California Small Group Health
insurance and Location
When in the process of acquiring
group health insurance for your
employee it is important to
consider the location of your
business, employees, and
physical locations. Many
variables California health
insurance carriers may offer
plan exclusive to your city or
county. Pricing adjusts
according to zip code so it’s
important to consider the
adjustments between different
sites.
Zip Code Rates The
health insurance carriers in
California base their pricing
models on zip code primarily of
the employee. Zip code of the
physical location of the
headquarters or building is
considered the benchmark for out
of state or out of area
employees. Thus, your health
insurance premium pricing will
fluctuate higher or lower
depending on pricing area zones
created to guage the cost an
insured member might bring in
claims. It might even be
possible to break out separate
health insurance policies, or
carve-out plans, in
an attempt to price the premium
markets most favorably for you
the California small business
owner.
Local Health Carrier Products There
are also California small group
health insurance plans or
products which may be offered in
a city or county to take
advantage of local needs or
services. Health Net, Aetna,
and Blue Cross of California for
instance all offer insurance
plans in Los Angeles or San
Diego county which serve
employees who work or live both
in California and Mexico and may
want to receive medical care
while in Mexico on an in-network
basis. These plans can be less
expensive than a standard health
insurance plan serving full time
California residents because
they assume the employee will
receive care in Mexico where
medical costs may be less
expensive and an alternate
medical insurance coverage plan
may exist to help pay for some
of the treatment costs. You can
price these plans if you have
employees in Los Angeles or San
Diego county through our
Small Group health insurance
quoting engine.
Regional California Health
Insurance Insurers Also
worth reviewing in plan
consideration are regional
carrier market players. Small
niche insurers like Western
Health Advantage in Sacramento
or Universal Care in Los Angeles
are primarily HMO (Health
Maintenance Organization)
operations catering to the
local population with
competitive advantage of tight
nit relations and contracts with
regional hospitals, medical
groups, physicians and other
providers. They are able to
compete on health insurance
premiums because they do not
bother with expensive contracts
with major market hospitals, for
example. A regional player just
wants to provide the lowest
premium cost and tightest
administration service
streamlined for their
membership. Some of these
companies offer alternate PPO
options and 3rd party
provider contracts to allow
remote employees to enroll while
employed at a company utilizing
these lower cost coverage
models.
Rural Headquarters Company If
your business is headquartered
or operated in a rural zone of
California you may face limited
coverage particularly with HMO
plans. Health Maintenance
Organizations do not offer
coverage in low population areas
because there are not enough
people paying premiums to
support large expenses which may
arise. Set expectations with
your employees early after
shopping the market and
consulting with an agent to
verify the availability of HMO
and PPO coverage types.
Other
important
resources:
California
Small Group
health quote
California
Small Group
online
doctor
listing
California
Group
Enrollment
and
Eligibility
Center
