Best Small Business Health Insurance plans in NY for 2022

It is that time of year again when we must take a look at the Best Small Business Health Insurance Plans in NY for 2022 renewals or new plan offerings. We hope this article helps you wade thru your choices.

2022 brings many options for downstate NY based small businesses, which is good news for employers and employees alike.  The bad news? What’s ‘The Best’ mean?  Does it mean the lowest price? Does it mean the largest network? Does it mean it has your primary care doctor?  What if the owner’s doctors are on the plan but not the employees, or vice versa? Does my small business even meet the carrier’s participation requirement?

Getting a 2022 small business health insurance plan in New York that meets all of your criteria as well as meets the carrier’s underwriting guidelines takes a health insurance broker with experience and a good ear who is willing to listen to your concerns. Having helped thousands of clients over the years manage their group health insurance, we suggest you follow these simple few steps so you can put together the ‘BEST’ health plan for your small business.

The absolute first step MUST be to check provider lists. You need to know which of you and your employee’s doctors are on which carrier’s provider list. We make it easy if you visit our group health page which has links and exact instructions for doing this: https://peakinsuranceadvisors.com/new-york-group-health-insurance/

The link above will give you access to:
– Carrier Provider Search tools including exact network names
– Provider Network Size and suggested service area
– If an insurance company plan requires referrals or not
– Participation requirements for a small group to qualify for coverage

Next, consider if you are trying to attract employees who require high end plans, or those who just want some sort of health coverage for the cheapest price. This will be important when searching for plans as some carriers have multiple networks that can offer both high end and low-cost options under one roof, where others might just be able to offer low-cost plans but little in terms of higher end options.
You also need to consider if you will be paying for some or all of the coverage as the employer, or if employees will contribute to the costs. Maybe offer a base plan fully paid for, and a buy up option? There are many ways to structure coverage but having both the ability to do so and someone who understands how to do it are important to your plan’s ultimate success.

Once you have searched for your providers using the link above or called your doctors directly to ask if they participate with the exact carrier network names, give us a call so we can start narrowing down plans among those that include your providers.

We work with every small group health insurance plan on Long Island and NY. We will listen to what your concerns are and suggest ways to keep your premiums down while keeping benefits and choices high. We often suggest a combination of plans and/or carriers to maximize your options and price points as necessary.  We will also review participation to make sure your group qualifies with the carrier’s underwriting requirements.

You can call us at 631-207-1800 or sign up for a virtual cup of coffee to discuss your individual needs and concerns and also receive plan rates for all available networks in downstate NY.