While group health insurance plans have often been a well-liked option for employer-sponsored health benefits, an increasing number of organisations are adopting reimbursement models, such as health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs).
Plans like HRAs enable you to give your staff tax-free reimbursement for their own health insurance. For many reasons, this is a win-win situation for your business and your employees. The top five benefits of individual health insurance that apply to both employers and employees will be covered in this article.
1. Cost
Group health insurance premiums have been continuously increasing over the years if you look at them. Small and medium-sized firms are finding it more challenging to pay for employee health benefits as the cost of group health insurance premiums rises.
Not to mention the yearly rate increases that undoubtedly occur when your plan needs to be renewed. On the other hand, individual health insurance plans are typically less expensive.
Additionally, by providing an HRA, you may provide your staff members a predetermined monthly allocation to use for their medical costs and other qualifying expenses. This makes budgeting for each month simple and consistent.
2. Availability of discounts
Individual health insurance rates are not only more cheap in the beginning, but employees may also be eligible for further savings on their premiums.
These reductions, often referred to as premium tax credits or health insurance subsidies, were established to assist low-income Americans in obtaining quality health insurance through the health insurance exchanges.
There is no reduction available to help employees make payments if you provide group health insurance that they cannot afford. That implies that their sole choice is to reject the insurance, leaving them uninsured and less likely to continue working for your company. The only other choice is to pay employees a stipend, however this is not a tax-free or payroll tax-free option.
You should be aware that depending on the type of HRA you’re providing, your employee may need to coordinate their premium tax credit with their HRA limit or decide between the two.
3. Individuality
The majority of employees like the group health insurance plan that their employer provides, but they have no control over the specific plan that they receive. That implies consumers won’t have a choice in their network, coinsurance, or premium price and will instead be thrown into a universal plan.
Instead, pay for your employees’ own individual health insurance so they can select a plan that works with their existing physicians, healthcare providers, and spending limit.
4. Flexibility
The tight standards of group health insurance plans can be challenging for small- and medium-sized business owners to meet.
For instance, group health insurance plans need a certain number of employees to be covered. You might not fulfil the participation standards, in which case you can’t even offer the plan to those who do want it if you have a large number of employees who are covered by a spouse’s or parent’s plan, are registered in Medicare, or simply don’t want the coverage.
Additionally, group health insurance plans have minimum contribution standards that typically call for companies to pay at least 50% of employee premiums. You won’t be able to offer the plan if you can’t afford to cover that much.
Depending on the plan you choose to set up, paying your employees’ individual health insurance premiums frees you from having to adhere to these stringent group criteria, offers you the freedom to contribute what you can afford, and enables you to provide the benefit to any number of employees.
5. Portability
Individual health insurance policies, in contrast to group health insurance, are fully portable, allowing your employees to keep their coverage even after leaving the company.
Offering a formal health benefit that looks after your employees and gives them the freedom to choose their own healthcare without being constrained by their employment is possible when you reimburse your employees for the cost of their own health insurance through an HRA.
Must Checkout: Credit Card Tips for save a lot of money during holiday season
Conclusion
Offering an HRA to give your employees tax-free reimbursements on their individual health insurance is a great way to support their healthcare while giving them the freedom to select a personal plan that works for them.
