The coming of age of the Delta Dental Plan of Massachusetts, 1966-1996.

In the early nineteen fifties prepaid dental health insurance came of age on the West Coast. Because of the hard work of members of the Massachusetts Dental Society, dental insurance became available in Massachusetts in 1966. During the early eighties the Massachusetts Dental Service Corporation completed its separation from the dental society, and in 1985 achieved its independence from their management company, Blue Cross. This paper highlights the creative growth strategies of the start up company, Delta Dental of Massachusetts, that over the past decade has become the number one dental insurance group statewide.