Group Health

When a person is injured or becomes ill, the resulting medical costs can significantly impact their financial wellness. Lacking adequate options and resources can hinder a person’s recovery and rehabilitation, and may even keep them from accessing necessary treatment altogether. With this in mind, the importance of comprehensive health insurance becomes clear. Group health insurance presents an attractive option for many businesses and organizations, but those establishing plans must ensure they fully understand their options. 

How Does Group Health Insurance Work? 

As its name may suggest, group health insurance provides coverage to multiple people within a single policy. Your business may find that adequate health insurance is critical to an attractive employee benefits package. In most cases under the Affordable Care Act, businesses with at least 50 full-time employees are required to offer a group health plan. Many providers may also provide coverage to smaller businesses with fewer employees. 

After determining the details of your group health insurance plan, your employees can accept or decline coverage while selecting coverage levels and various features made available through the policy. For a policy to remain valid, a minimum percentage of eligible employees must opt in.  

In general, group health insurance, also known as employer-based health coverage, can have several financial benefits for both your business and employees, including the following: 

• Lower premiums due to risk being spread across your workforce

• Ability for employees to add family members and dependents to the plan

• Access to certain tax benefits for your company

Who Can Sign Up for Group Health Insurance? 

Generally, your business must pay payroll taxes to qualify for a group health insurance plan. Employees who are a part of that payroll and their spouses or dependents are eligible for coverage. However, contractors and temporary employees will usually not be able to join a business’s group health policy. Further, employees who are on unpaid leave may also lose access to coverage. Dependents must be offered coverage until the age of 26. Your business may also choose to extend coverage limits to include nonmarried partners and dependents exceeding the age limit. 

How Much Does Group Health Insurance Cost? 

Your premiums for group health insurance are determined by providers after a thorough analysis of several criteria. In most cases, businesses can expect the following factors to be considered: 

• Business location

• Business operations

• Employees’ ages

• Employees’ smoking status

• Employees’ location (i.e., where they live)

• Plan tier (e.g., bronze, silver, gold, platinum, etc.)

Get the Right Coverage 

In addition to providing crucial support for your employees’ health and wellness, group health insurance policies can also assist your business’s attraction and retention efforts. Furthermore, these arrangements provide the aforementioned benefits at attractive prices.  

The agents of Vanmar Insurance have over 25 years of experience helping individuals, businesses and families in the Yakima area understand and fulfill their insurance needs. We will work with you to analyze the details of your specific situation and compose an optimal group health insurance policy. Contact us today to get started.