MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Wednesday, April 6, 2022) – The Greater Memphis Chamber and UnitedHealthcare today announced the launch of new health care coverage designed to help small businesses offset the rising costs of health care while also offering quality benefits in a highly competitive job market.

“As we talked with our small business members about their challenges, the one thing that came up over and over again was the cost of health care,” said Beverly Robertson, president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber. “These small business owners want to offer health care for their employees, but it’s just too expensive for many of them. To be able to offer a major benefit like health care is particularly important in this remarkably tight labor market – especially for our small businesses. This gives small businesses a competitive edge that will help them deliver on their commitments to their customers.”

Those conversations with small businesses were the driving force behind the Chamber’s work to make the UnitedHealthcare Level Funded Health Benefits Plans available to its members with 5-99 employees.

The coverage, which is exclusively available to Chamber members, may result in savings of up to 30% off the cost of traditional plans, in addition to a special 2% discount off premiums for Chamber members.

“More than 90% of our members are small businesses,” said Rob Recker, president of Chamber Benefits, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Greater Memphis Chamber that provides high-quality, cost-effective employee benefit products to Chamber members. “What we know is that when small businesses realize savings, those savings are often reinvested into the business. A rich health care plan like the one we’re offering can make a business stronger through healthier employees and higher productivity. That, in turn, makes Memphis stronger. That’s a winning proposition all the way around.”

“Level funded” means small businesses pay the same amount to fund their employees’ health coverage each month. If costs are lower than expected, then those plans receive a surplus refund at the end of the year. If costs are higher than expected at the end of the year, then the stop-loss insurance built into the small businesses’ monthly funding payments kicks in to protect them. Level funded plans allow small employer groups to enjoy many of the same efficiencies currently only enjoyed by large employers.

The plans also offer mental health and pharmacy benefits, virtual doctor visits plus incentives of up to $1,000 annually paid directly to employees who participate in health and wellness activities.

Small businesses interested in the program will work through their licensed health care brokers who are also members of the Chamber. More information is available through the Chamber’s webpage.

Media contact: Ryan Poe, director of communications, Greater Memphis Chamber.

About the Greater Memphis Chamber: One of Memphis’ oldest institutions, dating back to 1838, the Greater Memphis Chamber is a privately funded nonprofit that serves as the region’s lead economic development organization and the “Voice of Memphis Business” at the local, state, and national levels. The Chamber’s mission is to relentlessly pursue prosperity for all — through economic and workforce development, pro-growth advocacy, and by providing support and resources to its investors, including many of the region’s largest employers. For more information about the Chamber, visit memphischamber.com and memphismoves.com. Also, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, and sign up for our weekly newsletter, the Memphis Fourword.