Small Group Health Insurance Emerges as a More Affordable Alternative to Individual and Family Coverage, According to eHealth Report
Report shows that small business health insurance prices have remained relatively stable but many employers say a modest premium increase of 15 percent could make it unaffordable
“As costs continued to rise for individuals and families in 2017, we saw
an interesting thing happen in the small business market at eHealth,”
said eHealth CEO
Findings from the report, titled
Three Key Takeaways from eHealth’s Report
- More very small businesses turn to group coverage: In 2017, eHealth saw more very small businesses (of three or fewer workers) enroll in small business health insurance plans. High prices and fewer health plan options in the individual and family markets led a growing number of consumers who qualified to consider small business coverage.
- Small business plan premiums prove more stable than individual coverage: Considered on a per-person basis, the national average premiums of small business coverage selected at eHealth increased by 8 percent between 2016 and 2017. By contrast, national average premiums for individuals purchasing their own health insurance increased by at least twice that amount in each of the past two years.1
- Modest premium increases could be disruptive: Nearly 80 percent of small business owners said they worry about the cost of coverage; more than 6 in 10 (62 percent) said that a 15 percent increase in premiums would make their current group health insurance unaffordable, potentially leading them to shop for more affordable options or contribute less to employee premiums.
The full report is available for download here and online at eHealth’s media center.
Methodology
All cost and plan selection figures are based on small business health insurance plans selected by eHealth shoppers nationwide during the 2017 calendar year, unless otherwise noted. Only health insurance applications for small businesses with fewer than thirty employees were considered in this analysis. The actual plans and prices available to each shopper depends on various factors, such as demographics and geography. Actual prices and plans available in any specific area or for any specific shopper may vary significantly from the national averages. Survey results are based on a voluntary online survey of small business health insurance shoppers who purchased their coverage through eHealth. The survey was conducted in March of 2018 and a total of 195 responses were collected. Refer to the report for additional information.
Notes:
1 Comparisons with figures from the individually-purchased
health insurance market are based on plans selected by individual
eHealth shoppers nationwide not receiving government subsidies. Refer to
eHealth’s
About eHealth
For more health insurance news and information, visit eHealth's Consumer Resource Center.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180425005409/en/
Source:
DMA Communications for eHealth, Inc.
Sande Drew, 916-207-7674
sande.drew@gmail.com
or
eHealth,
Inc.
Lisa Zamosky, 650-864-6032
lisa.zamosky@ehealth.com