Lower Individual Plan Rates Means More Affordable Employee Benefits in Minnesota
On Friday, the Star Tribune published this article reporting that the four largest carriers in Minnesota, including Blue Cross HMO, Health Partners, Medica, and Ucare are proposing lower individual plan rates for the 2019 benefits year. The proposed premium decreases range from 7% to over 12%. According to Donna Zimmerman, senior vice president of government and community relations, rates are starting to stabilize “because carriers have a better handle on how much care consumers use in a given year.”
INDIVIDUAL MARKET RATE DECREASES: WHY IT MATTERS
This is great news for many Minnesotans as more affordable health care is on the horizon. If you’re an employer who has been thinking about offering employee benefits in 2019, now is the time to get the ball rolling. If you’re an employer who has been offering traditional group benefits, now it the time to consider making the switch to Gravie.
THE FLIP SIDE: MINNESOTA SMALL GROUP PLAN COSTS RISING
In addition to the proposed individual rate decreases, it was also reported that small group plan rates will likely increase in 2019. (For reference, Medica’s Small Group plan rates are expected to increase nearly 12%.) If you’re an employer currently offering a small group plan, switching to one of Gravie’s models will most likely get you more out of your benefit dollars in the upcoming year.
WHY GRAVIE
Founded in 2013, Gravie has been reinventing employee benefits making them better, easier and more affordable. Gravie walks employers through every step of designing, building and executing a custom employee benefits plan – one that controls your costs and empowers employees to make their own choices.
Unlike traditional benefit models, with Gravie, employers use a Defined Contribution strategy to control costs by choosing how much additional income to provide each employee to purchase benefits. Employees choose their benefits through one of Gravie’s marketplaces, including Gravie’s Marketplace for Individuals & Families, which offers the best of publicly and privately available individual health plans.
In addition to Gravie’s Marketplace for Individuals & Families, Gravie added another new and innovative employee benefits solution. For the 2018 benefits year, Gravie introduced their own Private Marketplace. Gravie’s Private Marketplace solution offers a unique blend of the benefits of individual plans and group plans, which may be a good fit for some employers.
In other words, with the newly released rate information, Gravie’s solution for cost control and broader choice is a fit for more employers than ever before.
Gravie will evaluate your current situation and help you determine which solution is most in-line with your budget and benefits goals. Whether you’re already offering some type of health benefit or you’re looking to offer something for the first time, Gravie can help. Get Started today.