Helping small practice owners and independent physicians secure the best group health insurance coverage has always been part of our mission. Even when it feels like premiums are always climbing, TMA Insurance Trust has worked hard to research and uncover ways for you to see if you qualify for group health insurance, even without employees, and gain more ways to manage costs.

Each year, Open Enrollment offers the opportunity to review your health insurance and make sure it still aligns with how you practice medicine. If you own a small practice or work independently, you may assume your choices are limited to individual coverage, often an HMO or a short-term medical plan.

Open Enrollment brings the opportunity to take a closer look at your health coverage. For many practice owners and managers, it’s also when rising premiums become a familiar frustration. However, the good news is that this is the time of year when limited special options become available.

Many independent physicians have questions about how group PPO health insurance may apply to their situation. Below, we’ve addressed some of the most common ones.

Attending to the needs of patients and staff takes priority and requires immediate attention. Because of this, many independent physicians or practice owners fail to take a moment to focus on another essential aspect of their practice: their own health insurance coverage. Don’t miss out on this critical window to review your group health coverage needs for the new year.

Health insurance covers medical treatments, but what about the many other expenses a serious illness can bring? The TMA Member Critical Illness Insurance plan, issued by the Prudential Insurance Company of America, is designed to assist with these additional costs. To help you understand how the plan works and highlight its value, here’s a step-by-step walkthrough.

As a physician, you’ve likely noticed that inflation is affecting nearly every aspect of running your practice—from medical supplies to facility costs—and health insurance is no exception. Because premium rates are set a year in advance, the full impact of inflation on your health plan may not have hit yet. Are you now facing renewals and bracing for the financial effects on your practice? What you see today could look very different next year.

Life moves fast for small practice owners. Between the responsibilities of running your practice and your family commitments, each day can seem like it never has enough hours in it to get everything done.

So it’s a good bet that in your spare time – what little you have – you’re not poring over the latest iterations of health insurance regulations. Which means you may not be aware of special health insurance options available to you during the small group Special Enrollment Period (11/15 – 12/15, 2021).