For a grandfathered health plan, any person, sole proprietor, self-employed individual, independent contractor, firm, corporation, partnership, or association that is actively engaged in business, has its principal place of business in this state, employed an average of at least 1 but not more than 50 eligible employees on business days during the preceding calendar year, the majority of whom were employed in this state, employs at least 1 employee on the first day of the plan year, and is not formed primarily for purposes of purchasing insurance.

For a non-grandfathered health plan, any employer that has its principal place of business in this state, employed an average of at least 1 but not more than 50 employees on business days during the preceding calendar year, and employs at least 1 employee on the first day of the plan year.

If a consumer was covered by a plan that existed before March 23, 2010, the plan may be considered a grandfathered plan. An employer or covered employee under a plan can confirm if a plan is Grandfathered by contacting the insurer or HMO. A grandfathered health plan is not required to comply with some of the consumer protections of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

If a consumer was covered by a plan that was effective after the ACA was signed on March 23, 2010, or a plan existed before the ACA, but lost its grandfathered status, it is a non-grandfathered plan.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on November 14, 2013 that health insurance policyholders with non-grandfathered plans could continue coverage at the option of the insurance company offering the plan. These “transitional” or “grandmothered” plans are those that would not meet the Essential Health Benefits as required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA),were in effect prior to October 1, 2013, and set to renew between January 1, 2014 to October 1, 2014. Subsequent to this initial announcement, CMS extended the transitional policy period several times and allows insurers the option to renew the “transitional” or “grandmothered” plans through December 31, 2019.

The date that coverage begins on the health insurance policy. Benefits due under the policy are payable any time after the effective date.

An "On" exchange plan refers to a health insurance policy that is available for purchase within the federal exchange.

An "Off" exchange plan refers to a health insurance policy that is not available for purchase within the federal exchange.

Both "On" and "Off" exchange plans must satisfy Essential Health Benefits coverage requirements.

Health Plans are primarily separated into four categories — Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze — based on the percentage the plan pays. On average, percentages for coverage consist of 90% for a Platinum plan, 80% for a Gold plan, 70% for a Silver plan and 60% for a Bronze plan.Plans that pay higher amounts towards covered benefits will have higher premium costs. In addition to paying a premium, there can be additional costs to enrollees in the form of deductibles and co-insurance payments associated with specific medical services, treatment, and prescription drugs.

A HMO is a health insurance plan that limits coverage to only the providers within their network.HMOs generally do not cover out-of-network services except in an emergency.You will receive most of your health care from a primary care physician that you have selected, and services from specialists will often require a referral from your primary care physician. HMOs may also require you live or work within a service area to be eligible for coverage. This type of health insurance plan often provides integrated care and focuses on prevention and wellness.

A PPO is a health insurance plan that contracts with medical providers, such as hospitals and doctors, to create a network of participating providers.You pay less if you use providers that belong to the plan’s network. You can use doctors, hospitals, and providers outside of the network for an additional cost such as higher deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance as well as being subject to balance billing by the provider.

An EPO is a health insurance plan where services are covered only if you go to doctors, specialists, or hospitals in the plan’s network except in an emergency. Like HMOs, services outside of the network will not be covered. The EPO is part of a PPO in which you select a provider to serve as your primary care physician, who serves as a gatekeeper in approving the maximum level of benefits you are entitled to.

An Indemnity plan, unlike an HMO, PPO or EPO, generally allows you to choose any doctor or hospital that you wish when seeking health care services. Indemnity plans are considered fee-for-service health insurance plans. This means that as long as your services are eligible under your policy, you will be charged a fee based on your plan’s fee schedule.

A POS plan is a HMO plan that includes an out of network rider attached to the contract. You can choose, at the time of service, to seek services in or out of network. You will be subject to a higher deductible and higher co-insurance amounts if you use doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers that do not belong to the plan’s network.

Tobacco use means the use of tobacco on average four or more times per week within no longer than the past six months. This includes all tobacco products, except that tobacco use does not include religious or ceremonial use of tobacco. Further, tobacco use is defined in terms of when a tobacco product was last used.

A child represents any dependent age 0 to 20 who is a non-tobacco user. The ACA restricts insurers from basing rates on age for children 20 years old and younger.

For the purposes of the Office of Insurance Regulation’s "Choices: Small Group" comparison tool, dependents aged 18 to 20 who use tobacco products should be counted as adults so the appropriate "tobacco use" rate can be determined.

Children may stay on their parent’s or guardian’s health plan until their 26th birthday. Dependents can stay on the plan even longer in some circumstances. To be eligible for this coverage, children do not need to be financially dependent on you for support, claimed as dependents on your tax return, residents of your household, enrolled as students or unmarried. However, if you have a grandfathered group health plan and your child has access to group coverage elsewhere, your employer’s plan does not have to cover your child.

If you have children who are newly eligible for coverage because of this change, you can add them to your plan during the next open enrollment period. If you have coverage at work, check with your employer for details about eligible dependents and enrollment periods.

The issuer must also offer the certificate holder the option to insure a child of the certificate holder at least until the end of the calendar year in which the child reaches the age of 30, if the child:

(a) Is unmarried and does not have a dependent of his or her own;

(b) Is a resident of this state or a full-time or part-time student; and

(c) Is not provided coverage as a named subscriber, insured, enrollee, or covered person under any other group, blanket, or franchise health insurance policy or individual health benefits plan, or is not entitled to benefits under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act.

The Florida county where your company's primary business address is located.

Employers can enroll in one plan, and the ratings will be based on the location of a company's primary business address.

The term "full-time employee" means an employee who is employed on average at least 25 hours of service per week over a given month.

The comparison tool will be updated with the most recently filed rates on a daily basis. Updating frequency may be altered by the Office of Insurance Regulation for technical reasons.

The “CHOICES: Small Group” is for comparison purposes only and you cannot purchase coverage through this site. Therefore, you will need to contact one of the following:

1. Your insurance agent or broker;
2. Your preferred insurance company; or
3. To find an agent, use the Licensee Search and choose License Category 'Health'.

Once you choose a plan, the insurance company will provide the premiums for you and your employees.

For additional information and to learn more about the various health insurance options available visit the federal exchange website at www.healthcare.gov/marketplace/shop.