When it comes to defining health insurance in Texas, the state and federal mandates that determine what a "small business" or a "large business" are important especially when it comes to setting insurance rates. According to these definitions a small employer may not have greater than 50 full-time employees. The government describes a full-time employee as one that works at least 30 hours per week. Seasonal or temporary employees are not included in these numbers.

Small employers qualify for some extra legal protection under state and federal laws. This includes dictating how much insurance companies can charge them and what type of coverage must be extended to them. In order for these smaller companies to benefit from the special health insurance statutes in Texas they do have to meet certain eligibility requirements. The total number of employees is not as important as how many employees are eligible for, or will be participating in the insurance program. The law requires that all eligible employees have health insurance offered to them and their immediate families.

A health insurance provider may require that a minimum of 75% of the employees that are eligible for insurance through their small business employer sign up for their insurance. With some companies this may be a portion of how they will obtain health insurance. But, it may all depend on the number of employees and the law may state that not that many employees at the company have to participate in order for them to qualify for health insurance in Texas.

In some cases where there are very few employees, an insurance company may require that 100% of the employees participate in order to qualify for group coverage rates. If there just aren't enough people, they may each have to purchase individual or family policies at the higher premium. Health insurance in Texas can be expensive depending on the individual circumstances, but the best case scenario is having enough people participate to qualify for the group rates so that everyone can save as much money as possible.

When a small business has a small number of employees participating in a group health insurance plan in Texas, they are usually all required to have the exact same plan. Larger companies can offer employees choices as far as co-pays and deductibles, but the smaller business may have to require everyone to be on the exact same plan.

No matter what size the company is, it is against the law for any employer to require an employee to participate in a health insurance plan in Texas in order to keep their job. It is also illegal to disqualify an employee for insurance coverage due to their age, gender or health conditions they may have.

Small businesses need to be mindful of the laws regarding health insurance in Texas. They must be sure to offer the proper health insurance for their eligible employees under the law. Having healthy employees is better for the employer in the long run and paying for health insurance will benefit them as well as the employees.