Which Carriers Will Quote Your Group
A carrier can sell group coverage in Michigan and still decline to quote your group, or quote only some of its products. Who can quote you depends on a few things worth confirming before a comparison is built.
Four factors
Employer Size
Small group and larger group markets follow different rules and have different carriers and products.
County
Some products and networks are offered only in parts of the state.
Funding Structure
A carrier may quote fully insured but not level-funded or self-funded, or the reverse.
Timing
Open enrollment windows and effective dates affect what a carrier will take on.
Before we build a comparison
Ask for the exact product
We ask each carrier which product and network it will quote, not just whether it will quote.
Check who is actually underwriting
Some arrangements involve more than one carrier. We confirm whose card and whose claims process you will have.
Report what is not quotable
If a carrier will not quote, we say so rather than leaving it in the comparison.
An illustration of how this plays out
This is a composite example to show the reasoning, not a description of a specific client.
The situation
An employer asked a carrier directly for a quote and was told the product it wanted was not available at its size.
What we did
We checked which products and funding structures were quotable for its size and county before building the comparison.
What changed
The comparison covered the options that could actually be bought, not products that would have been declined late in the process.
Confirming eligibility before the comparison begins.
Skipping this step leads to an awkward moment: a comparison is built, presented and then one of the carriers declines. Confirming early what each carrier will quote saves everyone from rework. We ask each carrier for the product, the network and any conditions on the group, and we record the answers.
Quotability also changes over time. A group that was not quotable a year ago may be today, and the reverse is also true. Revisiting the question at each renewal, and not assuming last year’s answers, keeps the comparison honest. Availability depends on size, county, funding and timing, so each answer is confirmed through the quoting process.
Confirm early so nothing is declined late
Which product and network will you quote?
The answer should name a specific product, not just the carrier.
Is the funding structure available to us?
Fully insured, level-funded and self-funded are not offered by every carrier at every size.
What is the effective-date deadline?
Late in the cycle a carrier may decline or limit what it will take on.
Who is underwriting?
Some arrangements involve more than one carrier, which changes the card and the claims path.
What if a carrier declines to quote?
Ask why. The answer may point to something fixable, such as missing information, or to a real limit, and either way it shapes the comparison.
How early should we ask?
As early as practical, because carrier timelines and requirements vary. Starting early leaves room to follow up.
Questions we get
Why would a carrier not quote us?
Size, county, funding structure and timing are the usual reasons.
Does CFH quote every carrier?
Yes. We quote every carrier. Whether a given carrier or product can actually quote your group depends on employer size, county, funding structure and timing, so we confirm that first and tell you which are quotable.
Where can I see the carriers?
Start with our overview of who sells group plans in Michigan.
Does a decline affect other carriers?
No. Each carrier decides on its own.
Why does size matter?
Small group and larger group markets follow different rules and have different products.
The law behind this page.
Public Health Service Act section 2715 (42 U.S.C. § 300gg-15), Summary of Benefits and Coverage; Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services.
Send us your renewal.
We’ll tell you whether it looks competitive, where we see opportunity, and the five questions we’d put to your carrier. No cost, and no obligation to move anything.
The renewal letter
Your current plan summary
Contribution split by tier
Enrolled counts by tier
Four documents — two more if your group is 50 or more. Nothing else; every extra one is a reason to postpone.
An independent employee benefits consulting firm. We look at the entire benefits program: cost, plan performance, risk and administration.
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Related employer guides.
Michigan Group Health Insurance Market
Carriers, brokers and requirements for Michigan employers, in one place.
How a Group Benefits RFP Works
How a group benefits RFP works, step by step, from census to carrier quotes.
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