Archive for July, 2010
Changes to Georgia Small Business Health Insurance Plans
The health reform acts that recently passed the House of Representatives will result in a lot of changes in Georgia small business health insurance plans. Changes will occur mainly in how business owners purchase Georgia small business health insurance plans. Most of these changes will not kick in until 2014.
One big change is the institution of Shop Exchanges, Small Business Health Options Programs. These SHOP Exchanges will enable small businesses to pool together to purchase Georgia small business health insurance plans. Each state will set up its own SHOP exchange. The purpose of this program is that it will lower Georgia small business health insurance plan costs; although it is predicted they will only be 1-4% lower under the exchange system.
The definition of a small business will change too. Currently, a small business is defined as one with at least two employees, but no more than fifty. In the future, a small business will be defined as one with two to one hundred employees. Any Georgia business that meets that definition will be allowed to purchase Georgia small business health insurance plans. Small businesses that grow beyond the size limitations will be allowed to be grandfathered in, and will still be allowed to purchase Georgia small business health insurance plans for their employees. States may be allowed to limit pools to companies with less than fifty employees until the year 2016. After that, they will not be allowed to limit the pools.
Health insurance companies will not be allowed to increase Georgia small business health insurance plan premiums, or exclude coverage, based on pre-existing conditions. This is a major change from current insurance company policies. In the future, Georgia small business health insurance plan premiums can only vary based in geographic location, applicant’s age, and the presence of tobacco use. At this time, health insurance carriers are able to increase premiums if the applicant’s health is high risk, or exclude services for pre-existing medical conditions for up to eighteen months, typically.
In 2014, small business owners with more than fifty employees will be required to offer a Georgia small business health insurance plan to their employees, or pay a penalty per full-time worker. The Georgia small business health insurance plan coverage also will have to meet certain minimum benefits, which will include preventive medical care. Employers will have to face penalties if the Georgia small business health insurance plan coverage they offer does not meet the minimum requirements.
There may be tax credits offered to small businesses that offer Georgia small business health insurance plans to their employees, if they meet certain criteria, which may be a small number of full-time employees and not making a certain amount of income. Companies should check with a tax expert on whether they, and their Georgia small business health insurance plans, meet these conditions.
So, although the health reform acts will result in a lot of changes to small businesses and Georgia small business health insurance plans, most of these changes will not go into effect until 2014. Until that time, the Georgia small business health insurance plan market is still the same.
Sam Dicosta shares his knowledge on health insurance that makes you able to find the plans that best fits your needs. If you want to know about Family health insurance Georgia, Georgia small business health insurance, group health insurance, affordable health insurance Georgia, Wellpath North Carolina visit www.cvty-healthinsurance.com
Where to Get an Affordable Small Business Health Insurance Plan
More than 70% of working people receive health insurance through their employer. Offering a small business health insurance plan to your employees has serveral advantages:
* As an employer, you can get tax deductions for contributions to the plan.
* Employees who have health insurance have less absenteeism and are more productive.
Finding an Affordable Plan
Small business health insurance costs less than individual insurance but can still be expensive. To save money for yourself and your employees, investigate your options and choose the best type of plan for your business:
* Managed health care plans such as HMOs and PPOs cost less but offer fewer services and choices.
* Indemnity health plans are more expensive but offer more comprehensive coverage options.
* Medical savings account plans combined with high deductible health insurance are a newer option offering both flexibility and very affordable rates.
You may decide to offer more than one type of plan and let employees choose the one they want.
Comparison Shop for the Best Rates
It’s important to compare plans from several insurance companies in order to get the best rate. The easiest way to do this is to go to an insurance comparison website and fill out a simple online questionnaire. You may need to estimate some information, such as your group’s average age and health history.
The best insurance comparison websites have insurance professionals on hand to answer your questions and give you advice on how to get the best rate and the best policy for your situation (see link below). You can also adjust the information to see how it affects your premium. For example, you can request a quote with different deductibles and co-pays to see if the premium is less.
Once you submit your application you’ll receive quotes from several A-rated insurance companies and you’ll be able to select a plan that is right for your company and your employees.
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get small business health insurance plan quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can get more tips and advice in their Articles section.
The authors, Brian Stevens and Stacey Schifferdecker, have spent 30 years in the insurance and finance industries, and have written a number of articles on small business health insurance plans.
Small Business Health Insurance Plans – How to Get the Best Rates
Looking for a small business health insurance plan that won’t cost you an arm and a leg? Here’s how to get the best rate with a reputable company.
Small Business Health Insurance
If you own a small business with 2 to 50 employees you qualify for a group health insurance plan. Group health insurance will cost you and your employees much less than individual health insurance, plus contributions to your small business health insurance plan are tax deductible.
Group health insurance rates are calculated on an overall rate for group members who may customize or add additional coverage to meet their needs.
There are two types of health insurance plans that are currently available to small businesses – indemnity plans, also known as fee-for-service plans, and managed health care plans – HMOs, PPOs, and POSs.
Small Business Health Insurance Plans
Indemnity plans – These plans let you choose your own doctors and hospitals. There’s a $500 to $1,500 deductible you must pay before your insurer will pay your claims, and you usually have to pay 20% of the total amount of any individual claims. They cost more than HMOs, PPOs, and POSs, and involve a lot more paperwork.
HMOs – These plans provide you with a network of physicians and hospitals you must use when you’re injured or ill, and you pay a $5 to $10 co-payment for each doctor visit. These plans are the most restrictive but the least expensive health care plans.
PPOs – These plans also provide you with a network of physicians and hospitals you must use. You can visit out-of-network physicians by paying for the visit and submitting a receipt to receive partial reimbursement, and copays are usually $5 to $10 per visit. These plans cost a little more than HMOs.
POSs – These plans are a combination of HMOs and PPOs. If you’re referred to a non-network physician by your network primary care physician your fees will be paid, and copays are the same as for PPOs. These plans cost slightly more than PPOs.
Get the Best Rates on Small Business Health Insurance
To get the best rate on small business health insurance, visit an insurance comparison website where you can get quotes from a number of health insurance companies. At the better sites you can also get answers to your health insurance questions, such as which plan would be best for your group, from insurance professionals. (See link below.)
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get small business health insurance plan quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can get more insurance tips in their Articles section.
The author, Brian Stevens, is a former insurance agent and financial consultant who has written extensively on small business health insurance plans.
Small Business Health Insurance Plans – How to Get a Cheap Rate
If you are a small business owner, you want to offer your employees the best small business health insurance plan available. However, because health insurance can be among the most expensive items in your budget, you also want to get a cheap rate.
Decide What Kind of Small Business Health Insurance You Want to Offer
Three types of small business health insurance plans are available:
* Fee for Service plans are the most costly small business health insurance plans. Your employees can choose any doctor or hospital. They receive a fixed reimbursement for medical costs, usually around 80%.
* PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations) provide comprehensive health services but employees must choose a doctor and hospital that is part of the PPO’s network.
* HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) are similar to PPOs in that employees must choose a doctor and hospital that is in the network. However, HMOs usually offer fewer choices than PPOs and may require approval before an employee can visit a specialist. HMOs offer the cheapest rate for small business health insurance plans.
Gather Information the Insurance Company Will Need to Develop A Quote
The rates for small business health insurance plans are based on such factors as
* The general age and health of your employees, including tobacco use.
* The hazards of the job.
* The location of the business.
You need to collect this information before you shop for small business health insurance.
Get Quotes from Multiple Companies
Now you are ready to compare the rates and benefits of small business health insurance plans. The Internet makes this task easy. You can fill out a form online and receive quotes from multiple small business health insurance companies.
At some insurance sites, you can even chat online with insurance professionals, getting complete and accurate answers to all your insurance questions (see link below). Then you can choose which small business health insurance plan offers the cheapest rate for you and your employees, while offering the best benefits for your money.
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get small business health insurance plan quotes and see how much you can save. You can get more insurance tips in their Articles section.
The authors, Brian Stevens and Stacey Schifferdecker, have spent 30 years in the insurance and finance industries, and have written a number of articles on small business health insurance plans.
Small Business Health Insurance May Pay for Itself by Doing This..
Small business health insurance is a product that you do not want to be without if you are the owner of that company. In fact, providing this type of medical coverage for your employees may be one of the best things that you can do. Because there are millions of people that are without coverage today, taxes rise to pay for this. Because so many do not have this type of protection, costs in the medical community continue to rise. Yet, there are many more benefits to providing medical coverage to employees that are on a much more company level.
For those companies that do provide medical coverage, turn over is lower. Small business health insurance is a benefit that people seek the most when looking for new employment. This can help in reducing the costs for training and for payroll fees. Perhaps more importantly, it keeps employees happier, which means that they are going to appreciate coming to work each day. Yet another benefit to providing this type of medical coverage to employees is that they are less likely to call off from work for being ill.
Many company owners believe that they can not afford to provide this type of protection for their employees. There are many old and new companies out there that can provide affordable solutions to company owners considering coverage. For those that are not sure if they should go down that road, consider if you can afford not to do so. Small business health insurance may be something well within your budget for benefits for employees.
Learn More About Group Health Insurance Right Now By VisitingTheHealthInsuranceGuys.org or by clicking on Small Business Health Insurance Joe Stewart Is A Former Life & Health Insurance Agent That Now Spends Most Of His Time Helping People And Working On His Other Interests.
Where to Get Low Cost Small Business Health Insurance in Colorado
Thanks to rising health care costs, health insurance can cost a bundle. But you can still get low cost small business health insurance in Colorado if you know how. Here’s how to do it …
Small Business Health Insurance
As a small business owner you can buy a group health plan and get lower premiums, plus better coverage than you would with individual insurance. Your premiums are calculated for the group as a whole, and individuals may purchase additional coverage to suit their needs. As an employer you get tax deductions for any contributions you make.
There are a number of types of health insurance plans you can buy that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Here are the most popular:
HMO (health maintenance organization) – An HMO is a comprehensive health care plan that pays for your and your employees doctor visits, hospital bills, and prescription drugs. You pay a monthly premium and are assigned to a group of health care providers – doctors, hospitals, and specialists.
HMOs usually have no deductibles, and co-payments are anywhere from $5 to $15 per doctor visit, so your out-of-pocket expenses are low. These plans are the cheapest comprehensive health care plans.
MSA (medical saving account) – An MSA is a tax-sheltered savings account, similar to an IRA, that’s used to pay medical expenses. All the money you deposit into your MSA are tax deductible and can be withdrawn at any time to pay for your medical expenses. Any money left in the account continues to grow tax free.
MSAs are typically combined with an inexpensive, high-deductible health insurance plan. You pay for medical expenses with the money from your MSA until the deductible on your health plan is met. Then your plan takes over and pays for your medical expenses. MSAs provide a low-cost alternative to high-cost health plans.
Major Medical Health Insurance – Major medical, or catastrophic health insurance is limited to paying for major medical expenses like cancer and heart disease. These plans typically pay your hospital expenses, surgical costs, X-rays, and lab tests, but do not pay for routine doctor visits or prescriptions drugs costs.
Where to Get Low Cost Small Business Health Insurance
The only way to know if you’re getting a good rate is to compare rates from different companies. You can compare rates quickly and easily by going to an insurance comparison website where you can get rate quotes from multiple companies on one website.
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get Colorado small business health insurance quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can get more tips and advice in their Articles section, and get answers to your questions from an insurance expert by using their online chat service.
The author, Brian Stevens, is a former insurance agent and financial consultant who has written a number of articles on small business health insurance in Colorado.
Affordable Small Business Health Insurance – Where to Get it
Looking for an inexpensive small business health insurance plan? Here’s how to get affordable small business health insurance with a reliable company.
What is small business health insurance?
A small business health insurance plan provides health care for companies with two to fifty employees. The advantages of these plans are:
1. Premiums are lower than with individual plans
2. Coverage is more extensive
3. Contributions made to these plans by employers are tax deductible
What types of coverage are there?
There are two categories of coverage:
Comprehensive health care plans – These plans provide complete medical protection. They pay for your doctor bills, hospital expenses, and prescription drugs costs.
The most popular comprehensive health care plans are HMOs. With these plans you pay a monthly premium to join the HMO and are given a list of doctors and hospitals you must use for your health care. You pay a co-payment of usually $5 to $10 for each doctor visit and your HMO pays your medical bills.
Gaining in popularity are medical savings accounts (MSAs). These plans combine a savings account with a low-cost, high-deductible health insurance plan. You put money into the savings account to be used for minor medical expenses, and use your health insurance plan to pay for major expenses.
These two plans are the most affordable of the comprehensive medical plans.
Specialized heath care plans – These plans provide coverage for a particular illnesses or medical situation. These plans include:
* Catastrophic illness plans – Also known as major medical plans, these plans pay for hospital costs associated with a major illness like cancer or heart disease. They do not cover ongoing doctor visits or prescription drug costs.
* Accident only plans pay for medical costs associated with accidents – sprained ankles, broken fingers, etc. – and do not cover illnesses.
* Specified disease plans pay for medical costs associated with a particular disease such as cancer, heart attack, or AIDS.
Specialized health care plans are usually cheaper than comprehensive plans because they provide only limited coverage.
Where can I find the most affordable plans?
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get affordable small business health insurance quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can get more tips and advice in their Articles section, and get answers to your questions from an insurance expert by using their online chat service.
The author, Brian Stevens, is a former insurance agent and financial consultant who has written a number of articles on affordable small business health insurance.
How to Get Cheap Small Business Health Insurance in Illinois
More than 70% of Illinois residents get their health insurance through their employers. Here’s how to provide your employees, and yourself, with cheap small business health insurance in Illinois.
Small Business Health Insurance Plans
There are a number of plans available to small businesses in Illinois. The most common plans include:
Managed Care Plans
These are the most popular types of small business health insurance. These plans (HMOs, PPOs, and POSs) provide comprehensive health care services through a network of health care providers.
* HMOs (health maintenance organizations) pay for health care such as doctor visits, hospitals expenses, and surgical fees. You pay a monthly premium plus a small co-payment (usually $5 to $10) for each doctor visit. You must use the doctors and hospitals within the organization, and consult with a primary care physician before you can see a specialist.
* PPOs (preferred provider organizations) are similar to HMOs except that medical treatment is paid for as it is received. Instead of paying a monthly premium, you submit a claim after receiving medical services and are reimbursed for the claim minus a co-payment. You can see doctors outside the organization for an additional fee.
* POSs (point of service) plans are a combination of an HMO and a PPO. Like an HMO you pay a small co-payment for each doctor visit (usually $5 to $10). Like a PPO you may see doctors outside the health care network for an additional fee and a slightly higher co-payment.
Indemnity Plans
These plans, also called fee-for-service plans, are the traditional health insurance plans that allow you to choose your own doctors and hospitals. They pay for a percentage of your medical costs (usuallly 80%) after you pay a deductible (usually $500 to $2,000). Indemnity plans are the most expense health insurance plans.
Saving on Small Business Health Insurance
Here are five ways to save on small business health insurance:
1. Choose a managed health care plan. These are the least expensive types of health insurance, with HMOs being the cheapest.
2. Choose a high deductible. If you have healthy employees who don’t need a lot of medical care, this can save you a lot of money on your health insurance.
3. Get tax deductions. You may be able to deduct the premiums you pay on your small business health insurance. Offering health insurance coverage as part of your employee’s benefits may also reduce your payroll tax.
4. Stress preventive care. Encourage your employees to eat right and exercise. Not only will this decrease health care costs, it will also increase productivity.
5. Compare health insurance quotes. Comparing quotes for different health insurance companies can save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars on your insurance costs.
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get cheap Illinois small business health insurance quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can get more insurance tips in their Articles section.
The author, Brian Stevens, is a former insurance agent and financial consultant who has written a number of articles of small business health insurance in Illinois.
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