Navigating Nashville’s Health Care Marketplace

Deciding which health insurance plan is right for your small business can be complicated and time-consuming. Earlier this month, the Nashville Area Chamber teamed up with the Nashville Mayor’s Office and our HR Solutions Partner Zenefits to present a webinar to help small businesses and entrepreneurs navigate the Nashville health care marketplace. The discussion was led by Colin Rogers, vice president of carrier relations at Zenefits, and joined by Audra Ladd, the manager of small business, entrepreneurship and creative economy for Mayor Megan Barry.

Rogers described the challenges small businesses and sole proprietors face when selecting health insurance for 2017 – including insurers leaving the marketplace and anticipated increased costs. He walked through the pros and cons with the three options available to small businesses: the individual health care exchanges, the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) marketplace, and commercial small group plans. Rogers recommended that business owners first check out healthcare.gov to review individual and family plans. Open enrollment for 2017 is underway until Dec. 15. SHOP is available to businesses with fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees and where the average employee salary is less than $50,000. There may be a plan that is a good fit for your business, and the small business health care tax credit is available. The commercial small group market has become increasingly attractive to small businesses, as more insurance carriers serve the market.

You can watch a replay of the webinar here. For a recap of all the health insurance options available for small businesses and sole proprietors, click here.