Our Support & Resource Center

Health Reform
ACA/Small Business
Private Exchange
Cal Choice Advantage

Hello!!

Author: Alex Strautman

When it comes to group health insurance, small business owners have many questions on the subject. For example:

We’ve provided answers to these frequently asked employer questions and insights related to group health insurance.

Group Size

As we discussed in a prior article, How to Get Group Health Insurance — and What It Covers, group health insurance is available to groups with as few as two employees. However, some plans and insurers do not offer coverage to husband and wife groups if both are owners of the company. Other business types like an LLC, S-Corp. C-Corp, or Partnership (where the spouse is a W-2 employee) are acceptable.

Smaller groups often think individual health insurance may be less expensive than offering a group health plan to employees; however, since the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), with the elimination of the pre-existing condition limitation, coverage for smaller groups is sometimes more affordable than individual plans for multiple plans. An employee benefits broker can help you compare plans to find the one that works best for you, your business, and your employees. 

Coverage Options

Regardless of your group size, if you are shopping for a group health plan, you’re likely to see HMO (Health Maintenance Organization), PPO (Preferred Provider Organization), or EPO (Exclusive Provider Organization) plans. You may even be able to select a High Deductible Health Plan that is compatible with an HSA (Health Savings Account). In some areas, Point of Service (POS) plans may also be available.

Each plan offers different out-of-pocket costs and co-pays and may or may not include coverage outside of a specified provider network. Some EPOs and HMOs may serve only a certain geographic region.

If you select the CaliforniaChoice multi-carrier, private health exchange, you can give employees the option to select the plan type that works best for their individual or family health insurance needs, while still controlling costs for your business.

More Than Health Coverage

You can also offer your employees access to other types of insurance, which can be offered on a voluntary-only basis. Of course, you can also contribute to your employees’ cost for coverage, if you choose.

Popular ancillary and supplemental coverages include:

Value-Added Extras

Depending on your source for coverage, your health plan, carrier, or administrator may offer value-added benefits such as these available through CaliforniaChoice:

Getting a Quote

An employee benefits agent can provide you with more information on specific plans available in your area and the costs associated with each. If you do not already have an agent, you can search for one here.

It’s hard to know for sure what might be “the norm” by the time Halloween rolls around this year. Some workplaces in California may be fully staffed and working on-site, while others may still be working remotely.
Still, Halloween can be used as an opportunity to strengthen your culture, build morale, and nurture collaboration – for onsite and offsite workers.

Here are onsite and remote options to help you celebrate Halloween with employees in 2020.

WORKING ONSITE

Be sure to pick the one that best fits your company, culture, and work situation.

Department or Office/Cubicle Decorating: If your employees have returned to work, even if they are alternating days in the office, you can encourage them to get in the spirit of the season by decorating their workspace. Halloween is on a Saturday this year, so if you have a competition among employees or departments, you will want to have your judging on Thursday or Friday, so employees know before they take off for the weekend whether they won. You can give individual awards (like a gift card) or hand out a ribbon and bragging rights until next year. It’s helpful to have pre-determined themes – like a graveyard or haunted house – or you can leave it to your leaders and employees to come up with a theme on their own.

Halloween Party: A party is not likely a viable option this year, since close interaction with others could increase the risk of exposing workers to the coronavirus. If you do attempt a socially distant party, it’s imperative employees wear a mask. A ready reserve of hand sanitizer is recommended, too.

WORKING OFFSITE

Costume Contest: A costume contest is something you can do in-person and in a socially distant and responsible way via Zoom or other online meeting technology.

Establish rules for your competition and share them with all of your employees. Avoid costumes that would embarrass anyone or be too provocative. You want the contest to be fun and encourage creativity, without crossing the line concerning good taste.

While group competitions are fairly common in company-sponsored costume contests, this year you may to emphasize individual competitions instead. Doing so equalizes things for all competitors – whether they are onsite or remote.

As far as evaluation criteria, you might consider “most original/creative,” scariest, worst, and best costumes. One or more of your employees who seem shy may want to show off hidden talents when behind a mask or wearing a costume. Being in lock down for much of 2020 may spur unknown creativity among a few of your workers.

Pumpkin Carving Contest: This is also something that works in the office or if your employees are working remotely. For onsite workers, you can ask competitors to carve their pumpkins offsite and bring them to work ready for judging. If you’re not concerned about the mess, and you can arrange for employees to be socially distant, have them carve their pumpkins onsite and limit the window in which they have to do the carving. The added pressure could yield more interesting results.

For onsite competitions, be sure you supply all of the tools needed – and a de-seeding station. If everyone guts their pumpkins before taking them to the “carving station,” you can limit the mess. Providing aprons can be helpful, too.

A table with paint, glitter, and other decorative options gives everyone an equal chance to win. You can also avoid the mess altogether by limiting your contest to jack o’ lanterns decorated with a Sharpie.

If you have offsite workers, you can ask everyone to prepare their pumpkin and “unveil” them on a prearranged Zoom call/meeting. Then everyone can publicly – or secretly – cast their ballot by sharing it in an email . . . with results announced before the sign-off for the week.

START PLANNING NOW!

We know, it’s only September, so you’re thinking Halloween is weeks away. Don’t wait to announce your plans. If you want your employees to be enthusiastic about a competition, give them time to prepare. Some organizations with a serious commitment to All Hallows’ Eve start planning in August.

When you’re looking at the options available to you and your business for your employee benefits program, you’ll want to research value-added extras offered by the insurers, exchange, or third-party administrator you’re considering. Those value-adds can make a big difference in employee satisfaction.

CaliforniaChoice offers a variety of value-added features and benefits for employers and employees. Among the most popular employee programs is Cal Perks, which is part of the CaliforniaChoice Member Value Suite.  

What’s Included in Cal Perks?

The Cal Perks discount program gives you and your employees access to 200+ amazing offers that can save you hundreds of dollars annually on things you will use and places and services you and your employees will love.

The Cal Perks program includes deals on:

Download the Cal Perks flyer.

Best of all, Cal Perks is constantly evolving. Many savings opportunities were just added in 2020. Cal Perks is just one of the value-added advantages offered to CaliforniaChoice members.

In addition to Cal Perks, the CaliforniaChoice Member Value Suite offers you:

Learn more about the value-added benefits in the CaliforniaChoice program by watching the video here.

You can also talk with your broker to learn more about CaliforniaChoice. It’s the multi-carrier, private health exchange offering health insurance benefits from eight of California’s leading health plans – Anthem Blue Cross, Health Net, Kaiser Permanente, Oscar Health, Sharp Health Plan, Sutter Health Plus, UnitedHealthcare, and Western Health Advantage – plus other benefits you would pay more for elsewhere. If you don’t already have an employee benefits broker, check out our broker directory.

We know health insurance is a hot topic generating many questions in the minds of business owners. Among the most-frequent questions are:

We’d like to help by offering some answers and sharing some resources you may find useful. Let’s look at answers to frequently asked questions:

What can I expect to pay for employees’ health insurance?

Your costs for employer-sponsored group health insurance depend on many factors, including:

Some employers offer coverage only to employees working full time. Others include options for part-time employees. The choice is yours. Depending on the insurer or health plan you select, you may also have a choice in the percentage of the premium you pay for employees’ coverage.

The 2019 Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Employer Health Benefits Survey found that employers were contributing an average of 77% of a plan’s cost. However, that 77% is not uniform across the board.  For a more in-depth analysis on the expected costs of health insurance, read How Much Should a Business Pay for Employee Health Insurance?

Do I have to offer health insurance to my employees?

Before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted, health insurance coverage for groups was based on the size of the group, the health of the participants, past claims experience, and other factors. Rates were banded, which means employees in the same age band (for example, 20 to 29) would pay one rate, while employees in other bands (30-39, 40-49, etc.) would pay a different rate. Today, for groups of up to 100 employees, rates are based on the specific age of each employee, spouse, and child covered.

Another change with the ACA is the elimination of pre-existing medical condition exclusions (which, pre-ACA, could influence rates). Today, all employees in an ACA-qualified group health plan can get coverage regardless of their health. All persons of the same age are charged the same premium for the same plan.

If you are what the ACA defines as an Applicable Large Employer (ALE), you are required to offer health insurance to full-time or full-time equivalent (FTE) employees and their dependent children through age 25. The ACA’s Shared Responsibility Provision (also referred to as the Employer Mandate) says employers with an average of at least 50 full-time or FTE employees working at least 30 hours per week must offer minimum essential coverage that is both “affordable” and provides “minimum value” to employees.

A health plan meets the minimum value requirement if it’s designed to pay at least 60% of the total costs of medical services for a standard population, and it includes substantial coverage for physician and inpatient hospital services.

If you’re uncertain whether your business qualifies as an ALE, you can use a ACA Full-Time Equivalent Employee Calculator to help you determine your group size. This tool is among many employer resources on the CaliforniaChoice website. (Click on “ACA Calculators” in the lower-right section of the web page.) Additional resources are available on the HealthCare.gov website, which includes a section specifically addressing employer questions.

How can I control my costs and still offer health insurance to my employees?

What you contribute to the cost of coverage for your employees is up to you. As mentioned before, though, if you’re an ALE, you must contribute enough toward each employee’s cost so that coverage remains “affordable.” For 2020, the IRS says the threshold for determining affordability is whether the cost of coverage for the employee is less than 9.78% of household income. This number is updated annually and was 9.86% in 2019; in 2021, it will be 9.83% according to published reports.

An ACA Safe Harbor Calculator can be useful in helping you determine whether the plan(s) you’re considering fit the criteria for affordability under any of the safe harbor tests. You can find such a calculator on the CaliforniaChoice website (link above), with additional guidance on the IRS website.

With the CaliforniaChoice multi-carrier private health exchange, you establish your own Defined Contribution toward employee coverage. You can choose a Fixed Percentage of 50% to 100% of the cost for a specific plan and/or benefit, or you can choose a Fixed Dollar Amount for each employee. The choice is yours. Then, each of your employees applies the contribution you make toward the cost of the coverage he or she wants. If an employee selects a plan that costs more than your contribution, he or she pays the difference. You can learn more about Defined Contribution in this CaliforniaChoice video on YouTube.

How can I keep my workers and customers safe in the era of COVID-19?

Employee and customer safety is of paramount concern to employers across California and the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest several steps business owners and managers can implement to protect employees and limit business disruption:

These additional tips can further help protect workers and customers:

For more guidance on keeping your employees and customers safe during the era of COVID-19, check out the resources and tools offered by SHRM, the Society of Human Resource Management.

If you want information about how you can implement a group health program for your business, talk with an employee benefits broker. The services of a broker are typically available at no cost – and using a broker can save you money, as compared to shopping for insurance on your own. If you don’t already have a broker, we can help you find one here.

Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law 10 years ago, the number of Americans without health insurance has declined dramatically. The uninsured rate in California was 17.2% in 2013, as compared to 7.2% in 2018. (Final figures for 2019 are not yet available.) Among those with health insurance, a majority get their coverage through their employer.

California is one of the five states with the greatest number of people getting their health insurance through an employer-sponsored plan, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) data. Based on 2019 reporting, 47% of Californians, or about 18.3 million people, have employment-based health insurance.

Businesses choose to offer health insurance to employees for many reasons, including:

Comparing Plans

Employers interested in evaluating health coverage can benefit by talking with an employee benefits agent. The services of an agent are typically available at no cost, and can often save an employer money. That’s because an agent will know your local marketplace, the health care providers that are part of each health plan’s network, and the value-added benefits that may be available.

Sometimes a business owner comparing plans without guidance from a licensed insurance professional may be inclined to think individual health insurance or a blanket health insurance policy is a more affordable alternative to group health coverage. However, there are limitations in those kinds of policies.

For example, a blanket health policy may offer only limited benefits, perhaps in connection with an accident. Blanket health insurance policies also typically differ from a group health policy, because a blanket policy may offer coverage up to a specified limit — $5,000, $10,000, $25,000, or $50,000 during the life of the plan. In contrast, an ACA compliant group health plan cannot limit coverage to a specified amount, although members could be subject to certain co-pay amounts or a coinsurance amount.

Likewise, an employer-sponsored group health plan may be better than coverage through an IFP (Individual and Family Plan) or Association Health Plan, also known as a multiple employer welfare arrangement (MEWA). These plans may limit payouts and often do not include the broad range of covered services under an ACA-compliant group health plan. In fact, California law strictly limits and regulates health insurance through associations, as outlined in a 2019 memo distributed by the California Association of Managed Health Care. State regulators and California legislators believe residents are better served by other health insurance programs.

Finding the Right Coverage for Your Employees

Staying healthy and having access to health care is important to employees (and their family members). That’s especially true during times like those we’re facing right now. If you want to find out more about the advantages, costs, and value-added benefits of group health care, talk with your insurance agent. If you don’t have an agent, you can find one near you using our agent directory.

In the wake of COVID-19, many employers are considering whether they can and should be offering health insurance benefits to employees. If you have questions on how to get group health insurance and what to consider before making your selection, we have answers for you. We have details on the regulatory requirements mandated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), your cost investment as well as the options.

What’s Included in Coverage

If you offer health insurance that is Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliant, the ACA mandates 10 essential health benefits (EHBs), including:

Plans are available in four ACA metal tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Each tier represents a different level of cost sharing for insured members, as shown below:

ACA Metal Tier Health Plan/Insurance Pays Insured Pays
Bronze 60% 40%
Silver 70% 30%
Gold 80% 20%
Platinum 90% 10%

AHIP, formerly known as America’s Health Insurance Plans, is the health insurance industry’s leading trade association, with members representing some of the country’s largest health insurers. AHIP reported in May 2020 that many of its members have expanded coverage to cover the cost of COVID-19 testing with no out-of-pocket expenses to members. If you are looking for specific health plan information, visit the AHIP web page and scroll down to the insurer that interests you most, or talk with your employee benefits agent.

For businesses subject to the ACA employer mandate (that affects employers with 50 or more full-time and full-time equivalent employees), in addition to offering coverage for the EHBs above, the cost to employees must be affordable. This is determined by whether the employee share of the premium for the lowest-priced, self-only coverage does not exceed 9.78% of the employee’s household income for 2020. If the employee’s share of the cost does exceed this threshold, the employer must increase the employee’s subsidy to make coverage more affordable.

If you’re not sure how to calculate your group size to see if your business is an Applicable Large Employer (subject to the employer mandate), you can link here to use the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) calculator on the Healthcare.gov website. Alternatively, you can use the calculators on the CaliforniaChoice private health exchange website. (Just click on “ACA Calculators” in the lower-right corner of the home page.)

Available to Groups of Two or More

While a group health plan does require you to have a group, you don’t have to be a “large” group to qualify for coverage. Health plans and insurers will write groups with as few as two covered persons (a business owner and an employee). However, some carriers will not write a policy for a husband and wife group if both are owners of the business, or if it is a sole proprietorship. Other business types like an LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp, and Partnerships where the spouse is a W-2 employee are acceptable.

It does not matter whether you or your employees have pre-existing health conditions. Under the ACA, insurers cannot refuse to cover you or charge you more because of a pre-existing condition.

If you select CaliforniaChoice for your business, you choose your own contribution amount – a fixed dollar amount or a fixed percentage of the cost for a specific health plan. For example, you could choose 50% of the lowest-cost health plan in your area. Then your employees use the contribution you make toward their coverage to pay for whatever health plan they like best. If an employee chooses a plan with a premium that exceeds your Defined Contribution, he or she simply pays the difference.

The amount you select is locked-in for one year. At renewal, you have the flexibility to adjust your Defined Contribution, up or down, so you can lock-in the cost for another 12 months.

With CaliforniaChoice, you and your employees have access to more than 50 benefit plan designs through a single program. With Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO), and other coverage options available from eight different health plans, it’s easy for employees to find coverage that fits their health care needs and budget. They can choose from popular regional providers like Sutter Health Plus and Western Health Advantage in Northern and Central California, Oscar Health in Los Angeles and Orange counties, and Sharp Health Plan in San Diego. Statewide, your employees can choose from Anthem Blue Cross, Kaiser Permanente, Health Net, and UnitedHealthcare.

You can contribute – or not contribute – to the cost of coverage for your employee’s spouse and dependent children. The contribution you make just needs to be the same for all employees.

If your business doesn’t qualify for group coverage, you may be interested in pursuing individual health insurance; visit the Covered California public health insurance exchange for Individual & Family Plan (IFP) information.

Offering Benefits Helps Employees and Your Business

Employee benefits like health insurance is an advantage your employees and helps you stand out as an employer. According to multiple surveys by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and MetLife, employees are seeking a better work and benefits experience. That point has been emphasized as many Americans have faced unexpected health challenges in 2020.

Remember, the cost of employee health insurance is deductible as a routine business expense. Depending on your group size, average employee wage, and where you purchase your group health coverage, you may also qualify for a tax credit as outlined at Healthcare.gov.

How to Learn More

Many factors influence the cost of group health coverage: group size, ages of employees, the type of coverage offered, etc. The best way to find out what your potential cost would be for your group is to talk with an employee benefits broker. If you choose coverage from CaliforniaChoice, your representative will work with you to help you determine your Defined Contribution. If you don’t have a current insurance broker, we’ll help you find one who can provide a custom quote for your employees.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Labor (DOL) has released a new rule allowing laid off or furloughed workers more time to sign up for health insurance continuation under COBRA, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act.

COBRA, which applies to group health insurance sponsored by businesses with 20 or more employees, typically gives workers losing job-based coverage 60 days to decide if they want to continue coverage. The new DOL guidance extends the timeframes affecting participants’ rights to coverage, portability, and continuation, as is the time to file a benefit claim or appeal denied claims.

The 60-day countdown clock does not start ticking until the end of the COVID-19 “outbreak period,” a date that is not yet known and could be months away. Depending on when an individual loses (or lost) his or her job in 2020, he or she has a minimum of 120 days to elect COBRA and possibly longer.

For example, if someone was laid off in April and the government determines the national emergency ends August 31, the “regular” 60-day COBRA election period would start on September 1 (and continue into October).

Continuing with this example, if coverage ended effective April 30 because of the layoff, the employee could wait until December to make a decision his or her COBRA decision – with coverage retroactive to May.

Details on the extension appear in the jointly published DOL and IRS document, Extension of Certain Timeframes for Employee Benefit Plans, Participants, and Beneficiaries Affected by the COVID-19 Outbreak. The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) also offers useful information here.

While the new rule gives laid-off and furloughed workers a longer period to act on COBRA, there are risks for employees. They could be on the hook for thousands of dollars in back premium because workers have to pay both their portion of the premium for coverage – plus the share previously paid by their employer and a 2% administrative fee.

The DOL’s COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions addresses other issues and provides additional guidance for employers, sponsors, and participants concerning the outbreak and COBRA.

With an infectious disease outbreak, such as the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, employers of all sizes are concerned about the best way to respond. Many are asking, “What can I do to protect my employees and customers?” We share some guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) below.

The CDC recommends these steps to protect employees and limit disruption to your business:

Here are eight tips to protecting workers and customers:

  1. Actively encourage employees who are sick to stay home.
  2. Encourage workers and customers to wear face masks. To reduce the spread of COVID-19, the CDC recommends people wear cloth face coverings in public settings when they are around people from outside of their household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. Beginning June 18, 2020, wearing a mask that covers your nose and mouth was required statewide in California, as ordered by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
  3. Promote etiquette for coughing and sneezing as well as handwashing. Provide tissues, no-touch trashcans, soap and water, and hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) to employees.
  4. Perform routine environmental cleaning of frequently touch surfaces (workstations, counter tops, handrails, doorknobs, exit bars, etc. Discourage the sharing of tools and equipment, where possible.
  5. Deliver education and training materials – like fact sheets and posters.
  6. Have conversations with employees about their concerns. Some employees may be at higher risk for COVID-19 because of their age or health, or because of those with whom they live. Link here to visit the CDC website, which offers guidance for older adults.
  7. Talk with vendors, suppliers, and others about their plans – and requirements your company is implementing that could affect their services to your business.
  8. Implement practices to minimize face-to-face contact between employees, to adhere to state or local health department guidance on social distancing.
  9. Implement changes in the layout of your business to ensure workers and customers can remain at least six feet apart. The CDC offers a variety of additional guidance to different types of businesses, such as grocers, bars, restaurants, pharmacies, banks, and others. Link here for answers to frequently asked questions, or use the site’s search function.
  10. Post signs in high traffic and highly visible locations (like entrances, exits, restrooms) that promote everyday protective measures to stop the spread. Link here for the CDC’s general public toolkit.

The state of California has its own coronavirus website (www.covid19.ca.gov) with resources to help employers, residents, and visitors stay up to date on the latest information concerning the spread of COVID-19, county information, testing and treatment, and guidance for nearly 30 specific industries.

Health experts say contact tracing is the best tool we have to stop the spread of COVID-19 until there is a vaccine. While it’s easy to see how this method could positively impact the infection rate, a debate has emerged on the legality and complexity of nationwide tracing.

So, what, exactly, is contact tracing?

Contact tracing relies on public health workers to track down anyone who may have come into contact with someone with COVID-19, so they can self-quarantine to prevent further spread of the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says “Contacts are provided with education, information, and support to understand their risk, what they should do to separate themselves from others who are not exposed, monitor themselves for illness, and the possibility they could spread the infection to others if they themselves feel it.”

The CDC suggests communities take action to scale up, and train the large workforce required to work collaboratively across public and private agencies to stop the spread of COVID-19. The federal agency also recommends following certain core principles during case investigation, including:

Contact Tracing in California

California’s contact tracing program, California Connected, has already launched to help those exposed to COVID-19 get medical care and determine how they might have exposed others to the virus without knowing it. Kaiser Health News reported on June 17 that among those helping the state in its outreach are dozens of librarians trained through a new virtual academy led by the University of California – San Francisco. The state awarded a contract to the university in May to train 20,000 new California contact tracers by July, one of the country’s largest efforts so far. More information about the state’s contact tracing program is available on the state’s COVID-19 web page.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has said counties should have 15 contact tracers for every 100,000 residents to help the state contain the virus as stay-at-home orders end. Health officials have said, based on the analysis of early data, each new person testing positive for COVID-19 was in close contact with an average of four or five people while infectious – usually family members or neighbors.

Through mid-August (8/13), according to the Los Angeles Times, California reported 594,762 confirmed coronavirus cases and 10,813 deaths. While home to only one-fourth of the state’s residents, Los Angeles County has recorded 214,000+ confirmed cases and 5,112 deaths. Based on recent trends, California is doubling confirmed infections every 68.6 days.

New Contact Tracing Technology Comes to the Forefront

TraceTogether, a Bluetooth-based contact-tracing app developed in Singapore, launched in March. Google and Apple rolled out their technology in May. All three apps allow health authorities to access a person’s Bluetooth history on their smartphone and call the people on that list to notify them of the potential need to quarantine. Other countries with similar apps include the United Kingdom, Australia, and Malaysia.

Reuters reported several states and more than 20 countries are interested in the tracing technology; however, it is uncertain how many may actually use it. Critics note the iPhone app needs to be open at all times to work and some encounters between iPhone and Android users, or pairs of older devices, may not be recorded for interactions.

Legal Obstacles to Contact Tracing Tech

Bipartisan legislation was introduced by U.S. Sens. Cantwell (D-WA), Cassidy (R-LA), and Klobuchar (D-MN) in June to protect consumer privacy and promote public health in connection with contact tracing apps. The Exposure Notification Privacy Act regulates apps that track the spread of COVID-19, ensuring individuals’ rights, restricting usage, and empowering the Federal Trade Commission and states’ attorney generals to pursue violations of the act. The full text of the proposed legislation is here.

The FTC published a May notice regarding contact tracing fraud. Individuals posing as contact tracers are sending messages that include a link suggesting it will connect them to health authorities. Clicking on the link downloads software on users’ devices that give scammers access to personal and financial information. The FTC is advising smartphone users not to take the bait, and to consider using a filter to block messages from unknown senders.

Contact tracing has been around, in one form or another, for centuries. It has proven quite effective in helping citizens globally cope with the spread of numerous diseases. It could be very effective in extinguishing the spread of COVID-19.

With CaliforniaChoice, employers can offer health benefits to their employees from eight leading health plans – at a price that fits their budget. Employees then select the plan that works best for them based on their unique needs. CaliforniaChoice also offers valuable added benefits, including the Active&Fit Program, which gives members access to more than 1,500 digital workouts and 11,000 fitness centers.

Here’s a closer look at what’s available through Active&Fit Direct:

Active&Fit is just one part of the ChooseHealthyTM program, which also includes discounts of up to 57% on popular health and fitness brands like Fitbit®, Garmin®, Vitamix®, and PRO Compression® — plus up to 25% off on specialty health practitioner services and free health resources.

In addition, when you and your employees become members of CaliforniaChoice, you get access to the entire Member Value Suite which includes:

To learn more about CaliforniaChoice and all of the benefits it offers, talk with your health insurance agent. If you don’t have one, search for one here.