KCAL Insurance Agency
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National restaurant assn and UnitedHealth coverage for restaurant workers
The restaurant industry, which employs nearly 13 million people nationally, has among the lowest levels of health coverage, a reflection of the transitory nature of the workforce and the prevalence of part-time workers. The National Restaurant Assn. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. are teaming up in a bid to make coverage more accessible to millions of restaurant workers without health benefits- three years ahead of when the healthcare overhaul would require everyone to have insurance. The initiative, though limited at the outset, marks one of the largest private-sector efforts to expand health insurance coverage to ultimately help cover the 4 million to 6 million restaurant employees without health benefits, or about 10% of the nation's current population of uninsured.
The options would include policies that employers could select if they wanted to provide their employees with benefits, as well as individual plans that restaurant workers could select if their employer did not offer coverage. UnitedHealth executives said the employer-sponsored plans- including one designed to cover preventive care, routine office visits and catastrophic events, with a gap in coverage in between- could be available for 10% to 20% less than traditional health-maintenance-organization and preferred-provider-organization health plans offered to small businesses. Customers also may qualify for discounts on other UnitedHealth products, such as dental and vision coverage. The company could still retain the right to deny coverage to those with preexisting conditions, at least until 2014. UnitedHealth continues to raise premiums in what is known as the small group market, serving employers with fewer than 50 workers. This week the company filed an application in Rhode Island to raise premiums for small businesses by nearly 12% next year.
The options would include policies that employers could select if they wanted to provide their employees with benefits, as well as individual plans that restaurant workers could select if their employer did not offer coverage. UnitedHealth executives said the employer-sponsored plans- including one designed to cover preventive care, routine office visits and catastrophic events, with a gap in coverage in between- could be available for 10% to 20% less than traditional health-maintenance-organization and preferred-provider-organization health plans offered to small businesses. Customers also may qualify for discounts on other UnitedHealth products, such as dental and vision coverage. The company could still retain the right to deny coverage to those with preexisting conditions, at least until 2014. UnitedHealth continues to raise premiums in what is known as the small group market, serving employers with fewer than 50 workers. This week the company filed an application in Rhode Island to raise premiums for small businesses by nearly 12% next year.