Fully Insured Group Medical Plans
There are over 7.4 million employers in the U.S., and the majority (82% of all employers) have fewer than 200 employees. Yet, as a nation made up largely of small employers, it can be difficult to compete with larger businesses – and larger budgets – for top talent.
As such, small businesses look to benefits to help attract and retain key staff. Benefits commonly include health insurance, recruiting and retention programs, and workplace perks. In the case of health insurance, particularly, the landscape is rapidly changing. The passage of the Affordable Care Act opened up new and affordable options for small businesses wishing to provide health benefits to their employees.
What is employer group health insurance coverage?
Group health insurance coverage is a policy that is purchased by an employer and is offered to eligible employees of the company (and often to the employees' family members) as a benefit of working for that company. A group health insurance plan is a key component of many employee benefits packages that employers provide for employees. The majority of Americans have group health insurance coverage through their employer or the employer of a family member. One of the advantages for employees in a group health plan is the contribution most employers make toward the cost of the health coverage premium – in many cases, employers pay one-half or more of the monthly premium for an employee. Another advantage is that most employers have established Premium Only Plans (often called POP plans) that allow employees to pay any employee-required contributions to premiums on a pre-tax basis. Between the employer contributions, which aren’t taxable for employees, and the POP plan, employer-provided health insurance is significantly subsidized due to these tax breaks.
Are all employer group health insurance policies the same?
Historically, insurance has been regulated in large measure by each state. Therefore, the laws regarding health insurance offered by the different types of employers can vary significantly from state to state. However, with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the federal government also regulates insurance. This is particularly true for individuals purchasing coverage on their own as well as for smaller employers with 50 or fewer employees.
Also, different types of employers may offer different benefit plans. Millions of Americans work for small employers, which for health insurance purposes are generally those with 50 employees or less. Millions of other Americans get their health insurance coverage through large employers. Generally, those are businesses with more than 50 employees. The laws about how coverage can be issued to large groups are different than those for small groups, and the way that premium rates are determined is also different.
What are the coverage requirements for small employer plans?
At this time, small employers are not required to offer health insurance to employees. Many do so because they believe that health insurance coverage is a valued employee benefit that helps employers attract top employees and retain them. State and federal laws apply to varying degrees – again based on factors including the number of employees, the type of business and whether an insurance company is providing the coverage.
The Affordable Care Act requires that insured small group plans offer health plans that meet certain benchmarks. The benchmarks are represented by the metal levels of platinum, gold, silver and bronze. Each metal level tier plan is designed to provide the same average level of benefit to an enrollee.
The tiers are based on the percentage the plan pays of the average overall cost of providing essential health benefits to members:
- Platinum plans are the most generous and more expensive. These are designed to pay as much as 90% of medical expenses
- Gold plans are designed to pay 80% of medical expenses
- Silver plans are expected to pay 70% of medical expenses
- Bronze plans are expected to pay 60% of medical expenses.
It’s important to note that the metal tiers reflect what the plans will pay on average. These percentages are not the same as coinsurance, which calls for an individual to pay a specific percentage of the cost of a specific service.
There are other myriad requirements that apply to group health in addition to those required by the ACA. There are laws that address benefit communications (ERISA), claims appeals (ERISA) and portability of coverage (HIPAA) among others.
Both the ACA and the federal HIPAA law mandate that no matter what pre-existing health conditions small employer group members may have, no small employer or an individual employee can be turned down by an insurance company for group coverage. This requirement is known in the insurance industry as “guaranteed issue.” In addition, each insurance company must renew its small employer health plan contracts every year, at the employer's discretion, unless there is non-payment of premium, the employer has committed fraud or intentional misrepresentation, or the employer has not complied with the terms of the health insurance contract.
Steps to building an ACA compliant fully insured group medical plan in Gulfport, Biloxi, Long Beach, Ocean Springs, Hattiesburg, Jackson & Pascagoula, Mississippi as well as Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee & Florida.
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