Small Group Benefits Because Good Coverage Matters

by Angela Thomas

Small businesses want to recruit and retain their valuable employees just like large companies do, it’s expensive and time consuming to hire, train, and recruit employees.  One of the ways to acquire and retain happy employees is to offer excellent benefits, like health, dental, disability, and life insurance. Let’s go over how a small business with under 50 employees can get quality group health insurance coverage, what group health insurance coverage consists of, the costs, and a few other details.

Group health insurance coverage isn’t mandated for companies with less than 50 employees. If a small business has fewer than this number of employees, it’s best to shop with a personal brokerage like Thomas & Associates. An agent at Thomas and Associates can discuss numerous carriers, plans, and high/low plan options plus the greatest number of network providers.  Ancillary benefit plans are available for employees at no additional cost.  These voluntary benefits are also available: disability, term life, critical illness, accidental death, and dismemberment, dental, and accident only policies.  These are available at NO COST to the employer. The employee absorbs the cost of the coverage.

Group health insurance coverage is made up of traditional types of insurance plans: HSA, HMO, PPO, and POS:

PPO or Preferred Provider Organization – This type of plan will allow you to pay less when you choose a doctor, hospital, or providers within the plan’s network. However, you can choose an outside provider without a referral.	HMO or Health Maintenance Organization – This type of plan is limited when it comes to your choices. You will most likely need to choose a doctor or provider within the HMO and most of these plans will not cover an out-of-network provider, except in emergencies.
POS or Point of Service – This plan will allow you to pay less when you choose providers in the network. You can use out-of-network providers with a referral from a primary care doctor.	EPO or Exclusive Provider Organization – This is a managed care plan with services only covered when you use the hospitals, doctors, and specialists within the plan’s network.

 

Group Health Insurance costs if offered with less than 50 employees is mandated be employer paid at a minimum of 50% of the cost of coverage for the employee only.  The employer can decide to pay more and could pay toward dependent or family coverage if chooses to do so but is not mandated.  The employee pays the remaining cost.  The average cost of coverage of coverage depending on a basic plan is about $400 with the 50% cost share that would be $200 for the employer and $200 for the employee. This can vary but is an average cost. How easy is it to get a quote?  We just need the employer information and some basic employee information called a census.  Click here for more information.

In conclusion, offering group benefits for a small business helps you keep those valuable employees.  They will be happier, healthier and wealthier since they will be able to have coverage that will protect them when life happens.  There are lots of choices from ones that employers pay to ones that are employee only paid.

Here at Thomas and Associates we do not charge to quote you and provide you personalized service to customize the right plan for your small business needs.  To start work on your plan Call us or Contact Us