How do I get health insurance for my small business in Florida?

How many Florida small businesses offer health insurance?

Fewer than one in four Florida establishments at firms with fewer than 50 employees offered health insurance in 2025 (22.8%), compared with 32.1% nationally. At firms with 50 or more employees, 92.4% did, compared with 94.8% nationally.

The survey counts establishments, meaning individual business locations, not companies. If you want to help your staff pay for coverage without a group plan, a CHOICE arrangement or a QSEHRA is another route.

Which industries have the most Florida small employers?

Professional, scientific and technical services has the most Florida employers with 1 to 19 employees, at 82,260, followed by construction at 59,231 and health care and social assistance at 48,913.

Whatever your industry, the federal rules count by hours worked. Part time and seasonal staff are counted as fractions of a full time employee when you work out whether you can use SHOP, whether you qualify for the tax credit or whether the employer mandate applies.

What happens to an employee's coverage when they leave a Florida small business?

Federal COBRA covers employers with at least 20 employees, but Florida law fills the gap for smaller ones. A group health plan issued to a Florida employer with fewer than 20 employees must let a qualified beneficiary elect continuation coverage, and it must last at least 18 months from the qualifying event unless one of the limits below ends it sooner.

• Coverage can end sooner if premiums are not paid on time.
• It can end if the person becomes covered by another group health plan without a preexisting condition exclusion.
• It can end if the person becomes entitled to Medicare Part A or Part B.
• It ends if the employer stops offering the group plan to all employees. If another group plan replaces it, the person can join the new one for the rest of the period.

The premium for continuation coverage may not exceed 115% of the applicable premium. The person must give the carrier written notice within 63 days of the qualifying event. A person found disabled by Social Security can extend coverage by 11 months, to 29 in all, at up to 150% of the group rate.

These rules apply to group plans issued by an insurance carrier. Ask your carrier how continuation works on your plan before an employee leaves.

What does small business health insurance cost in Florida?

KFF does not publish premiums by state, so the closest figure for a Florida business is the South region, where the 2026 average premium is $9,272 for single coverage and $26,702 for family coverage. Both are a little lower than the averages for all firms nationally, $9,804 and $28,303.

Your price depends on your employees, their ages and where they live, and the plan level you choose. A quote is the only way to know it. Our cost guide explains who pays what and how to lower the bill.

How do I get started in Florida?

Count your team, decide your contribution, then compare a group plan with a fixed budget option. The rules in our national guide apply in Florida, and the numbers above show what is local.

• Count your full time and full time equivalent employees. Our free calculator does it for you.
• Decide how much of each employee's premium you want to pay.
• Ask for a side by side quote: a small group plan and, if you prefer a set budget, a CHOICE arrangement or QSEHRA.
• Check the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit. It is a federal credit, so it applies in Florida as it does everywhere.

If you are the only person in the business, or you work with only your spouse, you buy an individual plan instead. Our self-employed guide covers it.