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Health Insurance for Small Business Owners in Arizona: Solo to 20 Employees
The right answer changes with headcount. Here's the path for Arizona business owners.
Just you (and family)
You're an individual buyer. Subsidy-eligible after deductions → HealthCare.gov. Above the line and healthy → private shared-network PPO on Cigna, Aetna and PHCS PPO. Deduct premiums above the line. Arizona has a flat 2.5% state income tax — low, so the premium itself matters more than the deduction.
Two lives — you plus one
A spouse on payroll, a partner, or one W-2 employee opens the small-group market, which is guaranteed-issue with employer-style networks. For two healthy people it's often close to two private plans; for two people where one has a condition, it's frequently the best answer.
3–20 employees
Level-funded and traditional small-group plans. Employer contribution is tax-deductible to the business, and offering coverage is a hiring advantage in Phoenix's labor market. Under 50 employees there's no mandate to offer it — it's a choice.
Mixed 1099 and W-2 teams
Common in Arizona: a couple of W-2 staff and a bench of 1099 contractors. The W-2s go on a group plan; the contractors each buy individually, and we can set them all up through the same office so nobody falls through.
Arizona's marketplace is dominated by HMO plans tied to one hospital system, so people who want to keep doctors across Phoenix and Tucson — or who travel — are the ones who end up on a PPO.
Check your options — tell us your headcount and we'll map the path.