Florida Group Health Insurance Blog

Tampa, FL – Grants are now being awarded for small businesses to assist in providing comprehensive workplace wellness programs. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will award $200 million over the next five-year period to businesses that did not offer these programs as of March 23, 2010 and employ fewer than 100 employees that work 25 hours or more per week.

“Prevention and wellness programs will help retain and attract employees,” said Thomas Kaspar of Grouphealthflorida.com. “Your employees will be more healthy and an employer can tout cutting edge benefits.”

Kaspar’s group health agency helps businesses find what insurer offers the best health awareness and prevention initiatives. Grants from the PPACA will most often be awarded to companies that sign up with plans that offer health education, risk assessments, and screenings as well as seminars to encourage participation from all employees to modify unhealthy behaviors and lifestyle patterns.

“Many insurers offer tailored programs to keep employees well, rather than just covering illness or injuries,” Kaspar said. “The wellness services will cover women, men, and children’s wellbeing and strive to help employees and their families live longer, healthier lives.”

Health plans now abound with options for personal and online coaching to help achieve healthier lifestyle goals, from reducing stress and sleeping better, losing weight and improving fitness and energy levels, stop smoking, and improving the work/life balance. Paired with health care tax credits and insurance exchanges, small businesses will have many incentives to offer insurance and wellness programs that they otherwise might not have thought about or allocated monies for in their business plan.

With more than 20 years experience, Group Health Florida assists benefit managers and companies through the detailed process of finding the best insurance and wellness programs for their employees. They pride themselves on providing a high quality of service, dependability, knowledge, value, and clarity.

To learn more visit: Grouphealthflorida.com

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Save money. Save time. Have fun.
Get healthy on the go with our new mobile web access. It’s easy and convenient to get information about your health and your health plan. Find a doctor, compare drug costs, get weather and related health alerts, win prizes, download ringtones, and so much more.
Not a member? That’s okay. We’ve created this mobile website for everyone. Just type in bcbsfl.com from your mobile browser.
http://www3.bcbsfl.com/wps/portal/bcbsfl/links/mobile

Grouphealthflorida.com offers Florida Group Health
Insurance. To learn more about group health insurance,
visit http://www.grouphealthflorida.com.

Call us now for a quote .
1-800-873-5713 X 101
www.grouphealthflorida.com
Floridas #1 Group Health Agency

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Small Business Tax Credit May Help Increase Your Business
As part of health care reform, many small businesses with less than 25 employees may qualify for a tax credit––up to 35 percent of their annual premium costs. The tax credit is an incentive to help small businesses start or continue to offer and pay for employee health coverage.

To qualify, small businesses must…
Have less than 25 employees
Have average employee wages of less than $50,000
Pay at least 50% of their employee’s premiums

http://www.healthink.com/florida/newsfromblue/PDF/TakePartSmBizTaxCreditFlyer6956.pdf

Grouphealthflorida.com offers Florida Group Health
Insurance. To learn more about group health insurance,
visit http://www.grouphealthflorida.com.

Call us now for a quote .
1-800-873-5713 X 101
www.grouphealthflorida.com
Floridas #1 Group Health Agency

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When people engage in health-smart habits such as participating in health coaching and disease management programs, substituting generic medications for brand name drugs and avoiding unnecessary trips to the emergency room, their total medical costs went down 15 percent – an average $358 per person in the first year – according to a new multi-year study comparing the health care claims experience of 897,000 CIGNA customers in consumer-driven health (CDH) plans, PPOs and HMOs.

http://newsroom.cigna.com/images/56/839403_ChoiceFundExecSummary_v8HR.pdf

Grouphealthflorida.com offers Florida Group Health
Insurance. To learn more about group health insurance,
visit http://www.grouphealthflorida.com.

Call us now for a quote .
1-800-873-5713 X 101
www.grouphealthflorida.com
Floridas #1 Group Health Agency

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http://www.cigna.com/sites/healthcare_reform/index.html
Stay informed on group health insurance and healthcare reform .

Grouphealthflorida.com offers Florida Group Health
Insurance. To learn more about group health insurance,
visit http://www.grouphealthflorida.com.

Call us for a quote now .
1-800-873-5713 EXT 101

Floridas #1 group health agency
www.grouphealthflorida.com

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Oftentimes, the availability of health insurance through an employer is listed as the top benefit factor in recruiting and retaining top-level talent.

Therefore, more and more businesses are doing their best to offer health insurance, particularly if they are looking for people with rare or high-level skills. Offering health insurance can also mean tax breaks.

“Statistics show that health insurance can reduce the number of sick days that employees take,” said Thomas Kaspar of Grouphealthflorida.com. “Here’s how: If your workforce feels comfortable seeing a doctor whenever it needs to, chances are employees will take advantage of preventative care like yearly physicals, resulting in less absenteeism.”

Business owners may be concerned about providing healthcare to employees. After all, it may have added costs, plus the administrative hassle of finding and staying on top of any potential changes.

But offering health insurance will result in a healthier workforce. Absenteeism lowers productivity in a business. It can also have an effect on the bottom line.

Preventative care in health insurance plans means that employees will make use of physicals and regular check-ups. Without insurance, this will not happen. These steps could diagnose any potential problems early, resulting in less of a chance for employees to be out for long periods of time. It can also reduce workers’ compensation and disability claims. Turnover, too, will likely be reduced as many employees prefer a job that offers health insurance. This will save money, as everyone knows there are hidden costs in hiring and training new workers.

“The bottom line: Having a healthy workforce means a more productive workforce,” Kaspar said.

There are a multitude of group health insurance plans to fit any size of business. Employers looking to provide insurance for employees must seek quotations from more than one insurance company and compare the various health plans that are being shown, ask lots of questions, and take their time in making a decision.

To learn more visit: http://www.grouphealthflorida.com

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Every small business should consider providing group health insurance. After all, it is a good incentive that will attract and retain high-quality workers. It can add peace of mind, while providing group purchasing power that can save individuals a large amount of money in the event of an unforeseen accident or illness.

But if you are a small church group, you are in a special situation. Typically, you employ no more than two-dozen people while enjoying non-profit status. Sometimes churches are able to buy into a plan under a national umbrella network set up by their specific denomination. This can make it easy and affordable for small church groups to reap the benefits of a larger group health-insurance purchasing pool, thereby reducing individual premiums.

What if you do not have that option of buying into a national affiliate, however? There are several group health insurance providers who can provide options for your particular situation. The provider can work with you and take into consideration such factors as your church’s aging workforce and its small number of employees.

They can help set up a plan with premiums that are to your liking.

“Although your church group may have a small number of people to cover, you will still be able to take advantage of group rates that reduce the price of health insurance coverage to each individual,” said Thomas Kaspar of Group Health Florida.

Sometimes, insurance providers have packages designed specifically for small church groups.

Churches do share some similarities with other small businesses seeking group health insurance. As with any situation, it is important for employers to make sure they have properly considered all options before selecting a final plan. If an employer is looking to provide insurance for its employees, it is necessary to seek quotations from more than one insurance company and compare the various health plans that are being shown.

“There are several ways, too, that employers – churches or otherwise – can help control the cost of providing group health insurance,” Kaspar said. “These include increasing the employee’s out-of-pocket costs through higher deductibles or co-payments. One can also consider the splitting of monthly premiums between employers and employees.”

If you are a church group considering purchasing group health insurance, it is important to speak at length with agents from various health insurance providers.

To learn more visit: http://www.grouphealthflorida.com

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Providing group life insurance to employees is a good incentive that will attract and retain high quality candidates. With a small investment, employers can offer their employees peace of mind and make their company benefits package more appealing.

For many people, securing life insurance can be a long and complicated process. Those that apply for policies are often faced with mountains of paperwork and come to fear the prospect of failing the physical exam and having to pay exorbitant premiums. Because of the difficulties individuals often face when applying for life insurance policies, employer provided group life insurance can be an attractive offer for current and potential employees. The peace of mind of knowing that dependents will be provided for in the event of an early death is one of the simplest but most highly valued benefits available to employees.

Group life insurance premiums are generally considerably lower than premiums for individual life insurance policies. This is mainly due to the fact that group life insurance is much less of a risk for the insurance company, as insurance companies base group life premiums on the overall risk of the company or on the group of employees. With a group life insurance policy, the insurance company does not perform medical underwriting on an individual basis, as it usually does with individual policies. Instead, employers may be asked a series of simple medical questions about the characteristics of the group as a whole (e.g., size, stability, and group makeup) and this information will be used to determine the group’s eligibility.

For most companies, the risk factor of obtaining life insurance for employees is low because everyone in a company is not likely to die at once. In fact, due to employee turnover rates, the chance that anyone will die while working at the employer’s company is relatively small. Employers can give employees extra peace of mind with little cost. Because group life insurance is typically bundled with group health insurance, the insurance company’s sales and administrative costs are minimal. With such low administrative costs, the savings can be passed on to the consumer.

When an employer offers his or her employees group life insurance, it is very important that the employer makes his or her employees aware that group life insurance is not intended to replace their individual life insurance policies. Group plans should be considered as supplemental policies and typically provide coverage from $10,000 to one year of salary of the insured’s policy. A year’s salary will not be a sufficient amount to support the employee’s survivors or dependents on occasion of the employee’s death.

When searching for group health insurance policies, employers should consider adding group life insurance. Offering life insurance can be a cost-effective method of attracting and retaining quality employees.

To learn more visit: http://www.grouphealthflorida.com

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Offering health insurance to employees is a great way to attract quality candidates and to boost employee retention. If small or large business owners are interested in trying to save on the premiums they’re going to pay for employees, there are several things they can do to control costs.

One of the most important things for employers is to make sure they have properly considered all options before selecting an insurance plan for employees. If an employer is looking to provide insurance for its employees, it will be important to seek quotations from more than one insurance company. Also, employers should be certain to consider each plan the companies have to offer. In order to find the best price, employers will need to focus on getting quotes from multiple insurance companies and then evaluating the various types of health insurance plans offered within each of these companies.

Another way that business owners can help to control the cost of providing group health care insurance is by shifting some of those costs to employees. One of the most common ways to share these costs is by increasing the employee’s out-of-pocket costs by choosing higher deductibles, copayments and coinsurance. Another more direct method of sharing the cost of insurance with employees involves sharing in the cost of the monthly health care premiums. In choosing this option, both the employer and the employees would be sharing the cost of the insurance premiums.

In addition, there may be several income tax incentives or benefits one can derive as a business owner when he or she chooses to provide health insurance to employees.  Premiums paid are usually considered a business expense and are fully deductible under federal income taxes. Under the new healthcare law, small business will receive 35 percent tax credit on the premiums they pay for their employees’ health coverage. Businesses, including non-profit organizations, will be eligible for the tax credit if they have fewer than 25 full-time employees, pay an average salary of $50,000 or less per year, and cover at least 50 percent of their workers’ health costs.

By offering employees health care, an employer can help build the company’s reputation and attract quality employees who are more likely to stay in their positions for longer periods of time.

To learn more visit: http://www.grouphealthflorida.com

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If you own a business and are looking for an affordable group insurance plan that has versatile coverage, then a group point-of-service (POS) plan could be an option for you. POS plans are a form of managed care hybrid plans, and are similar to group HMO plans or group PPO plans.

A basic principle governs POS plans: employees get lower medical costs in exchange for restricting their health care choices. A group POS plan will give your employees the option to decide when, where, and how they receive benefits and will give them control over their out-of-pocket expenses.

Group POS plans operate using a “two-level” benefits system: in-plan and out-of-plan. In-plan refers to the care received from a list of doctors who are in the plan’s pre-approved network. Out-of-plan refers to care received from doctors who have not been pre-approved and are thus not in the network. In-plan care provides employees with savings, while out-of-plan care can provide flexibility and freedom in choosing the right healthcare provider.

Group POS plans are not the right choice for all employers and employees, so employers must carefully weigh the benefits and disadvantages of the plan before making a choice.

Some advantages of group POS plans are:

Employees will not be limited to network care providers.

For in-network care, co-payments will be low and the plan’s deductible will not be applied.

Out-of-pocket costs for employees will be limited.

Employees will have more freedom than members of other managed care plans.

Employees will not need a referral from their primary caregiver for any necessary, emergency services.

Some disadvantages of group POS plans are:

Co-payments for any out-of-network care employees receive will be high.

The plan deductible will be applied to employees’ out-of-network care.

Employees may experience problems getting a referral to a specialist.

If employees are traveling outside of the plan’s network-area or have a dependent living outside of it, benefits will cost more out-of-pocket.

Choosing a group POS plan may be the right choice for your employees. A licensed Florida insurance agent can help you decide if this type of plan is right for your employees.

Bradley Palmer is with Grouphealthflorida.com offering Florida Group Health Insurance. To learn more about group health insurance, visit http://www.grouphealthflorida.com.

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