Yes. New York doesn't require a small business to offer health insurance, and nothing stops you from paying for a doctor membership and a dental membership for each employee instead. The practice gets paid its own rate, the employee gets unlimited visits and cleanings, and you get one invoice. On Long Island that's $135 a month and $325 a year per person. It's not insurance, you should say so plainly to your team, and most owners who do this either pair it with a high-deductible plan or offer it as the benefit they can actually afford.
| Group health plan (US avg, 2025) | Upsurance membership | |
|---|---|---|
| Employer cost per employee, single | $657/mo | $135/mo doctor + $325/yr dentist |
| Before a visit counts | $2,631 deductible at small firms | $0, visits included |
| Getting in to see the doctor | Weeks for a new patient, 15-minute slot | Same or next day, text the doctor |
| Paperwork | Open enrollment, renewals, claims | One itemized invoice, cancel any month |
Insurance figures: KFF 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey (single premium $9,325/yr, worker pays $1,440; deductible for firms with 10–199 workers). Upsurance prices are the practice's own rate plus our administration fee at 1–9 employees, as of October 2026.
Pick a max per employee for a doctor and a dentist. The page shows which local practices fit.
They choose their own doctor and dentist from that list. No network cards, no claims.
Itemized per person. You pay what each person actually picked. Start or stop any month.
Yes. You're paying a practice for a membership on an employee's behalf, the same as paying for a gym. It isn't insurance and isn't regulated as insurance. Employers over 50 employees have ACA obligations that this doesn't satisfy; under 50 there's no mandate.
No. You choose who to invite.
A doctor who answers texts and sees them the same day is more useful to most people than a plan with a $2,631 deductible they never meet. Tell them what it is and isn't.
Yes. Memberships run month to month, so you can keep them, drop them or layer insurance on top whenever you want.