Small Group Health Insurance Offers CHOICE
Many employers with fewer than 51 employees would love to offer their employees a group health insurance program that offers a choice of health plans and at the same time limits the amount paid by the employer to either a percentage (>50%) or flat dollar ($100) amount per employee regardless of age. We in California are fortunate to have several group health insurance plans in the market that offer a variety of options ranging from 100% HMO, PPO's, Baja Mexico plans,
HSA's & supplemental insurance through voluntary pre-tax options. These plans assist employees with hardships due to accidents or hospitalization.
There are several group health insurance carriers that offer CHOICE programs to employee benefit programs. Some are:
Aetna Pick a Plan offers many plans to group sizes 4+. group health insurance administrators (or better yet, we as your agent) can explain to employees the choices available. The employer usually picks a base plan to pay a percentage of (50%- 100%) and employees may upgrade or add dependents at their own expense. The types of plans range from full coverage HMOs to High Deductible Health Plan HSA's.
Blue Cross Employee Elect is another group health insurance CHOICE option. Blue Cross pioneered this concept many years ago and offers a low employer contribution of $100 to help newer employers afford group health insurance benefits.. Then Blue Cross added the Ben-E-fits portfolio that allows Employers can pay only $50 per employee and each employee may upgrade at their own expense. Blue Cross has the most HSA options and now offers 2 Lumenos plans (1500 & 3000). These are HSAs that offer preventative coverage at no cost. This idea is very appealing as the Out of Pocket maximum does equal the HSA deductible. As stated, once the deductible is met per year, the carrier pays 100%.
Blue Shield's version of multiple group health insurance plans is called: the Suite Deal. Again, it's a very similar concept that offers a wide variety of employee benefit plans, often with a lower employer contribution. Employees choose the plan that best suits their needs and pay additional cost over the base plan paid by the employer.
California Choice, a marketing organization, is one of the originators of the CHOICE plan idea. Their program offers group health insurance choices in both plans AND carriers offered. California choice offers small group health insurance from five different insurers and several HMO and PPO options, all on one bill. Blue Shield's PPO & HSA are their strong points, along with Kaiser, Health Net and other plans. Additional features include free dental discounts and options for vision and life. group health insurance becomes much more affordable.
Health Net has its own version of CHOICE for group health insurance, called Enhanced CHOICE and Silver CHOICE. They have a low cost Mexico based plan, 8 HMOs and 8 PPO's as well as 4 HSA's in each of the CHOICE portfolios. Employers usually pick a "benchmark" plan to pay for and employees may pay additional to have a richer HMO or PPO or add their dependents at their own expense.
Kaiser has a couple CHOICE programs, including KP CHOICE. Employers with more than 5 enrolled employees may offer a CHOICE of group health insurance plans offered through Kaiser, including a PPO, a POS and HSA eligible plans.
Choice plans work for many, but certainly not all groups who offer group health insurance for their employees. Sometimes the overall cost is higher for choices. As an independent agent, we can help you sift through the various group health insurance plans to find the right combination to meet your company's needs. Please call either Jean Strouf Ext. 201 or Terri Carver Ext. 203 @ 619-668-5200 for details.
