Age, Geography and Tobacco. That Is the List.
In the small-group market, Michigan permits rating on geographic area, on age within a three-to-one band, and on tobacco use within a one-and-a-half-to-one band. Nothing else. Not your industry, not your claims, not how healthy your workforce is, not how well you have managed the plan.
Which means the geographic rating area attached to your business address is doing real work on your premium, and in a city that touches three counties it is entirely possible for two similar businesses a few miles apart to sit in different areas.
What Follows From That
Your rating area is a fact about your address rather than a negotiable term
so it is worth knowing which one applies to you
Michigan requires per-member rating and does not permit a standard family tier
so your premium is genuinely built person by person
A business relocating even a short distance can land in a different area
which is worth checking before signing a lease rather than after
None of This Applies Above Fifty Enrolled
where nothing is filed and the carrier builds a number partly from your own experience
And the State Publishes What Each Carrier Was Allowed to Charge
Michigan files and publishes the approved rate change for every carrier in the individual and small-group markets. Statewide, small group was approved at just over eleven percent for the current year and is proposed at a little under ten for the next. Those figures are public, they differ meaningfully between carriers, and they are the single most useful piece of context available to a small employer reading a renewal.
One warning worth carrying: the individual-market figure is far higher and gets quoted at employers by mistake constantly. They are different markets and the numbers are not interchangeable.
Other Rules That Apply to Smaller Fenton Groups
COBRA Starts at Twenty on Payroll
and Michigan adds no continuation rule for groups smaller than that
Dental and Vision Price by Size Band
Dental and vision rates for a Fenton group come from size bands, not from your own claims
Employees working in a different county from your office do not change your rating area
though they may change which network works
Medicare-Eligible Staff and the October Deadline
anyone eligible for Medicare must receive the creditable-coverage notice before October 15
Nearby markets we cover in Genesee County: Burton, Flushing and Davison.
Rating Questions Fenton Employers Ask
Can we do anything about our rating area?
Only by being somewhere else, which is rarely worth it. What you can do is choose the carrier whose approved increase and network actually suit you.
Why does the business down the road pay less?
Age mix, most likely, since rating is per member. Possibly a different carrier. Almost certainly not because they negotiated better.
A Three-County City on the US-23 Commute
Fenton is one of only two Michigan municipalities that span three counties, with nearly all of its area in Genesee County and small parts in Livingston and Oakland. The city had 12,050 residents in the 2020 census. US-23 runs along its west side and I-75 is close by, so many residents commute toward Flint, Lansing, Ann Arbor and Metro Detroit. Manufacturing remains part of the mix: in November 2025 Miller Industries announced a $43 million facility in the Fenton area expected to add 167 jobs. The nearest hospital is Henry Ford Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc, about seven miles away, with Flint, Howell and Oakland County hospitals also nearby. For Fenton employers, that spread-out geography makes network choice and plan design especially important.
Networks Across Three Directions
Fenton employees may seek care in Grand Blanc, Flint, Howell or Oakland County. We check that each plan’s network includes the hospital systems in every direction your staff live and commute, so a household in Livingston County is not stuck with a plan built only for Genesee.
Benefits That Win Manufacturing Hires
New plants in the area are recruiting skilled trades with posted wages and benefits. We benchmark medical, dental, vision and disability offerings against local manufacturing employers so a smaller company knows what it needs to offer to hire and keep welders, fabricators and technicians. We also flag which benefits candidates tend to ask about first.
Level-Funded Plans for Mid-Size Groups
Employers with a few dozen workers may find level-funded plans cost less than fully insured coverage if claims stay stable. We compare quotes side by side, explain stop-loss terms and surplus refunds, and show what happens in a high-claims year before you commit. We also review how claims data will be shared at renewal.
Remote and Hybrid Staff
Some Fenton employers have staff working from home across Southeast Michigan. We check that plans work for employees who rarely come to the office, including network breadth, telehealth access and how state rules apply when a remote employee lives outside Michigan. We also review how open enrollment will reach them.
Send Us the Letter and We Will Read It Against the Filings
Send the Fenton renewal letter with your plan summary, what each tier costs you and how many are enrolled in each, plus two more documents if you have fifty or more full-time staff. We will set it against the rates the state approved for your carrier. 248.370.8853 or info@cfhic.com.
Start the Review Email info@cfhic.com Call 248.370.8853
An independent employee benefits consulting firm. We look at the entire benefits program — cost, plan performance, risk and administration.
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304
248.370.8853
Colorado Springs, CO 80921
719.425.2649
Houston, TX 77084
281.404.5670
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Related: how we help employers improve workforce health and control healthcare costs all year, not just at renewal.
