When your business grows to 20, 30, 40, or 50 employees, something else grows, too: the number of different needs you’re trying to accommodate. Your team may include younger employees just starting their careers, parents covering their families, and longtime employees with established doctors and health care routines. Some may prioritize a lower monthly premium. Others may want a broader provider network or specific doctors and specialists. So how do you choose health insurance for 20–50 employees when there isn’t one plan that works perfectly for everyone?

You give employees more choice. That’s the idea behind CaliforniaChoice, a different approach to employee benefits designed to give employers control over costs while giving employees more ways to choose coverage that fits their needs. Here are five reasons CaliforniaChoice can be a good fit for growing businesses with 20–50 employees.

5 Reasons CaliforniaChoice Fits Businesses With 20–50 Employees

1. Defined Contribution Keeps Your Budget Predictable

One of the biggest challenges for a growing business is knowing how much to budget for employee health insurance. CaliforniaChoice gives you control over your contribution. You decide how much you want to contribute toward employee premiums. Depending on your strategy, you can contribute a set percentage or dollar amount toward eligible coverage options.

Employees then apply your contribution toward the health plan they like best. If they select coverage that costs more than your contribution, they pay the difference through payroll deduction. That gives you a predictable starting point for your benefits budget while giving employees more flexibility.

And your strategy doesn’t have to stay the same forever. At renewal, you can revisit your contribution and adjust it based on your business and employee needs.

2. More Employees Means More Reasons to Offer More Choice

At 20–50 employees, you’re likely seeing more diversity in your workforce and more variation in what employees want from their health benefits. That’s where an employee-choice approach can make a difference.

CaliforniaChoice brings seven participating health plans and 100+ coverage options together through one program. Depending on your location and the options available to your group, employees may have access to HMO, PPO, and HSA-qualified coverage.

Participating health plans include:

• Anthem Blue Cross
• Health Net
• Kaiser Permanente
• Sharp Health Plan
• Sutter Health Plan
• UnitedHealthcare
• Western Health Advantage

Four participating health plans operate statewide, while three are regional. The plans available to your group depend on where your business and employees are located.

3. Your Benefits Can Help You Compete for Talent

As your business grows, so does the competition for employees. You may be competing against larger companies that can offer robust benefits packages. You may also be competing against other small and midsize businesses for the same talent. Health insurance can be an important part of that competition.

A strong employee benefits package can help you attract candidates, retain current employees, and show your workforce that you’re investing in them. With CaliforniaChoice, you can offer a benefits experience that goes beyond simply handing everyone the same health plan. More choice can make your benefits package more relevant to more employees.

4. Build a Benefits Package Beyond Medical Coverage

Health insurance is usually the centerpiece of an employee benefits package, but it doesn’t have to be the whole package. CaliforniaChoice also gives you the option to add ancillary benefits, including:

• Dental: Multiple options offering a range of covered dental services.
• Vision: Voluntary vision benefits and discounts through Vision One Eyecare.
• Chiropractic and acupuncture: Options that can include coverage for exams, adjustments, and other services.
• Life and AD&D: Coverage through Assurity Life, including available living benefits.

Adding ancillary benefits can help you create a more complete employee benefits package without having to piece everything together on your own.

5. Don’t Overlook the CaliforniaChoice Extras

There can be a lot of value in a health benefits program beyond the health plan itself. CaliforniaChoice provides access to additional resources through its Business Solutions Suite and Member Value Suite, including:

• Premium Only Plan (POP): No-cost initial setup.
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA): Available for groups with 15 or more employees.
• Cal-COBRA: Participant invoicing, premium collection, and remittance.
• Hearing savings: Discounts on hearing tests, hearing aids, batteries, and more.
• California Rx Card: Prescription savings of up to 80% on eligible medications, which may help lower out-of-pocket costs.
• Cal Perks: Savings on entertainment, theme and water parks, sporting events, museums, travel, and more.
• ChooseHealthy™: Fitness center memberships for $28 per month, plus savings on fitness gear and wellness services.
• Pet insurance: Discounted coverage available from MetLife and Spot.

These extras can add value for employees while giving employers more resources to include in their overall benefits strategy.

Why Employee Choice Matters as Your Business Grows

Managing benefits for 20–50 employees can feel very different from managing benefits for a smaller team. You have more people to consider, more varied needs, and potentially more competition for talent. That doesn’t mean your benefits have to become more complicated.

CaliforniaChoice brings multiple health plans, coverage options, and additional benefits together through a single program. You can establish your contribution, employees can choose from the options you make available, and you can revisit your strategy at renewal. It’s a way to give a growing workforce more choice without giving up control of your benefits budget. That’s particularly valuable when you have 20–50 employees who don’t all want or need the same thing.

How to Compare Health Plans for Your Group

If you’re evaluating health insurance for 20–50 employees, your broker can help you compare your options, understand available plans, and build a contribution strategy that makes sense for your business. The right benefits strategy should work for your business and give your employees choices that work for them. Talk with your broker or find one here to get started with CaliforniaChoice.