When it comes to providing health insurance for employees, employers generally have two main options: fully-insured plans and self-insured plans. In a fully-insured plan, the employer pays a premium to an insurance company, and that company takes on the risk of covering employees’ healthcare costs.
With a self-insured plan, the employer takes on the risk themselves, paying directly for their employees’ healthcare claims. This can be a complex decision for employers, as they try to balance the rising cost of healthcare with the need to offer competitive benefits to attract and retain talent.
Deciding between self-insured vs fully-insured health coverage is a big decision for employers. In this article, we’ll compare the two models, outlining the pros and cons of each to help you determine which option is right for your business.