Group Health Plan Options in GA

If you provide group health benefits in GA for your employees or if you are thinking about offering group health benefits, you may not be aware of some of the opportunities open to you.

Did you know that you can have a group health plan in Georgia for as little as 2 employees? And that a husband and wife who are working in the same company and are both on the payroll can qualify for group health plans in Georgia?

Eligibility Requirements for Group Health Plans in Georgia

To qualify for group health insurance in Georgia an employer is required to have a payroll, and at least 75 percent of eligible employees must take the group health benefits that are to be provided. An eligible employee is defined as someone who does not have qualified group health benefits either with your company, or another company, such as the spouse of employee.

Contribution Requirements for Group Health Plans in Georgia

For employers to have a true group health plan in Georgia, they are also required to pay a minimum of 50% of the employee’s health insurance costs. For example: If group health cover in Georgia for a single employee is $200/mo, the employer is required to pay at least $100/mo towards that employee’s group health insurance costs in Georgia. Employers are not required to contribute for the dependents employees if they do not wish to.

Group Health Plans in Georgia - challenges for small employers

These requirements of a true group health plan in Georgia sometimes can make it difficult for smaller businesses to offer group health benefits. What often happens is that the employer is willing to pay the 50% of the group health insurance costs, but the employee, especially lower compensated employees, may not be able to contribute their 50% to meet the group health plan requirements.

The good news is that if you have a business with employees with certain pre-existing health conditions, it may be possible for you to obtain some quality group health benefits in Georgia.

That said, some waiting periods may apply for pre-existing conditions for employees who have had lapse in coverage. To find out more about pre-existing conditions, click here.