Why Fewer Businesses Offer Small Group Health Insurance

by | Dec 15, 2011 | Insurance

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California is one of the states in the US that has developed an efficient method by using administrative machinery for providing tips and resources to individuals for getting the best possible health and medical coverage. Data reveals that 87% of the population was insured by some form of health cover in 2007. The state administration has devoted a help center for providing assistance to natives when they face problems relating to health insurance.

Most individuals are covered by employer sponsored insurance. When you are self employed or are the owner of a small business or if you are currently between jobs you may be in the need of individual insurance. Only a minority of Americans purchase their own coverage. According to studies dating to 2010, about 14 million non-elderly adults in America purchased non-group or individual insurance. The number that is covered by employer-sponsored schemes is 157 million. The recent new health reforms will usher in laws that will require that insurers will have to accept every party irrespective of any prior health conditions. The option which insurers previously had whereby they could exclude coverage to some individual in a group or impress rate surcharges on the basis of prior existing health conditions will then become redundant. Small group health insurance will be revamped to allow all members to receive coverage. In most cases, small group health insurance is more cost-effective than individual health coverage as it requires less administrative costs to fund the group schemes. Premiums on individual schemes are higher and most insured parties reported that they had to spend considerably more out-of-pocket on health care than if they were in a group scheme making individual plans less affordable in comparison.

Small firms that are starting businesses are less likely to provide health coverage to their employees. The trend to offer employee insurance from small businesses has been on a steady decline since 1999. Rising costs in these schemes has made it unattractive and uneconomic to provide the employer-sponsored plans for workers, forcing many to seek individual insurance policies. Many agents and brokers are helpful to employers in assisting them in finding the right, cost-effective and competitive rates in health insurance. The agents can help with the enrollment of employees on to the scheme and in resolving disputes about benefits. New laws that will come into force in 2014 will change the face of small group health insurance. California is one of the most progressive states in the country for helping to provide comprehensive insurance to individuals and groups.

 

 

 

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