Health insurers competing for small businesses

A recent article on Crain's New York Business website related how insurers are competing against each other for small-business clients. Eager to capture a greater share of this huge, underserved small business market, two of the largest insurers in New York, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield and Aetna Inc., are fighting to win over small employers. Central to their efforts are fledgling managed care plans for small businesses billed as comprehensive coverage—with benefits like fully covered annual checkups, mammograms and other preventive care—at a relatively modest price. This could be a good development for nonprofits as more products become available. There are negatives to such plans, and as the article relates, more costs are passed on to the employee. We have seen some of these products locally, such as Empire's Prism plan, which had significant renewal increases for 2009. Overall, there are no easy solutions to increasing health insurance costs, but there are options. Have any advice for other EDs? Share your thoughts here. Have general questions about your health insurance? Contact us.