Starting Pangs: Group Health Insurance for Small Businesses

All big establishments typically start small. Often, though, practical questions plague the small business owner: How can I ensure group health insurance coverage for my three employees, without breaking the bank? Will companies actually cover just two or three people as a group?

The answer is: yes. Group health insurance plans are of different types. Small businesses can also bring their employees under small business group insurance. While the premium will differ based on the number of employees covered under the group, typically, group insurance can be purchased for a minimum of two or five employees, depending on the plan.

Group health insurance is long term health insurance and in addition to sudden medical illnesses, it also covers scheduled check ups, preventive care, immunizations, and dental and optical care. However, in some cases, coverage for pre-existing conditions requires a waiting period.

While group health insurance for a large number of employees features an abridged underwriting process, for small business group insurance, employees undergo full underwriting. This means that each employee is required to furnish his/her complete medical history. Based on that, the premium is calculated. Even so, small business group insurance is indeed a boon to start ups and small businesses.