Group Health

Health insurance is certainly the foundation for any Employee Group Benefits Package. Unfortunately, health insurance costs continue to escalate due to increasing costs and high utilization. You can't live without it, but it is becoming hard to live with it. Are you worried about these rising costs? Another question many company owners are asking is, "are there things we can consider or do to minimize these increasing costs and still maintain an acceptable level of quality for our employees?" The answer is yes, and Miller & Wade Group is committed to providing you every possible option available, even some creative variations that can save you and your employees a tremendous amount of money.

Health insurance may in fact be the largest investment you are making on behalf of your employees as part of your overall Employee Group Benefit Package. Therefore, you need to make sure that your health insurance selection is the best option available for you, based on price, flexibility and quality.

Health Insurance coverage is ever changing and it is our responsibility to keep you informed of those changes and options. In the state of Utah, you have basically four major choices of group health insurance coverage: Altius Health Plans, Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Utah, IHC Health Plans & UnitedHealthcare

After analyzing your specific needs and objectives, we will help you determine which carrier(s) should be considered. For example, the city or county or you live in will make a difference in which plan might be best for you. That is why we request proposals from all the major health insurance providers to obtain the most competitive bid for you to consider.

Miller & Wade Group is a General Agent with both IHC and Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Utah and one of our partners and co-founder, Scott Miller, currently sits on the advisory boards of Altius Health Plans, IHC Health Plans and UnitedHealthcare. Scott Miller is regarded by many in the state as the leading expert in Health Insurance. It is comforting for many of our clients to know that health Insurance is not a side note for Miller & Wade Group, but rather, a major focus.

Do you qualify for Group Health Insurance? To obtain a group health insurance policy, you must have at least 2 employees that work at least 30 hours or more per week. Some carriers also require that eligible employees receive a W-2 wage.

How do you apply? The first step is to meet with one of our Employee Group Benefit specialists. In that meeting, you will be given a Group Health Request Form that will allow you to begin gathering all the necessary “census” information on your employees. This document is vital in being able to generate group insurance proposals. In order to complete the document you must obtain the following elements: name, gender, age (of both employee and spouse, if applicable), and family status. Also be sure to list all eligible dependent children. If you or any eligible dependent does not wish to have any coverage, we must know this in advance of the application process.

Once the plan is in effect, an employee can only change his/her coverage when a LIFE EVENT occurs, such as: marriage, legal separation or divorce, adding a dependent child through birth, adoption, or change in custody, spouse or a dependent dies, dependent loses eligibility for coverage, spouse loses or qualifies for health coverage through his/her employer. When you experience a qualifying change, you have 30 days to complete and return a completed application to our office.

There are some employers who look at the option of dropping their group insurance plans and letting their employees “fend” for themselves. The serious downside to this is that certain individuals will undoubtedly fall into uninsurable status while others lose access to maternity coverage, both of which are the main disadvantages of purchasing an individual health insurance plan.

You can elect to begin a group plan the 1 st or 16 th of any month. Open enrollment is generally held for 30 days once a year, just prior to the anniversary date. During this time, you may change your benefit elections as you desire. After the enrollment deadline, however, you may not change your benefit elections until the next open enrollment period, except in the case of a life-status change.

Health Insurance Terms:

Co-pay: The amount you pay when receiving services in a physician’s office, urgent care facility or emergency room. Also applies to prescription purchases at the pharmacy. However, co-pays for prescriptions also vary depending whether they are generic or name brand.

Deductible: The amount you must pay each calendar year before major medical coverage begins. Generally subject to 2 or 3 per calendar year per family

Coinsurance: The % you pay for services after the deductible has been met up to an annual out-of-pocket maximum.

Out-of-Pocket Maximum: The maximum amount paid by each subscriber before the insurance carrier pays 100%. Generally limited to 2 per family per calendar year.

For more information, fill out the contact form and we will contact you within one business day.

| Group Health | Group Dental | Group Life Disability | Cafeteria Plans |
| Health Savings Accounts (HSA's) | Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) |
| Employment Benefit Seminars |