Small Group Health Insurance in California
Obtaining health insurance for your California business is one of the smartest decisions you can make. Many studies have been conducted and the findings are conclusively positive towards employers that make the commitment to their employees' wellbeing.
At HealthInsuranceShopper.com our friendly, knowledgeable agents are dedicated to helping you find the best small group health insurance for your employees and your bottom-line.
In order to qualify for small group insurance in California you will need to have:
- 2-50 full-time employees (principles do count but 1099's normally do not qualify)
- Your company's wages and earnings (DE6)
- The ages of your staff
- Your employee's residential zip codes
- The worker's compensation that you provide
If you fulfill the above criteria, your California business will be eligible for insurance. Federal law requires that small businesses cannot be denied coverage due to the physical condition or illness of its employees or their dependents. Now that you know your small group is eligible for health insurance you have many choices to consider.
1. You are only required to cover all of your full-time workers (anyone working 30 hours or more). You many choose to cover their dependents and/or your part-time staff (anyone working between 20-29 hours) and their dependents. If you provide health insurance to one, then you must provide it to the entire group.
2. You must decide how much of the insurance premium you would like to pay for your workers. Employers must contribute at least 50% of the premiums. Premiums are a 100% tax deductible.
3. There are different kinds of health insurance for you to consider. Each of them has their pluses and minuses depending on your company's medical needs.
Indemnity: Indemnity was more popular in the past. Those covered can go to any doctor, hospital or other provider. The cost of the care is split between the insurance provider and the patient. Indemnity provides choice but at a higher cost.
Managed Care: Provides a more affordable means of purchasing insurance, but reduces your choice to in-network providers only. Examples of different managed care plans:
- HMO (Health Maintenance Organization): Most popular. Must stay in-network, there are low cost co-payments and no deductibles.
- PPO (Preferred Provider Organization): More freedom of choice in your care but you must pay deductibles.
- POS (Point of Service): A combination of in-network and out-of-network care.
- HSA/HDHP (Health Savings Account/High Deductible Health Plan): Has a high deductible, usually around $2,000. Most are paired with a health savings account where the employer and employee can contribute up to the amount of the deductible.
- California Choice: Allows you to provide multiple health insurance plans to your employees so they have a choice of what would be best for their medical situation.
on California Group Health Insurance
As you can see, there is no lack of choices when it comes to providing California health insurance to your staff. We have expert agents that will be happy to answer all of your questions, to help you make important decisions that will impact your company's health now and in the future.
You can compare California small group health insurance plans on our website or you can call us directly at 1-888-485-5747 and we will help you find the small group health insurance that is best suited for your company.