Group health insurance for Georgia employers

Georgia's official small-group size is at least two and no more than 50 employees. Office of Commissioner of Insurance Rule 120-2-67 defines a small employer as one that employed an average of at least two but not more than 50 employees on business days during the preceding calendar year and that employs at least two employees on the first day of the rating period. O.C.G.A. § 33-30-12 uses the same floor and ceiling — a group of at least two and no more than 50 employees, members, or enrollees. For Georgia Access SHOP participation, Rule 120-2-112-.09 uses a related test: 50 full-time-equivalent employees or fewer, and at least one qualifying full-time employee. We will apply those official Georgia definitions to your roster.

The employer base

The Census Bureau's Statistics of U.S. Businesses for 2022 (state detailed-size file, released April 10, 2025) counts 190,444 Georgia employer firms with fewer than 50 employees, out of 204,057 employer firms in the state, with 1,014,832 paid employees at those under-50 firms and 4,249,362 at all Georgia employer firms. Under-50 firms were 93.3% of Georgia employer firms in that file.

What official surveys say about cost

MEPS-IC 2025 Table II.A.2 reports that 27.9% of private-sector establishments at Georgia firms with fewer than 50 employees offered health insurance, compared with 96.7% at firms of 50 or more (47.7% of all Georgia establishments). That under-50 offer rate is below the national 32.1% figure in the same table. At under-50 firms, average annual premiums were $9,801 for single coverage and $27,747 for family coverage, with average employee contributions of $1,994 (single) and $5,677 (family). National MEPS-IC 2025 under-50 averages were $9,034 for single coverage and $24,176 for family coverage, with a 32.1% offer rate at establishments of firms with fewer than 50 employees. Georgia's under-50 family premium is among the higher figures in this eight-state set, after New York; the under-50 family employee contribution is among the lower published (non-asterisked) figures in the set. Those are statewide averages for enrolled employees at offering establishments, not an Atlanta, Savannah, or Augusta quote. See the cost of small-business health insurance.

A company that is not an applicable large employer is generally not required to offer health coverage under the ACA employer shared-responsibility rules. Some smaller employers still choose to offer a plan, or to use an ICHRA or QSEHRA, and some may qualify for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit when the IRS size, wage, and SHOP rules are met.

Who sells small-group coverage

This update does not include a verified official 2026 Georgia small-group issuer list, so we will not invent one. The Office of Commissioner of Insurance and, where it applies, SHOP or a state small-business marketplace are the official places to confirm current issuers. We will only compare products that can be issued for the Georgia counties and any other states on your roster. A national brand that sells small-group coverage in another state may not offer a Georgia fully insured small-group plan.

Continuation when someone leaves the plan

Federal COBRA generally applies to employers with 20 or more employees. An official Georgia mini-COBRA statute was not confirmed in the research for this file, so this page does not state a Georgia-specific continuation period. We will confirm any state continuation rule with the Office of Commissioner of Insurance at proposal time. See COBRA for employers.

How we help a Georgia employer