In September the insurer will begin marketing plans to employers with fewer than 100 employees. Ethel Graber, vice president at Empire, said the insurer hopes to compete well with other insurers in the market, as it is aided by a national network through the BlueCross BlueShield Association.
Empire intends to provide in-person seminars and other education about the plans for insurance brokers in September.
Statewide, health insurance rates for small business will rise an average 8.3 percent next year, according to the report.
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