Practice Owners and Independents - Get the Group Coverage You Want, Even Without Employees

Doing the same thing the same way can sometimes be beneficial. As a physician, you have protocols of care that you follow for particular illnesses and diseases. But if a new, better form of treatment became available, would you dismiss it, or would you investigate its usefulness to your patients?

Renewing the same health insurance plan year after year may seem to be what’s worked best for you and your practice. You may feel it’s “good enough” or that you’re comfortably familiar with its coverage. But during Open Enrollment, you need to know that there are special options and waivers available to practice owners and independent physicians that may provide better, more comprehensive group coverage within your budget - even if it’s just for yourself and your family.

TMA Insurance Trust has investigated these options for you. They’re worth a look.

Special Options for Upgraded Coverage

If given a choice between group PPO health insurance or an HMO plan, most physicians would say group PPO coverage is the one they want. It allows greater flexibility when choosing a provider, there are no mandated PCP referrals to see a specialist, and the coverage is more comprehensive. Short-term health insurance may be more attractive from a budget perspective, but it comes with notable risks. Coverage may not include maternity benefits, mental health care, or any sort of pre-existing condition.  

But for many practice owners and independent physicians, cost and qualifying criteria have kept group PPO coverage out of reach for themselves and their practice.

If you’re a practice owner, here’s what you need to know:

• Practice owners can upgrade their personal coverage to a group PPO plan while offering their employees another plan.
• Practice owners with staff on their own health coverage (spouse’s plan or another provider) can get “Group of One” PPO coverage – just for themselves and their family. 

These limited time special options available during Open Enrollment can help make group PPO health insurance possible by allowing you to bypass the qualifying criteria that are typically an obstacle for practice owners.

Don’t have employees?

• Partners with no W-2 employees may be eligible for group coverage only for themselves. You would need to provide partnership documentation and the company’s SS4 or recent K-1 (Form 1065). 
• Physicians who own a business with their spouse, or their spouse is a W-2 wage employee may qualify for group coverage even without partnership documentation. 

These are compelling reasons to pause before renewing your current plan. Here’s how TMA Insurance Trust can help you take the next step without taking on the burden of time-consuming policy shopping.

Vital Support for Texas Physicians

Don’t dismiss the possibility of better group health insurance because you lack the time to investigate your choices. TMA Insurance Trust is here to make sure getting health insurance doesn’t take more of your time than it should. Simply tell your TMA Insurance Trust advisor what your personal coverage needs are. They will do the hard work of shopping and comparing policies, seeing if you qualify for these special options and waivers, and securing quotes. Then, they’ll walk you through the pros and cons of the best health insurance plans available to you. 

There’s no pressure to go with a particular carrier or plan, this is all about you and what works best for you. There are no hidden fees, we do this at no cost to you because we recognize how necessary this support is for independent Texas physicians. 

Call us at 800-880-8181 Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, CST. Time is limited, enrollment documents must be completed and submitted by December 12th to have a start date of January 1, 2023. Now is the time to find out if better health insurance is available to you before you renew. 

For over 60 years, TMA Insurance Trust advisors have been serving Texas physicians, their families and staff. TMA Insurance Trust prides itself on offering unbiased information and strategies to members, along with exclusive group rates on a range of the highest-rated plans in the industry.