Frequently asked questions
Access Health CT Small Business is Connecticut’s official health insurance marketplace for small businesses, where you can shop, compare and enroll in quality health insurance plans. And it is only through Access Health CT Small Business that you can qualify for financial help to lower your costs. Our goal is to reduce costs, promote health, and eliminate obstacles to getting healthcare coverage for employees of small businesses.
Access Health CT connects your small business to plans from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield for your medical needs.
If you have fewer than 50 full-time equivalent employees, you are not required to offer health insurance coverage and there is no penalty for not doing so. If offering health insurance to your employees is important to you, however, Access Health CT Small Business can help you find an affordable solution.
Yes! Employees who live outside of Connecticut can enroll in an Access Health CT Small Business group health plan offered by their employer. Non-resident employees should check the provider directories to make sure they include doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers in their home state, otherwise they may have to seek services within Connecticut. They should also review each plan’s payment policies regarding out-of-network care.
Access Health CT Small Business offers a choice of plans through Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
For 2023 and 2024, there are three (3) basic categories of coverage offered through Access Health CT Small Business. Gold, Silver and Bronze. Each different plan category covers a different percentage of an individual’s medical expenses. Health insurance plans that cover more expenses will typically have a higher monthly premium (payment).
Small businesses that qualify may receive a tax credit worth up to 50% of their contribution to their employees premiums (monthly payments) or up to 35% for qualifying nonprofits. The credit is available to eligible employers for two (2) consecutive tax years.
To qualify, a small business must:
– Have fewer than 25 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
– Must contribute at least 50% of each employee’s insurance premium, or in the case of a tax-exempt employer, 35% of each employee’s insurance premium
– Pay average annual wages of less than $57,000 per FTE (as adjusted for inflation)
Keep in mind, sole proprietors, partners, shareholders of more than 2% of an “S” corporation, and owners of more than 5% of the business or other businesses (and family members of these owners) are not counted as employees. This means their incomes and hours worked are not factored into any calculations relating to the tax credit.
Consult a tax preparer or accountant for more information about eligibility for the tax credit.
For more information, click here to see our Tax Savings Calculator.
For purposes of qualifying for the small business tax credit (financial help), the number of FTE employees you have is generally based on the total hours that your employees put in, not the number of people you employ. You can calculate this number by first totaling the hours of service for which you pay wages to your employees. (Do not include any time worked over 2,080 hours by any employee when totaling the number of hours worked.) Then divide the total hours by 2,080 (2,080 is the number of hours worked in 40-hour work week for a single year), and round down to the nearest whole number.
When you are determining FTEs and average annual wages, do not count seasonal employees – that is, those who work 120 or fewer days a year – and do not count certain business owners (sole proprietors, shareholders of more than 2% of an “S” corporation and owners of more than 5% of the business or other businesses), partners in a partnership, or the families of these business owners. You can, however, combine part-time employees to count as one FTE. For example, two (2) part-time employees who each work 20 hours a week equals one (1) FTE.
For more information, click here to see our Tax Savings Calculator.
Yes. All our plans include a prescription drug plan.
Access Health CT Small Business is open to all Connecticut-based small businesses that have at least 1 employee, who is not a business owner or spouse of a business owner. The business cannot have more than 50 full-time equivalent employees and must offer coverage to all full-time employees – generally those working 30 or more hours per week on average.
If the owners are husband and wife and the business has no other employees, then under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) the business will not qualify for participation in Access Health CT Small Business. As sole proprietors, however, these individuals could enroll in the individual marketplace.
Click here to visit Access Health CT for individuals.
No. There is no membership fee for using Access Health CT Small Business.
The premiums (monthly payments) for health insurance plans offered through Access Health CT Small Business are competitive and you may qualify for tax credits (financial help) that are only available for plans offered through Access Health CT Small Business. Tax credits are available to both for-profit and tax-exempt small businesses.
Even if your employees choose plans with different insurance companies, you will receive only one bill. You will send your monthly premium payment to us and then we take care of forwarding payments to the applicable carriers.
To get a quote from us, you will need to complete a simple contact form. Once submitted, a team member will contact you within a day and work with you to identify your options.
To get the quote process started, click here.
We encourage enrollment by the 15th of the month, which allows you and your employees to have coverage the first day of the following month.
When you apply for coverage, you will need to provide some information about yourself and each of your eligible employees You should plan to have employee birthdates, social security numbers, citizenship or immigration status, and tax documents handy when you connect with a member of our team or a certified broker.
There are two ways to get started. The first is to reach out to us directly through a simple contact form. We will call you back within a day and take you through the process, from start to finish. The second option is to reach out to one of our brokers directly, and they can work with you to find the right plans for your small business.
Click here to contact us to begin the process online.
Click here to find a broker near you.
No. All help is free! Our Certified Brokers can help you find the right group health insurance plans for your small business. If you do not have a broker, you may click here to find one local to you.