Health Insurance - Is it permissible to offer different plans to different sites?

melindajmartin

We have seven different affiliated clinics in seven different communities but provide FT employees with health insurance under a single group plan. One clinic has found a policy through its local chamber of commerce which offers similar (but not identical) coverage with a lower deductible at the same price we are paying per employee. Assuming that it is not prohibited by our current plan, is there any prohibition to offering the FT employee's at that clinic the option of either plan? I believe the plan is limited to those individuals living in the community so it would not be available to our employees in the other clinics.

 

Thanks 

 "learning HR an issue at a time!"

TXHRGuy

Are you sure the community-only plan is "insurance?"  If it is an ERISA covered plan, I think probably not.  Perhaps an ERISA expert can chime in.