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Medical Insurance In Texas |
Many Texans obtain their medical insurance in Texas by way of an “employer-sponsored group plan” that they are eligible for because of their own workplace or due to the workplace of the spouses’ employer. This method of obtaining medical insurance in Texas is less costly and often makes more medical services available to the insurance holders as opposed to an individual health plan. Medical insurance in Texas is carefully governed by the state as the laws are geared towards protecting people and not the insurance companies.
Group plans for medical insurance in Texas are not the same for the state as they are on a federal level and they differ according to the size of the group in question as well as the nature of the particular group. Texas law gives special consideration to plans that are geared towards small businesses. Medical insurance in Texas under a group plan isn’t a given but instead is up to an employer’s discretion. Some group medical plans make it a requirement for employers to pay a portion of the employees’ premiums (sometimes 50 percent or more) while others do not expect the employer to contribute anything towards the monthly premiums.
Medical insurance in Texas can be obtained by way of a small-employer plan as long as the business has at least two to 50 workers. In order to be eligible an employee must be full time and must work at least 30 hours per week if not more. This sort of medical insurance in Texas is not available to part time workers, casual workers, seasonal workers or those who fill in as substitutes. As well eligible employees are not allowed to have health coverage by way of any other source.
Another option for medical insurance in Texas that is very common is “self-funded” plans, which are put in place at the federal level by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). These ERISA plans are for those employees who have employers who “self-fund” their given health plans, which means that the employer pays the worker’s health costs as opposed to an insurance company or an HMO. This is an option that is very popular among big businesses that employ a great deal of people. The federal requirements for self-funded plans are minimal and the plans can often be tailored to suit the individual.
Medical insurance in Texas can also come by way of a large-employer group plan. Businesses that employee too many people for a small-employer plan or who cannot or choose not to self-fund their own health plans can choose to go this route. Sometimes churches, professional organizations and trade unions offer plans such as these for employers who would not have health insurance otherwise. In this case no employee can be excluded from the plan do to health reasons although sometimes this is an “elitist” form of a health plan. In other words, some companies offer a large-employee group health plan to their executives but not to the ordinary workers. If this type of medical insurance in Texas makes an HMO health plan available to employees then they are required by law to make sure that they offer point-of-service as well.
Learn more at: www.baahealth.com
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