South Carolina group health insurance must cover at least two full-time taxable employees or other associations such as labor unions. The provider usually writes one master contract to cover the entire group.

Group health insurance providers in South Carolina offer small businesses additional benefits other than medical care for employees. South Carolina group insurance companies also offer tax advantages because all of the employer contributions are usually tax deductible. Additionally, the financial risk for a group health plan is distributed between all of the members of the group, usually resulting in greater coverage and lower premiums.

There are three key points that affect the premiums South Carolina group insurance companies charge:

1. The preferred provider organization. A health provider generally must be a member of the plan's PPO before a South Carolina group insurance provider will pay for any treatments.

2. The amount that the employee pays before a group health insurance provider in South Carolina will cover the costs of treatment. A higher deductible usually means a lower premium.

3. The maximum amount that group health insurance in South Carolina will pay. This is known as the benefit cap or coverage limit.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Contact South Carolina group health insurance providers that specialize in small business insurance

Your employees' needs may be best served by a company with experience in customizing health insurance to the small business rather than one that normally caters to multi-national corporations.

I recommend: Contact Carolina Care Plan with the contact form or directly by phone. This site also provides a search tool to determine if your doctor is a member of the PPO for this insurance provider.

Find cost and coverage information for group health insurance in South Carolina

A South Carolina group health insurance provider has a much lower health requirement for its policy holders and the premiums are also lower than they are for individual health insurance plans.

I recommend: Provide the required information on all of your employees when requesting group insurance with the Davis Insurance Group, a North Carolina-based insurer that also serves South Carolina.

Compare plans from major providers of South Carolina group health insurance

It is helpful to compare plans of the major health insurance companies in your area. This allows you to determine the best policy for your small business more easily.

I recommend: Compare the plans that are available through One Source Services with some of the largest group health insurance providers in South Carolina, especially Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina and Assurant Health. This company provides health and life insurance in both North and South Carolina.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Offer a consumer-driven group health insurance plan for employees who wish to be more engaged in their health care. This type of South Carolina group health insurance coverage usually offsets a low-cost, high-deductible plan with Health Reimbursement Accounts and Health Savings Accounts that allow a member to manage expenditures more closely than with a traditional health care plan.