It would be best to first ask what your employees want in a health insurance plan, so you at least have an idea as to what sort of coverage they need and what small business health plans to check out. You can also take a survey of what plans they had under their previous employers. You can also determine how much they can contribute and how much you can afford. The net step is to see if your business meets the requirements for your state's small business health plans. You can check that information on your state's Department of Insurance website. You'd then need to gather as much information as you can about the available small business insurance plans in your area. You can probably check out the local health insurance brokers and ask for price comparisons and different health plans. You'll most probably be given a choice among the different HMOs (Health Maintenance Organization), PPOs (Preferred Provider Organization), and POS (Point of Service) plans. The one with the lowest rate will likely be the HMO. You'd best check out all the options first and then decide which of the small business health plans offered to you fits your employees’ needs. - July 3, 2009 @ 4:49 pm