South Dakota group medical insurance can cover a group with only one full-time member. This group may be a business, labor union or professional trade association and a single master contract usually covers the entire group.

South Dakota group insurance provides other benefits besides medical care for your employees. Group insurance also offers tax advantages because the employer contributions are almost always tax deductible. Group health insurance plans in South Dakota distribute the financial risk between all of the members, usually resulting in lower premiums and greater coverage for a group health plan.

There are three key points to consider when evaluating a South Dakota group medical insurance plan:

1. A health provider usually must be a member of the plan's preferred provider organization before South Dakota group health plans will cover treatment costs.

2. The amount the employee must pay before a South Dakota group insurance company will cover the costs of treatment. A higher deductible usually means a lower premium.

3. The coverage limit is the maximum amount group health insurance will pay in South Dakota. This will usually increase as the premium increases.

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

Get South Dakota group health insurance through a broker

An independent broker usually has access to a large number of insurance carriers and can frequently provide other types of insurance and financial services.

I recommend: Complete the contact form at Graber & Associates or call a representative directly by phone to discuss the health insurance needs of your group. This company is based in Sioux Falls and provides health insurance throughout South Dakota.

Apply for group health insurance in South Dakota directly with a carrier

If you already know which carriers you are interested in and don't have a regular broker, you may wish to work directly with South Dakota group health insurance companies.

I recommend: Go to the Division of Insurance for South Dakota for contact information for all of the major providers of group health insurance in South Dakota.

Solicit a South Dakota group health insurance quote from trade associations

Trade organizations can be an effective method of reducing health care costs, especially for small businesses.

I recommend: Apply for membership in the South Dakota Retailers Association. The membership requirements are detailed on this website, but basically you need an active South Dakota state sales tax license.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Provide temporary and part-time employees with customized South Dakota group health insurance quotes. Self-employed individuals are usually able to provide their employees with a less expensive plan that provides basic coverage for essential benefits. Flexible Spending Accounts also may be used to reduce health care costs for part-time employees.
• •  Offer a consumer-driven group health insurance plan for employees who want more control over their health care. This type of South Dakota group medical insurance usually offsets a low-cost, high-deductible plan with Health Reimbursement Accounts and Health Savings Accounts. This allows the member to manage medical expenditures more closely than with a traditional health care plan.