Small Employer
& Group Health Insurance Plans in Utah

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

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 Utah 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. http://www.statehealthfacts.org/index.jsp 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" available at http://www.healthinsuranceinfo.net/.

Federal law extends certain protections to employers seeking to buy health insurance for themselves and their workers. Utah 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 Utah 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.

Utah requires health insurers in the small group market to offer standardized policies in addition to other policies they sell. Indemnity, preferred provider organization (PPO), and HMO versions of the standardized plans are available. If you buy a standardized plan, you will be able to pick a low, medium, or high deductible level. Standardized plans cover hospitalization, provider services, and pregnancy care, as well as some limited mental health and chemical dependency benefits after a 12-month probationary period. Standardized plans make it easier for you to compare the prices that different companies charge. Non-standardized plans can also be offered to you, and you will have to read and compare them carefully.

If you are self-employed with no other workers, you are not eligible to buy a group health insurance policy on your own (though you may be able to join another group health plan through a family member). Therefore, the laws that protect employers’ access to group health plans do not apply to you. Your access to health insurance is protected by the laws that apply to individuals.

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 "Want Us to Help You" choice at the top of this page to let us know.