This group health insurance guide for NY employers exists because the rules run deeper than most business owners ever had explained to them clearly.
Do I Have to Offer Health Insurance to My Employees in New York?
The short answer is no, not unless you cross 50 full-time equivalent employees. Below that, it’s a business decision, not a legal one, though plenty of employers offer it anyway to compete for good people. Read the full article →
What Size Does My Business Need to Be to Qualify for Group Health Insurance in New York?
Qualifying is easier than most owners expect, as few as two enrolled employees, as long as one isn’t the owner’s spouse. Guaranteed issue means a carrier can’t turn your group away based on health. Read the full article →
How Much Does Small Business Health Insurance Cost in New York?
Costs in the Hudson Valley now run close to $900 a month for a basic single plan and near $1,800 for family coverage, with real regional variation depending on how close you are to New York City. Read the full article →
Why Did My Small Group Health Insurance Premium Go Up Again This Year?
Statewide premium increases hit double digits in 2026, and the state cut what carriers originally requested by nearly half. Your rate follows the market, not your group’s own claims history. Read the full article →
What Is New York’s Community Rating Rule and How Does It Affect Your Group Health Premium?
This is the rule behind the pricing pattern above: New York bars carriers from pricing your group based on your employees’ health or age, which protects sicker groups but also means a healthy group gets no discount for it. Read the full article →
Insured vs. Self-Funded Group Health Plans: What’s the Difference?
Most small groups stay insured, where the carrier absorbs the risk of a bad claims year. Self-funding shifts that risk to the employer directly, and it only tends to make sense once a group reaches real scale. Read the full article →
What Is a Section 125 Cafeteria Plan and How Does It Save Money?
A simple, often-overlooked way to lower the real cost of the coverage you already offer, letting employees pay their share of premiums with pre-tax dollars, which lowers payroll taxes for everyone involved. Read the full article →
Disability Benefits Law (DBL) and Paid Family Leave (PFL): What Every NY Employer Needs to Know
Two coverages that ride alongside group health but aren’t the same thing, and are mandatory for almost every New York employer with a single W-2 employee, group health offered or not. Read the full article →
Still Have a Question?
Group health in New York has more moving parts than most other lines we write, and this list doesn’t cover every situation. If you don’t see your question above, ask us directly.
We’ve been doing business this way in the Hudson Valley for over 80 years. If you want a straight answer about your group health plan, call us. No phone tree, no pressure, just a straight answer.