Health Law & Policy Institute
Small Employers Guide to Health Care Plans
A printed version of this publication is available in limited quantities. Also, the Health Law & Policy Institute would be happy to work with any organizations wishing to reprint and distribute the publication within Texas. Please contact rscott@central.uh.edu.
Introduction
Health insurance is an important benefit that helps employers attract, compensate, and retain qualified employees, especially where the employer owns a business with less than 50 employees. Historically, health insurance for small businesses was too expensive to purchase and offered dismal benefit packages. With the advent of managed care, medical savings accounts, and small employer plans, small businesses now enjoy more affordable options and richer benefit packages than ever before.
This resource guide is intended to assist small employers in selecting health benefit plans that are right for them and their employees and to help small employers better understand employer-provided health benefit plans. The guide discusses types of health benefit plans available to small employers, provides criteria for evaluating the quality of the plans, and contains a list of references and additional resources that may aid a small employer in selecting a plan. It is not intended to offer individual legal advice.
The guide is the work of the Health Law & Policy Institute at the University of Houston Law Center under the direction of the Texas Cancer Council Managed Care Steering Committee. The Council also provided the funding for the guide. The Council's Managed Care Steering Committee was created in FY 1997 to identify program and policy initiatives that the Council should support to enhance the availability of cancer prevention and control services in Texas within the managed care environment.
The information contained in the guide is current through July 1999. However, due to rapidly changing health laws and government policies, some information may have changed since the guide was prepared.
Click here to begin |
