The small business community has to be more creative with their group health package. There is a growing demand for small businesses to employ the services of a professional benefit counselor to develop alternatives when purchasing or revising their health plans.

The insurance companies are well aware of the problem and have been hard at work developing new versions of Group health insurance plans. The insurance companies are using every avenue available to keep their business clients. Group policies have many more deductible options than in years past. There is a strong move toward encouraging the employees to enroll in Health Savings Accounts. These accounts help the employee to off-set the higher deductible expense. There is also a trend with Group Health carriers to partner with supplemental health insurance companies. The supplemental health insurance companies can help fill the gaps that the group health plan no longer provides.

Things to consider

1. Tax advantages of HSA ? The health savings account is becoming a favorite option for employers and employees.

2. Higher Deductibles ? this is more than a trend now. The higher the deductible-the lower the premium.

3. Supplemental Insurance ? using supplemental insurance companies to fill in the gaps at a lower cost to the employer and employee.