Group insurance is available to three different types of employers:

Large Group — Any employer with over 50 employees is determined to be a Large Group Employer. COBRA, (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act), governs large Groups. This is governmental regulation, which is overseen by the United State Department of Labor. There are numerous types of insurance available to the large groups, which may include but are not limited to: self-funded, partially self-funded, numerous carriers to offer to their employees. We would be happy to help you evaluate your company's benefit package.

Business Group of One — A sole employee of an employer or self-employed individual. For self-employed individuals, they must work 24 hours per week on a regular basis; have carried on significant business activity for at least one year before applying for coverage; and have either generated taxable income from their business or derived a substantial part of their income from the business. Small groups follow the Colorado State Continuation guidelines and not COBRA.

Small Group — A small group is defined in the state of Colorado as any employer with 2-50 employees who work 24 hours or more a week on a regular basis. Small groups follow the Colorado State Continuation guidelines and not COBRA.

Your Rights as a Small Employer:
The following is an outline of your rights as defined by Colorado law.

1. Guarantee Issue:
   1. Normally a health insurer must sell you coverage. You, as the small employer or business group of one must meet all their underwriting requirements.
   2. Business groups of one that are not eligible for coverage under the insurer's group plans because of underwriting, still have the right to be issued coverage under a Basic or Standard Health Benefit Plan during an annual open enrollment period. The Annual Open Enrollment Period falls within 31 days of either the sole employee or self-employed individual, anniversary of meeting the business group of one, exhaustion of COBRA or state continuation coverage, or involuntary termination of other health insurance coverage.
   3. Must accept all eligible employees and dependents regardless of their health.
   4. Cannot exclude coverage of certain medical conditions.
2. Small Group Rates:
   1. Carriers are limited in the factors that they may use in setting premiums for your group.
   2. If you receive a significant rate increase from your current carrier, in most cases you can find another carrier and switch to the lower costing policy, without penalty.
   3. Carriers must explain in their sales and solicitation material how they determine the prices.
3. Other Key Protections:
   1. Carrier must provide you with a Health Benefit Plan Description form for any plan you are interested in purchasing. (We always provide these forms with any quotes we give you.)
   2. In most cases, carriers are required to renew your coverage, if you so desire.
   3. When changing carriers, the new carrier must cover everyone who was covered under the old policy.
   4. Health carriers may be required to allow terminated employees and their dependents to continue coverage at their own expense for up to 18 months or until they are eligible under another group policy.

As an employer you recognize the need to retain highly valued employees. At the same time you are concerned with your bottom line. What are your options for coverage and how can you achieve both goals? The above information is provided as an overview of some of your options. Due to the complexity of the group insurance we recommend a one-on-one conversation to insure that all options have been explored.