Dear Friend,

Soon, employees of small businesses who buy their insurance as individuals will receive notice of their premium increases for 2017. On average, some premiums for those on the individual market are expected to increase by 50 percent or more in just one year. In addition, the only plans that some individuals will have available for purchase will be HMO plans. 
 
However, people who own a small business and have a minimum of two employees (the owner of the business is considered an employee) may be eligible to set up a “Group” or “Employer-Sponsored” health plan that provides an environment for PPO coverage options that are more flexible and may cost less than available individual health plans.  
 
There is a short period of time from November 1st through December 15th where small employers who currently do not sponsor a health plan can initiate a plan without having to contribute to the cost of the employee’s coverage and avoid the traditional compliance guidelines of being required to have at least 75 percent of your eligible employees participate in the health plan. 
 
To get more details and find out more about this “participation and contribution” holiday for January 1, 2017, effective dates, there are health insurance professionals trained to help you explore various options. A licensed professional health insurance agent in your area can be found at the following websites:
 
• www.nahu.org/consumer/findagent2.cfm
• www.texashealthoptions.com/cp2/agent.html  
 
You can also call the Texas Department of Insurance’s Consumer Help Line at 1-800-252-3439 for assistance in locating a licensed agent.

I invite you to learn more about this issue and others by visiting my website here. Have a question you would like answered? Please contact me by phone, letter, e-mail, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

As always, I appreciate hearing from you.

Sincerely,