Like any other health insurance or health care coverage choice, you would really need to look closely at an HMO's providers, services, and affordability of their offerings. You'll need to conduct careful research to be able to offer the best health care plan to your employees. I think the first thing you need to find out is what kind of Small Business your employees need. With that information in mind, you can then check out certain factors like an HMO's services. Also, you have to take into account what premium you can afford as well as what your employees can pay. You can probably take a survey of the local business owners in your area regarding what plans and which health maintenance organization they use. An HMO's list of providers, partner hospitals, labs, and medical groups are a must since you need to consider how accessible and how reliable your health care would be. HMOs usually have a good number of doctors in and outside of their programs. HMOs often get a bum rap because of its restrictions and guidelines so I suggest you study the HMO's fine print very carefully. Also, you might need to consult with a health insurance broker. He would be able to provide you with a list of all the HMOs, as well as other health care options available in the area and a comparison of several HMOs' services. - July 3, 2009 @ 4:39 pm