Large Group Health Insurance in Texas: How Kenly Works 50+ and 100+
A Texas owner searching large group health insurance texas is usually past the "do we offer anything" question. The job is how a 50+ or 100+ group shops the market, which funding lane fits, and who stays after the binder. This page is how we work those groups: census, markets, quote or RFP, underwriting, bind, enrollment, and renewal. Statewide from Corpus Christi. Groups 2 to 250+. We do not cap. Broker role: what an employee benefits broker does. Statewide pick-and-use: Texas employee benefits broker. Cost bands: group health insurance cost for Texas small business.
50+ vs 100+: what changes
"Large group" is not one legal switch. Two thresholds get mixed, and the quote process feels different for a reason. At about 50 full-time equivalent employees, federal Applicable Large Employer (ALE) rules start to matter for offer and affordability. That is a compliance lane, not a carrier product name. Once you are an ALE, the offer-and-affordability clock is real. Context: Texas employer health insurance requirements 2026.
At about 100 employees, many carriers and stop-loss markets treat you more like a true large-group shop: underwriting on your census and claims story, room for RFP-style bidding, and a clearer look at fully insured, level-funded, and (when it fits) self-funded. Exact cutoffs are product-specific. Fifty-plus puts you on the ALE clock. One-hundred-plus usually opens a wider funding conversation. We run both. A 55-life ALE and a 180-life RFP group use the same independent shop. The census and the market response decide the product.
How we work: census to renewal
The work is quote, place, service, and renew. Large groups just need more underwriting depth and calendar than a small-group list-bill turn.
- Census. Eligible employees with date of birth, gender, and home ZIP. Dependents if you want family tiers. Current contribution, renewal date, and the hospitals people already use.
- Markets. We put the same census in front of the carriers and funding options that fit that size and risk story. Major and regional carriers. BCBSTX fully insured and level-funded on the same sheet when both are in play.
- Quote or RFP. Smaller large groups often run a multi-carrier quote. Bigger books often need a formal RFP with plan design, networks, and service terms on one timeline.
- Underwriting. Claims history, industry, ZIP mix, and plan design move the number. The market answers with conditions.
- Bind. You pick the design. We confirm networks on the exact plan ID before anyone signs.
- Enrollment. Elections, waivers, ID cards, and the first bill. Participation and contribution rules still matter when the product requires them.
- Renewal. We re-shop instead of rubber-stamping the incumbent letter. Rate-increase playbook: group health insurance renewal Texas rate increase.
Build 60 to 90 days when you can. Underwriting takes longer on a 50+ or 100+ book than on a small-group sheet. Groups still starting from zero: how to set up group health insurance in Texas.
Fully insured vs level-funded vs when self-funded shows up
Fully insured is a fixed premium. The carrier takes the claims risk. Budgeting is simple. You do not see a surplus when claims run light. Level-funded looks like a fixed monthly payment, but part of that payment funds claims, with stop-loss capping the downside. Healthy groups that underwrite for it often land about 15% to 30% under a comparable fully insured quote. That is a planning note, not a promise on your census. Tradeoffs: level-funded vs fully insured health insurance in Texas. Definition: what is level-funded health insurance for Texas businesses.
Self-funded shows up more as headcount and cash-flow maturity rise, often in the 100+ talk. The employer funds claims through a TPA or ASO arrangement and buys stop-loss. It is not automatic at any headcount. Cash flow, claims predictability, and admin capacity decide whether it belongs on the sheet. Side-by-side: self-funded vs level-funded health insurance in Texas. BCBSTX writes fully insured and level-funded. We quote both when they fit, plus other major and regional carriers. No named carrier is promised to fit every large group. Issued quotes are the answer.
| Feature | Fully insured | Level-funded | Self-funded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly bill | Fixed premium | Fixed payment that budgets like a premium | Claims plus admin plus stop-loss |
| Claims risk | Carrier takes it | Group fund plus stop-loss | Employer with stop-loss guardrails |
| Healthy-group pricing | Baseline sticker | Often 15% to 30% lower | Depends on stop-loss and claims |
| BCBSTX | Yes | Yes | Separate stop-loss market |
Groups 2 to 250+: we do not cap
We write groups from 2 to 250+. We do not cap. A 50+, 100+, or multi-site employer uses the same process: clean census, multi-carrier compare, network check on the exact plan ID, enrollment help, and renewal discipline. What changes with size is underwriting depth, whether an RFP is worth the calendar, and whether self-funded belongs next to fully insured and level-funded. Named compare: best employee benefits broker in Texas.
What it costs the employer: $0
Broker cost on commissioned medical placements is $0 to the employer. Carrier commission sits inside the published premium whether you use a broker or not. Skipping the broker does not strip that money out of your rate. It removes the person working the census, the RFP, the network check, and the renewal shop. Larger groups sometimes use a PEPM (per employee per month) consulting fee, a commission model, or a hybrid. Size and scope decide which fit. Ask for compensation in writing. Treat "$0 to the employer" as the medical-placement default unless a written fee agreement says otherwise.
Kenly's published statewide full single planning band for 2026 is about $625 to $680 per employee per month. Employer share at 50% of employee-only is about $313 to $340 per enrolled employee. Those are planning labels, not a large-group quote. Your census, claims, ZIPs, and funding type move the issued number. 38 Google reviews.
Multi-state groups from a Texas base
Some 50+ and 100+ employers have people in Texas plus other states. Situs, carrier access, and which entity holds the policy all matter. We can discuss multi-state groups from our Texas base. Send every work and home state on the census, and we will say what the market can do on that footprint.
What to send for a large-group quote
Send enough that underwriting can answer without a second round of guessing.
- Census: eligible employees with date of birth, gender, and home ZIP. Dependents if you want family tiers.
- Headcount and ALE status if you already track FTEs.
- Current plan, contribution, renewal date, and claims or renewal letter if you have them.
- Hospitals and metros people already use, by campus, not by logo alone.
- Funding preference: fully insured, level-funded, self-funded, or a side-by-side.
- Multi-state locations and which legal entity will hold the policy.
Participation and contribution still show up on products that require them. Many Texas fully insured small-group rules still talk about 75% participation after valid waivers and about 50% employer contribution on employee-only. Large-group and level-funded products can differ. We will say which rules apply to your quotes before you promise the team a design.
Frequently asked questions
Do you only work small groups?
No. We write groups from 2 to 250+. Fifty-plus and 100+ are in scope on the same independent shop as smaller books.
What is the difference between 50+ and 100+?
About 50 FTEs is where ALE compliance gets sharp. About 100 employees is where many markets open a wider underwriting and funding conversation. Exact cutoffs are product-specific.
Do you quote BCBSTX fully insured and level-funded?
Yes. BCBSTX writes fully insured and level-funded. We quote both when they fit, next to other major and regional carriers.
Is broker cost still $0 for a 100+ group?
On commissioned medical placements, yes: $0 to the employer. Some larger groups use PEPM, commission, or hybrid. Ask for compensation in writing.
The short answer
Large group health insurance in Texas for 50+ and 100+ is a census-to-renewal job: markets, quote or RFP, underwriting, bind, enrollment, and a real re-shop at renewal. We work groups 2 to 250+. We do not cap. Fully insured, level-funded, and (when it fits) self-funded sit on one sheet. BCBSTX is fully insured and level-funded. Broker cost on commissioned medical is $0 to the employer. 38 Google reviews.
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Shop large group coverage for your 50+ or 100+ Texas team
Send the census. We will say which funding lanes fit and what enrollment looks like before anyone binds. Corpus Christi base. Statewide license. Clint Wallace, Lic 3200999 / NPN 21250478. Groups 2 to 250+. We do not cap.
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