Looking for cheaper healthcare for your business? Miami’s premier business chamber has a plan

In a first-of-its-kind offering, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce is giving members access to discounted health insurance through Kendall-based AvMed health group.

The offering, called the Greater Health Trust, will provide premium discounts of as much as 30% compared with rates for a typical employer-based plan for Chamber member businesses with 50 or fewer employees. The average small-group premium in

Miami-Dade County is more than $460 a month for employers, AvMed says.

U.S. Census data shows nearly half a million MiamiDade residents lack health insurance.

Introducing the offering Friday, Chamber President Alfred Sanchez cited studies showing healthcare remains a paramount concern among employers and workers, though many cannot afford a strong plan.

“If we’ve learned nothing at all during this pandemic, it’s the importance of businesses being able to provide their employees with healthcare,” Sanchez said. “The need is tremendously compelling.”

Sanchez said the Trust is the result of at least three years of work. In a followup interview Monday, Sanchez said the program also has a focus on women and minority-owned firms, many of which suffered the greatest losses during the pandemic.

“There was a need before — and a greater need now — for assistance for these firms in lowering their cost so that these businesses can get back to business and get their employees covered,” Sanchez said.

Pricing details will be finalized by September, Sanchez said.

AvMed Senior Vice President Ashley Allen said the chamber is the first of its kind in Florida to announce this type of offering, known as a multiple employer welfare arrangement. The lower premiums are possible because businesses are able to pool risk, she said.

Allen said the goal was to have 100,000 workers sign up.

“We know employers would like to offer coverage, and today many are just not able to afford it,” Allen said in an interview.

Alfred Sanchez, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, says: ‘If we’ve learned nothing at all during this pandemic, it’s the importance of businesses being able to provide their employees with healthcare.’

For more information on the Greater Health Trust, visit MiamiChamber.com.