Choose small business plans or group health insurance plans in Colorado from Altius Health Plans, Humana, SelectHealth, an Intermountain Healthcare company and Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Colorado.

You are not required to offer health insurance to employees of your small business. A small business is defined as 2–50 employees. If you do offer health insurance, there are some specific state and federal rules and regulations that you need to pay attention to.

Have a Colorado Small Business or Group Health Insurance question?

Small Business and Group Information

Product Information

Group Dental Insurance
New IRS ruling on over–the–counter medications

Tax Advantage Plans

General Information

Information courtesy of The Kaiser Family Foundation, statehealthfacts.org. Data Source: Data as of January 2009. Data compiled through review of state laws and regulations and interviews with state health insurance regulatory staff. For more detailed information on consumer protections in any state see Georgetown University’s
"Consumer Guides For Getting and Keeping Health Insurance"

Federal law extends certain protections to employers seeking to buy health insurance for themselves and their workers. Colorado has enacted reforms to expand some of these protections. Generally, small employers are those that employ 2–50 employees. Please note, however, that the definitions of small employer and employee are somewhat different under federal and state law. Check with the Colorado Insurance Department to be sure that you know which protections apply to your group.

With few exceptions, small employers cannot be turned down. This is called guaranteed issue. If you employ at least 2 but not more than 50 people, health insurance companies must sell you any small group health insurance policy they sell to other small employers. However, they can require that a minimum percentage of your eligible employees sign up for coverage. They can also require you to pay a minimum share of your workers’ premiums. If you are buying a large group health insurance policy for 51 or more employees, your group can be turned down.

Your insurance cannot be canceled because someone in your group becomes sick. This is called guaranteed renewability and it applies to group plans of all sizes. Insurers can impose other conditions, however. They can require you to meet minimum participation and contribution rates in order to renew your coverage. Additionally, they can refuse to renew your coverage for nonpayment of premiums or if you commit fraud, or if they are discontinuing that insurance product. In the latter case, they must give you a chance to buy other plans they sell to groups of your size.

Colorado insurance companies must offer small employers standardized health plans. Colorado requires all insures to offer a basic and a standard plan to all small group employers. Carriers also can offer non–standard plans.

As a small employer in Colorado, you can be charged more because someone in your group is seriously ill. Premiums can also vary based on the age and family size of covered employees and where the business is located. You can also be charged more if there are smokers in your group.

If you are self–employed with no other workers, you may be eligible to buy small group health plan coverage as a self–employed business group of one. Or, if you are a sole proprietor who does not offer or sponsor a group health plan for your employees, you can qualify as a self-employed business group of one to buy coverage for yourself. To qualify, you must work in your business at least 24 hours per week on a regular basis. In addition, your business must have generated taxable income or you must have derived a substantial part of your income from the business. Substantial income is defined as an amount sufficient to pay your health insurance premium.

If you are self–employed and buy your own health insurance, you may be eligible to deduct 100% of the cost of your premium from your federal income tax.

If you do not find the information you need here, please use the "Request More Information" page to let us know.