Is employer-sponsored group health coverage better than individual health insurance?

As an employee, you might often have several questions when joining a new company or having your existing organisation provide group health coverage. Whether it is about the scope and extent of coverage, benefits, tax savings, coverage for dependents, coverage for pre-existing diseases, or anything else, this guide will compare and contrast group health insurance and individual health insurance plans to help you make an accurate decision. 

This article will serve as a guide to help you successfully and accurately choose the right health insurance for your specific needs.

What is group health insurance?

Group health insurance is a type of insurance specially designed to provide financial coverage to all group members in a single unified policy. This is where group health insurance offers a customisable, convenient, and cost-effective policy for all members of an organisation. Unlike individual insurance, group insurance plans are tailor-made for the needs of an organisation and provide coverage based on those needs. For example, a group plan might offer pre-existing disease coverage or coverage for dependents as a part of the policy.

What is the difference between group health insurance and individual health insurance?

One might encounter several differences when choosing between an individual and a group health insurance. This is because, unlike individual policies, group policies provide coverage to many individuals in a standardised plan, which, although tailor-made for the organisation, does not provide specific benefits to individual employees. 

Here are a few key differences between corporate health insurance vs individual health insurance:

	Individual plans	Group health plan
Coverage options	An individual insurance plan offers a wide variety of coverage options.	Group health plans are typically comprehensive and provide financial protection for dozens of medical risks.
Customisability	Individual insurance allows customers to choose from a catalogue of policies an insurance provider offers.	A group health plan is highly customisable and tailor-made based on the organisation’s needs.
Tax benefits	Tax benefits are offered to the individual paying for the insurance policy.	Tax benefits are provided to the employer sponsoring the policy and proportionally to the employee who contributes to the policy.
Coverage for family and dependents	An individual opting for a family floater will be eligible for family and dependent coverage.	Depending on the specific policy, an employee might be eligible for coverage for coverage for spouses and dependent children.
Premium cost	Although less cost-effective than group insurance plans, individual insurance is affordable.	Group insurance plans are much more affordable and cost-effective than individual insurance policies.

Is group health coverage enough for my needs?

It depends on your need, as group health coverage offers a standardised covered, employees covered by it might be able to avail financial protection from dozens of covered risks and benefit from additional benefits; however, as the policy is not specially catered for them, employees might need to avail additional coverage in the form of individual insurance. This is where top-up plans and super-top-up plans enable employees to avail themselves of specific coverage based on their needs and also avail themselves of tax benefits from the policy.

Wrapping up

To conclude, as group health coverage is tailored to the organisation's needs, it depends on the specific policy opted for by the organisation. While an employee cannot influence the specific policy opted for, they can opt for additional top-up plans and avail themselves of benefits from them. In addition, some employers might also allow employees to opt for a higher level of coverage based on their needs for an additional fee. 

So consult your insurance provider and employer to determine the right coverage for your needs. If that is not enough, opt for additional coverage in the form of top-up plans.