Compare small business health insurance plans or small group health insurance plans in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania, North Carolina or South Carolina. Whether looking for POS, PPO, HMO, EPO, HRA, H.S.A, section 125 plans, dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, or quick 401k plans, we have a solution.

We stay abreast of health insurance reform discussions, federal mandates for benefits, contribution strategies, plan design mix for various segments of businesses (rank/file versus Executives) and the general day to day blocking and tackling everyone expects of a broker.

New Jersey basically has 4-5 insurance carriers that normally dominate the growth of new business, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Oxford/United, AmeriHealth, and Health Net are the drivers of new business in 2009. Health Net has lowered its prices but the network strength is there in the greater-Manhattan area but as you move further south in NJ they lack that same size and strength. That is where Horizon, Aetna and Oxford dominate, and then as you go further south, AmeriHealth comes in to play – they are strong in Southern NJ, Eastern PA, and Delaware.

As we discuss in other areas of our site, NJ and NY are guaranteed issue states for small employers – that means no medical underwriting is acceptable. Rates in NJ are driven by zip code of the business and the census of the group. NY rates are driven by zip code alone; census mix has no bearing on rates. So NY is an easy state to secure coverage, though the rate base is one of the highest in the nation.

Maryland is similar to NJ and NY in that a census is needed to secure rates along with zip code of the business. So younger groups have lower rates, older groups have higher rates, just like NJ.

North Carolina, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania and South Carolina are medically underwritten states for small employer groups. Most of the country is that way, so a rate is not final until a full group application has been submitted with member forms indicating all medical history. Carriers will search the Medical Information Bureau to confirm the truth of information submitted so it is always imperative that applicants be forthright on their submissions as the information will come up in the Medical Information Bureau.

It is easy to get free quotes in NC, PA, SC, NY, NJ, MD, DC on our site www.healthinsurancegeeks.com. Normally with a census and your company name we can prepare quotes in a few minutes and email them back for your review. There are no national quote engines for small business other than New York that show actual rates – you can see real time rates and plans on our site for NY only. Otherwise with a submission of information we will send back quotes.

It looks like the Obama administration is going to assess an employer tax if employers do not offer group insurance to their employees. The tax will be used in part to fund a public health plan that most think will mimic Medicaid or Medicare. There is both a lot of debate and worry that the current bankrupt Medicare system will implode as providers have learned to manipulate Medicare billing to their advantage. With our quote engine we have prepared for this legislation as carriers may be forced to waive pre-existing coverage limitations nationwide – that would make affordable options open to anyone in the U.S. The biggest problem today in the private system is consumers with medical issues such as Diabetes, Asthma, Obesity, Heart Conditions, history of cancer or other life threatening illnesses are automatically declined by individual health insurance plans and carriers. In addition those same folks submitting applications as part of a group will drive that group’s medical rate index up from the benchmark rating, in states where it is allowed – not MD, NJ, NY for example.

There are options in some states available now for under 100 dollars, typically the lower the premium the higher the out-of-pocket expenses and deductibles for the plan. So when a question is posed “I need a really cheap plan with no copay or deductible” is posed, the answer is simple, they do not exist today. No deductible, low copay, regardless of carrier means high premium rate.

That is where consumer directed health plans and high deductible health plans have sold well. They normally have lower premium rates, but higher deductibles. It is so important for consumers to balance and analyze the premium they pay for low copay plans with low deductibles, annually, then add in the maximum out of pocket they would pay (with copays, drugs etc… added – remember you still pay when you go to the doctor of hospital) and compare that to a high deductible, low premium plan. We can normally show consumers how they save in premium and out-of-pocket expenses taking a high deductible plan versus a traditional plan. Basically the fat in the rates and system that keep premium high and insurance companies rich are taken out with high deductible plans….good for you, and the healthcare system.

When you purchase a high deductible plan with a strong network, remember, you still benefit from having insurance, as what the doctor is allowed to bill the network carrier is pre-negotiated and in many cases more than 50% off retail. So what you pay at the time or visit or after the doctor’s office has billed your carrier and in turn bills you, are much less than what you would pay “off of the street with no coverage.”

More to come -