Important Notice
UnitedHealthcare has announced a state-wide initiative to take advantage of the recently passed legislation allowing for expansion of health insurance to be offered for members of Associations. This means that by joining a local Chamber of Commerce, you could take advantage of insurance premium savings.
The savings depends on many variables such as size of your organization, age of participating employees, and more. The average savings is said to be around 5% to 15% on premiums.
Requirements for Association Health Plans
In order for companies and non-profit organizations to participate in an association health plan, they must meet several criteria:
- Must be a member of a participating Association
- Employ between 2 and 50 full-time eligible employees
If you are looking for a participating association, you can look into joining a local Chamber of Commerce.
Several Chambers, including the Grapevine Chamber, NW Metroport Chamber and HEB Chamber have joined together to create the North Texas Employer Health Plan Cooperative. This association primarily benefits those businesses within Tarrant County.
However, for Dallas County businesses, there is the Collin County Cooperative.
Before Your Join a Chamber of Commerce or Participating Association
It is not guaranteed that your organization will save on insurance premiums by joining one of these associations listed above. Our professional insurance agents are able to find out what your premiums will be both using an association and without, prior to you joining.
Once you have evaluated the medical proposals, then you will know whether or not there is a direct benefit to joining an association.
Time Frame & Deadlines
If you already have benefits in place at your organization, it’s likely that your renewal is just around the corner on January 1st. If that’s the case, you will need to act fast to explore this opportunity. Many companies require you to submit your applications and make a decision by December 15th.
If you do not have benefits but want to explore this option for the future, there is no set date you must begin your medical plan. If you prefer not to rush and want to begin benefits February 1 or March 1, that is an option as well.
Plan Designs
UnitedHealthcare has limited plan designs for members wishing to join an Association Health Plan (AHP).
However, you will have several options for:
- PPO (offers in and out-of-network coverage)
- EPO
- HMO (offers only in-network coverage)
- HSA (Health Savings Account) plans with PPO, EPO and HMO plans
There is no direct membership fee that you will pay to the North Texas Employer Health Plan Cooperative or the Collin County Cooperative, however you will see a .05% administration fee included on your monthly insurance invoice, as these organizations will be assisting with coordination of services.
Participating Counties
Your place of business must be located within one of these counties in order to participate. A P.O. Box is not sufficient.
Dallas, Denton, Archer, Navarro, Cooke, Montague, Palo Pinto, Tarrant, Parker, Clay, Rockwall, Hood, Somervell, Grayson, Wichita Falls, Kaufman, Wise, Johnson, Young, Erath, Jack, Ellis
Next Steps
Contact us to assist in your implementation of medical insurance benefits. Our agency is a top-rated firm located here in North Texas. We also provide a robust benefit administration platform at no cost to you.
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