Defining a "Small Group" plan

The common agreement on the definition of a "Small Group" for health insurance purposes is between 1 and 100 employees. While the Connecticut Insurance Department uses the category of 1-50 when addressing small groups, some insurance carriers and insurance brokers refer to small groups as any small business with 2-100 employees. So while there are more than seven small group health carriers doing business in Connecticut, there are seven that realistically compete for the small group health business. This website will concentrate on those carriers that have the largest share of the small group market, as well as competitive plans with regard to cost and benefit structures.

Finding the appropriate plan

The most appropriate plan could be defined as a plan that most fulfills your needs for the lowest financial outlay. This is where an experienced employee benefits broker can be invaluable. Only by working with a broker can you be sure that you are exposed to the pros and cons of all plans available.

Our experience has shown us that the most important elements of a successful health insurance plan includes:

• A sufficient provider network, including specialists in your area
• Adequate coverage to eliminate major financial loss (out-of-pocket max.)
• The process for seeing a specialist
• The level of preventative care provided
• Membership services and online support tools
• Affordability

Let someone else do the hard work

We have put our money into technology that makes shopping for group health insurance quite easy compared to 15 or 20 years ago. By filling out are online census form, we are able to generate a PDF report that allows you to see all appropriate plans from their respective carriers, in a side-by-side format (see an example). The minimal information we need from you includes:

• The location of your business
• The type of business your operate (for benefits other than medical)
• Employees first name, date-of-birth, sex, and family status
• The type and level of benefits you are looking into

And though the example of our group health comparison sheet may look confusing, it is merely a tool we use to find the plan that best suites your needs. We walk you through every stop of the process, from plan design to enrollment. But we don't stop there. We automatically perform an annual pre-renewal analysis of your plan to see if it is still working for you. This is something only a broker will do.

Call us at 1-800-289-8376 for personal assistance.