Ares Benefit Group helps Florida employers compare AvMed small-group health plans with other carriers and funding structures that may also fit the company. Av-Med, Inc., is on Florida's official 2026 small-group ACA HMO list. AvMed's own employer materials describe small-group products for businesses with 2 to 50 employees, including AvMed Elect, AvMed Flex, and AvMed Elite. This page explains those official product families and how we help you check the network.
It is not tax, legal, or insurance advice, and it is not an offer of coverage. Product availability depends on the employer's headquarters location, in AvMed's own wording. We help employers compare the designs that are available for the census and the worksite counties; a proposal is not a promise that a particular AvMed contract will be issued.
Request a proposal or call (813) 540-1299. Our agents are licensed in all 50 states. The firm is based in Tampa and works with Tampa Bay employers.Who AvMed is for in the small-group market
Florida's official 2026 small-group ACA size test, on the Department of Financial Services list, is 1 to 50 full-time-equivalent employees. AvMed's employer pages describe small-group products for 2 to 50 employees and large-group products for 51 or more. Ares's practical core remains companies with 2 to 50 employees, which aligns with AvMed's small-group range and sits inside Florida's official test. A one-person firm often belongs in the individual market.
AvMed's group-products page also describes a level-funded product for employers with 5 to 250 employees. That is a separate funding conversation, and we will confirm current availability rather than treat it as a fully insured ACA small-group policy. See level-funded health plans.
Official small-group product families
AvMed's official "Small Group Products 2-50" page describes three families. In AvMed's wording, availability of each product depends on the employer's headquarters location.
AvMed Elect (HMO). Elect plans provide access to a select network of providers throughout 52 Florida counties, in AvMed's current description. They are designed around coordinating care with a primary care physician. Elect members also have access to a network of specialists and facilities with no referral required.
AvMed Flex (POS). Flex plans provide access to a select network of providers in 22 Florida counties, in AvMed's current description. They also emphasize a primary care physician and do not require a referral. Flex includes an out-of-network benefit, which AvMed describes as allowing access to non-AvMed providers nationwide.
AvMed Elite (POS). Elite plans provide access to a select network of providers throughout 52 Florida counties, in AvMed's current description. They also emphasize a primary care physician, do not require a referral, and include an out-of-network benefit for non-AvMed providers nationwide.
The 52-county and 22-county figures are AvMed's current published descriptions. We will confirm the current county lists on a proposal rather than reprint a county map here. A later official AvMed page may update those counts; the live AvMed materials control.
AvMed also describes consumer-driven plans that are compatible with health savings accounts, health reimbursement arrangements, and flexible spending accounts, and notes a partnership with HealthEquity for account administration. HSA-qualified plan rules are federal; see HSA-qualified HDHP group plans for the IRS limits we cite there. We will not invent a premium advantage for an HSA-compatible AvMed plan.
AvMed publishes 2026 and already lists 2027 small-group plan and summary-of-benefits documents for Elect, Flex, and Elite families on its plan and SBC page. Those documents are the right place to read cost sharing for a specific plan code; we will not summarize them as a typical rate.
How to check an AvMed doctor or hospital
Use AvMed's official directory at avmed.org/en/find-doctors-facilities. Search with the exact product name on the quote (Elect, Flex, or Elite, or the plan code on the contract), and with the ZIP code where the employee actually gets care. A provider who participates in Elect is not automatically a Flex or Elite provider. Confirm again before scheduled care. A longer checklist is on how to check a group health plan network and on AvMed for Florida employers.
How AvMed compares with other structures we also advise on
An AvMed fully insured small-group plan sits next to Florida Blue and UnitedHealthcare in Florida, both of which are also on the 2026 DFS list, and next to a SHOP policy, a level-funded plan, an ICHRA, or a QSEHRA. We will put the designs that actually apply on one proposal, without naming a winner or publishing a typical premium.
If the company has employees outside Florida, read multi-state employees. AvMed's Flex and Elite official descriptions include a nationwide out-of-network benefit; that is not the same thing as a nationwide in-network. We will read the contract rather than assume how out-of-state care is paid.
What we need for a proposal
We need a census (including the employer's headquarters location and the counties where people work), the current plan or funding type, and the renewal date. Because AvMed ties product availability to headquarters location, that fact matters on the quote.
Request a proposal or call (813) 540-1299.Frequently asked questions
Is AvMed on Florida's 2026 small-group list?
Yes. Av-Med, Inc., is on the Florida Department of Financial Services 2026 small-group ACA HMO list. County and on- or off-SHOP detail is on the Florida OIR tables.
What is the difference between Elect, Flex, and Elite?
In AvMed's official description, Elect is an HMO with no specialist referral required. Flex and Elite are POS plans that also do not require a referral and that include an out-of-network benefit. AvMed currently describes Elect and Elite as serving 52 Florida counties and Flex as serving 22, with availability depending on the employer's headquarters location. Confirm the current county lists on the quote.
Do employees need a referral to see a specialist?
No, not in AvMed's official small-group descriptions of Elect, Flex, and Elite. Each family still emphasizes coordinating care with a primary care physician. The contract controls.
Does Flex or Elite cover care outside the AvMed network?
AvMed describes both POS families as including an out-of-network benefit that allows access to non-AvMed providers nationwide. Cost sharing is usually different from in-network care. The summary of benefits controls.
Can we add an HSA to an AvMed plan?
AvMed says its consumer-driven plans are compatible with HSAs, HRAs, and FSAs. Whether a specific plan code is HSA-qualified is a fact about that plan and the IRS HDHP rules. We will confirm it on the quote.
How does AvMed compare with Florida Blue or UnitedHealthcare?
All three are on the 2026 Florida small-group list. We compare official networks and the bids for your census, not a generic rank. See the Florida AvMed page and Florida Blue vs UnitedHealthcare.
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