Released on = January 6, 2006, 11:12 am

Press Release Author = Benefits Boutique

Industry = Small Business

Press Release Summary = If all businesses did this, guess who pays for maternity,
mental health or pre-existing conditions? Can you say \"tax payers?\"

Press Release Body =
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dallas, Texas USA
1/6/2006


Wal-Mart\'s new Affordable Health Insurance Program: Shorting the Employee?

As the U.S. shifts to a part-time work force with no health insurance, those with
health insurance and tax payers cover the health care costs of the uninsured.
According to the US Census Bureau, the share of Americans covered by health
insurance at work decreased to 59.8 percent in 2004, from 60.4 percent in 2003.
Medicare growth and work force trends promise to lower the portion of the work force
with employer-paid health insurance to below 50% by the end of the decade.

Retailers aren\'t the only ones driving this trend. But this week, Wal-Mart\'s Sam\'s
Club, a leading supplier to small businesses, announced a program that could
increase the number of uninsured. Called ExtendChoice(TM) (www.ExtendChoice.com),
Sam\'s Club is marketing individual health insurance plans to small businesses
instead of group health plans because, they say, it is a \"Fact: Individual policies
cost ¼ to ½ the price of a typical group policy for similar coverage.\"

\"Individual and group policies are NOT the same,\" says Mike Chapman of
www.BenefitsBoutique.com, a nationwide insurance firm specializing in affordable
health insurance for individuals, the self employed and small businesses.
\"Individual plans don\'t cover maternity in most states, so who pays for all of those
babies born to employees without the maternity benefits? And what happens to
employees that are part of \"the 1/5 of individual policy applicants\" that Sam\'s
ExtendChoice(TM) website admits \"can\'t get individual insurance because they (or
someone in their family) have an expensive preexisting medical condition?\" Following
Sam\'s own logic, 20% of small business employees would be uninsured.

\"The employee loses.\" says Chapman. \"And the tax payer picks up the tab.\"
BenefitsBoutique.com offers both individual and group medical insurance plans, but
doesn\'t sell individual health insurance plans to businesses for ethical reasons.
He admits, though, that the price savings from individual plans is compelling.
\"Small business owners rarely know the health or family planning issues facing their
employees\' families. Small businesses that replace a group medical insurance plan
with individual health insurance policies might save a buck but could jeopardize the
health of their employees\' families and their financial well being.\"

What are small businesses and the self employed to do about rising health insurance
costs? Chapman cites the Bush Administration\'s call for passage of Association
Health Plans (www.AssociationHealthPlans.com) that allow small businesses to combine
their insurance purchasing for better rates, and creation of tax incentives for
individuals and businesses with health insurance as a better solution.

But Congress has been slow to act. \"Maybe this exploitation of the inequities
between individual and group health insurance by a major retailer will finally cause
legislators to wake up,\" says Chapman.


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Arrange an interview with Michael Chapman for more insights into this topic.
Direct line: (888) 398-6246
Email: mtchapman@BenefitsBoutique.com
Other helpful information can be found at: http://www.BenefitsBoutique.com.




Web Site = http://www.BenefitsBoutique.com

Contact Details = Michael ChapmanDirect line: (888) 398-6246
Email: mtchapman@BenefitsBoutique.com
Other helpful information can be found at: http://www.BenefitsBoutique.com.