Local Businesses Have Opportunity To Join Greater Topeka Partnership Health Insurance Plan During 2023 Open Enrollment Period
Members of the Greater Topeka Partnership have the opportunity to unlock the power of top-notch, affordable health insurance for small businesses. The Partnership is again teaming up with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas and the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Kansas to offer area businesses access to health insurance savings typically associated with large-group medical coverage.
Dubbed Chamber Blue of Kansas, this opportunity is an association health plan that allows employers to join forces to purchase insurance. The 2023 enrollment period opens this fall, and businesses interested in enrolling in the plan must complete an accompanying interest survey by Aug. 18 in order to enroll during the Nov. 1-15 window. A larger pool of people and businesses enrolled in the plan may result in more plan options at potentially lower costs.
“I would absolutely recommend Chamber Blue to fellow GTP members,” said Tami Cortez, COO/CFO of Cortez Transportation. “Our business decided to enroll last year to support the efforts of our local chamber on behalf of Topeka’s small business community, and to provide health care coverage to our employees for the first time. We recently expanded, and Chamber Blue has proven to be a valuable tool that helps us with recruitment and retention. The coverage rates have been competitive, and we hope that as more local businesses realize the power of this plan, we’ll be able to work together to lower our rates and premiums even further. The more businesses sign on, the better purchasing power we have as a collective. I also appreciate that the coverage itself is provided by a fellow Kansas company.”
“We saw success with Chamber Blue during its first year, and I’m eager to see this association health plan become an even better bargain for small businesses across the community as more business owners see its value and enroll,” said Matt Pivarnik, Partnership CEO. “Chambers of commerce across Kansas are stepping up to provide our members with worthwhile tools that help businesses grow and improve employee retention and morale, increasing economic prosperity within our regions and across the state.”
“We know that providing access to affordable health insurance continues to be a challenge for small and medium-sized businesses,” said Curtis Sneden, president of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce. “Chamber Blue seeks to address that very issue, because health care coverage can be a vital part of employee compensation. By allowing members of participating chambers of commerce like ours to come together to purchase health insurance as a unit, Chamber Blue opens the door to greater opportunities for both employers and employees.”
More than 30 chambers of commerce in Kansas have partnered with BCBSKS to make the health plan a reality, and Topeka’s chamber was one of the first to sign on when the opportunity came to light in 2022. In Shawnee County, Chamber Blue of Kansas is open to employers who have between two and 50 employees and are current, dues-paying members of the Greater Topeka Partnership.
Chamber Blue of Kansas improves employers’ abilities to attract and retain top talent by elevating their buying power and increasing access to health-care coverage provided by the state’s largest health-insurance provider. Area businesses interested in Chamber Blue of Kansas are encouraged to visit TopekaPartnership.com/GTP-membership/ChamberBlue, which is where they’ll find more information, as well as a link to the interest survey that must be completed prior to enrollment. To become a member of the Greater Topeka Partnership, visit TopekaPartnership.com/GTP-membership. Questions about memberships may also be directed to MemberRelations@TopekaPartnership.com.
