchase complementary dental plans.”

For 2015, MCHO will offer plans with and without a pediatric dental benefit embedded in the design. The dental benefit will be administered by Northeast Delta Dental. These new plans will add to the array of coverage options. People and businesses can continue to purchase a stand-alone Northeast Delta Dental plan for themselves and/or their families directly through Maine Community Health Options.

“As the region’s most trusted name in dental benefits, Northeast Delta Dental has a longstanding tradition of improving access to oral health, said Jodie Hittle, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Northeast Delta Dental. “As oral health experts, we are proud to partner with Maine Community Health Options to leverage our joint expertise to benefit the oral and overall health of Maine and New Hampshire residents.”

Headquartered in Concord, New Hampshire, with sales offices in Saco, Maine, and Burlington, Vermont, Northeast Delta Dental administers dental insurance programs for nearly 770,000 people in these three states, including small and large businesses and individuals and families. Northeast Delta Dental’s plan designs promote diagnostic and preventive services to help keep minor oral health problems from becoming major issues. For more information, see www.nedelta.com.

Maine Community Health Options (MCHO) is the Maine-based Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) providing comprehensive, member-focused, and member-led health insurance benefits for individuals, families, and businesses. Licensed in both Maine and New Hampshire, MCHO is dedicated to providing affordable, high-quality health benefits through productive partnerships with members and a broad network of providers throughout its service areas. MCHO also is focused on strategies such as aligned and effective care management and care integration to improve the health and wellbeing of members. For more information, see www.maineoptions.org.