There are many health benefits that you can consider offering to employees, including:

• health insurance, including:
  • health maintenance organizations (HMOs)
  • preferred provider organizations (PPOs)
  • traditional fee-for-service indemnity insurance
  • major medical policies
• dental care insurance
• vision care insurance
• medical savings accounts

 

If you have at least 25 employees, a federal law requires you to offer an HMO as one of your employees' health care options, provided that one exists in your area.

In addition to choosing a type of plan, you'll need to make some other decisions, as well, including:

• which services your plan will cover (in some cases, there are state mandates and special rules for small businesses you should be aware of)
• which employees your plan will cover (you may choose to exclude part-timers, for instance)
• what waiting period and eligibility requirements new employees will have
• how health plan portability requirements affect you