The Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce a new partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS) and Chamber of Commerce Executives of Kansas (CCEKS). This partnership stitches together about 35 other local Chambers of Commerce across Kansas to offer an Association Health Plan called Chamber Blue of Kansas.
The Emporia Chamber and all chambers involved in this partnership realize and recognize that recruiting and retaining talent is vital for business and industry of all sizes, especially small businesses. Having access to trusted health insurance benefits are a crucial piece to that success. According to SBA statistics, small businesses equate to over 99.1% of all businesses in Kansas with a combined total of 605,147 small business employees in Kansas.
An Association Health Plan is a type of group medical insurance for organizations that allow smaller companies to access the health insurance savings associated with large group medical coverage. Through this, small business, non-profits, and organizations can band together to purchase insurance. That allows more people in the pool, which lowers risk across the pool, and provides more health insurance options, potentially with much more competitive premiums.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of KS has the largest provider network in Kansas with 99% of physicians in-network, and 100% of hospitals in network. BCBSKS also provides a very robust package of health care solutions like their HealthyOptions program, which is a powerful set of services, tools, and one-on-one support to live a healthy life at no extra cost as a BCBSKS member.
Emporia Chamber President and CEO Jeanine McKenna announced that the Emporia Chamber is partnering with the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Kansas and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas to form the Chamber Blue of Kansas. This new association health plan is open to employers who have more than two W2 employees and are current, dues-paying members of the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce.
Businesses that choose to participate in the Chamber Blue of Kansas association health plan will benefit from a dedicated account management team located right here in Kansas to help them implement the health plan. The team will provide one-on-one support, training for human resources staff, benefit assistance, and education for employees. A mandatory interest survey will be conducted in August 2022 and must be completed to guarantee a business’s participation in the plan. Rates will be announced in September 2022 and enrollment begins in October 2022, with coverage beginning in January 2023.
Interested business owners, non-profits, and organizations are encouraged to contact the Emporia Area Chamber. The partnership will continue to host information sessions and answer questions with the goal of all interested organizations having the opportunity to complete that mandatory interest survey during August 2022.
For information regarding the qualification criteria and more, visit https://www.bcbsks.com/chamberblueks or contact Emporia Chamber President and CEO Jeanine McKenna at 620-342-1600 or email her at jmckenna@emporiakschamber.org.
It’s a great day in Emporia!
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“Let’s Talk Business” is a weekly column of the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and Visit Emporia. The mission of the Chamber is to be proactive in creating an environment for business and community success, guided by the vision that positive attitudes promote positive actions. Contact us at 620-342-1600 or chamber@emporiakschamber.org and visit our website at www.emporiakschamber.org.