Health insurance in Washington is very important whether you have a sole-proprietor business or several hundred employees. Luckily, there are many Washington health insurance providers to choose from.

When your employees have a good Washington health insurance policy, they are less likely to become sick. This will reduce your absentee levels and increase productivity in your office. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you first begin looking at Washington health insurance plans, but once you know what you are looking for, it becomes easy to find a Washington health insurance provider.

Before purchasing Washington health insurance:

1. Choose what type of health insurance you wish to provide your employees. You can often choose between HMO (Health Maintenance Organization), PPO (Preferred Provider Organization), and POS (Point of Service) plans.

2. Determine the percentage of Washington health insurance costs you are able to cover for your employees. It is possible to require employees to pay a certain percentage of the cost, particularly to cover family members.

3. Ask your employees if they would like to participate in a Health Savings Account (HSA). This is separate from good low cost health insurance in Washington, but allows participants to pay for medical expenses with pre-tax dollars.

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

Request quotes from Washington health insurance carriers online

Quotes from Washington health insurance providers are just a click away when you use a health insurance comparison site. This makes it easy to compare Washington health insurance plans in a no-pressure situation.

I recommend: InsureMe and eHealthInsurance are both excellent resources for comparing the costs of Washington health insurance carriers.

Discuss Washington health insurance plans with an insurance specialist

Working closely with an independent health insurance agent can help you to decide which is the best insurance provider for your company.

I recommend: Searching through the database of health insurance agents at the National Association of Health Underwriters makes finding an insurance area in your area a breeze.

Purchase insurance directly from a Washington health insurance carrier

You may already know what health insurance provider you wish to use. If this is the case, then it is generally more convenient to contact the insurance company directly.

I recommend: Premera Blue Cross is a large provider of health insurance in Washington. Kaiser Permanente is another large insurance company.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Be sure to take advantage of the free wellness programs offered by your Washington health insurance provider. If you make a point of implementing them into your workplace and encouraging employee participation, you are sure to reduce absenteeism due to illness. Possible wellness programs may include free flu shots, nutritional counseling, or smoking cessation.
• •  If your employees frequently travel, it is best to offer an insurance that is widely available. This ensures that your employees have coverage wherever they travel.
• •  Make sure that your health insurance benefits also cover vision and dental care. Washington health insurance plans do not always cover these and you may have to purchase them as an add-on benefit.