Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Health Insurance Website for Small Employers
The Maryland Health Care Commission has launched a website that will enable small employers to compare the costs of small group health insurance plans. VIRTUAL COMPARE is an information-only web portal that allows small employers with 2 to 50 employees to compare benefits, limitations, cost sharing and premiums for a select group of health plans offered by licensed insurance carriers in Maryland. The site provides health plan purchasing guides and detailed information on available health plans, federal tax credits, and Maryland’s Health Insurance Partnership premium subsidy program.
Some features of VIRTUAL COMPARE include a Welcome Video for the first time user, a comparison feature so that the user can compare up to four plans side-by-side, and a sort function based on the user’s preference to sort plans based on premium, deductible or plan type. Employers cannot apply for coverage on VIRTUAL COMPARE, but the site provides contact information for the five participating carriers and a “Find a Broker” feature listing hundreds of brokers and agents active in the small group market who have registered to be listed on VIRTUAL COMPARE.
Access the VIRTUAL COMPARE web portal here.
We would welcome your feedback on the usefulness of the site. Contact Ron Wineholt for further information at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
