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For employers

Group coverage for your business.

Whether you are offering health benefits for the first time or shopping a renewal you are not happy with, we help you compare group medical, ancillary lines, and reimbursement arrangements, then handle the paperwork.

Where to start

Benefits are a hiring decision and a budget decision.

The right answer depends on your headcount, your team, and how much of the cost you want to carry. There are more ways to do this than there were five years ago.

For most small employers, health benefits are the second largest line item after payroll, and the one people compare when they are deciding whether to take a job. The good news is that the choice is no longer just one group plan or nothing: reimbursement arrangements let you set a fixed budget and let employees pick their own coverage, and level funded plans can reward a group that stays healthy.

We are licensed agents, so quoting and enrolling your group costs you nothing extra. We can also help your employees understand what they are choosing, which is usually where a benefits rollout succeeds or fails. If you are an employee rather than a business owner, the health plans through work page is written for you.

full-time equivalents is the applicable large employer threshold
50
days before renewal is when to start shopping
60 to 90
the most common group effective date
Jan 1
Request a group quoteWhat employees see

What to have ready

A quote moves fastest with a census: employee ages, ZIP codes, whether each person is enrolling with dependents, and your target effective date. Nothing medical is needed for a fully insured small group quote.

Start the request

Funding options

Four ways to cover a team.

These are the structures we quote most often for employers under a few hundred employees. Availability varies by state and by carrier.

01 Fully insured small group

The traditional route

You choose plans from an insurance company, pay a fixed monthly premium per enrolled employee, and the insurer carries the claims risk. Rates are set by the carrier and filed with the state. In most states the small group market covers employers with up to 50 employees, and a few states set the line higher.

Best fit: predictable budgeting and the least administration.

02 Level funded

Self-funded mechanics, fixed monthly bill

You pay a level monthly amount that covers expected claims, administration, and stop-loss protection. If claims come in under the funded amount, the arrangement may return a surplus at the end of the year. Underwriting usually looks at the health of your group, so results vary by census.

Best fit: healthier groups willing to trade some predictability for upside.

03 ICHRA

Reimburse individual coverage instead

An individual coverage health reimbursement arrangement lets an employer of any size reimburse employees tax-free for individual health insurance premiums and, if the plan is designed that way, other medical expenses. Employees buy their own plan and keep it if they leave. Employees enrolled in an ICHRA cannot also take a premium tax credit for that coverage.

Best fit: employers who want a fixed contribution and employee choice.

04 QSEHRA

The small employer version

A qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangement is available to employers with fewer than 50 full-time equivalent employees that do not offer a group health plan. Reimbursements are capped by an annual limit set each year, and employees must have coverage that meets the requirements to be reimbursed tax-free.

Best fit: small teams with no group plan today.

Before you quote

Six decisions that shape every number you will see.

Quotes are only comparable when the eligibility rules and contribution strategy behind them are the same, so it is worth settling these first.

  • Who is eligible: full-time only, part-time above a set number of hours, and when new hires become eligible
  • How much you contribute toward employee-only coverage and toward dependents
  • Whether you need a network that reaches every location your team works in
  • Which plan designs fit your team: HMO, PPO, EPO, or a high deductible plan paired with an HSA
  • Whether to add dental, vision, life, disability, or supplemental coverage now or later
  • Your target effective date, which drives every deadline behind it

Employer questions

What business owners ask first.

Is my business required to offer health insurance?
Employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees are applicable large employers and are subject to the employer shared responsibility rules, which means offering coverage that meets minimum value and affordability standards to full-time employees or potentially owing a payment. Employers under that threshold are not required to offer coverage, though many do to compete for staff.
How many employees do I need to start a group plan?
Small group plans generally start at one enrolled employee besides the owner, but carriers set their own participation and contribution requirements: often a minimum percentage of eligible employees enrolled and a minimum employer contribution toward employee-only premium. Employees who waive because they have other coverage, such as a spouse plan or Medicare, usually do not count against participation.
What if we cannot meet the participation requirement?
Ask about January 1 effective dates. Insurers offering small group coverage generally have to run an annual special window in mid-November through mid-December during which they accept small groups without applying their usual minimum participation and contribution rules for coverage starting January 1. Rules vary by state and carrier, so confirm the details before you count on it.
Is there a tax credit for small businesses?
There is. The Small Business Health Care Tax Credit is available to employers with fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees whose average annual wages fall under a limit that is adjusted each year, that pay at least half the cost of employee-only coverage, and that enroll through the SHOP marketplace. It can be worth up to 50 percent of employer premium contributions and can be claimed for two consecutive tax years. Ask your accountant whether your group qualifies.
What happens to coverage when an employee leaves?
Employers with 20 or more employees are generally subject to COBRA, which lets former employees and their dependents continue the group coverage for a limited period, usually up to 18 months, at their own expense. Many states have a similar continuation rule for smaller employers. Losing job-based coverage is also a qualifying life event, so a departing employee has a 60 day Special Enrollment Period to pick up an individual marketplace plan.
When should we start shopping for a renewal?
Start 60 to 90 days before your renewal date. That leaves room to compare quotes, collect a census, decide on contributions, and run an employee open enrollment before the new plan year begins. January 1 is the most common effective date and the most crowded, so start earlier if that is your renewal month.

Request a quote

Tell us about your group.

Send the basics and a licensed agent will follow up with options and the deadlines that apply to your effective date.

Include your company name, headcount, state, and target effective date in the message. Please do not send employee health information, Social Security numbers, or a full census through this form: we will send a secure way to share the census once we connect.

What happens next

A licensed agent reviews your request, confirms which carriers write groups in your area, and comes back with quotes and a timeline. If a reimbursement arrangement fits better than a group plan, we will say so.

Other ways to reach us

Also for you

Working with a broker already?

We work with agencies on group cases too. If you are an agent bringing us a group, start on the agents and brokers page.

For agents and brokersContact us