Answers · ICHRA vs group
ICHRA vs a traditional group health plan: which is better for a 30-employee company?
It depends almost entirely on your county, because the answer is set by how the local individual market prices against the local small group market, and that relationship varies enormously between counties.
In a county where the two markets price closely, a group plan usually wins on simplicity: one plan, one network, one renewal conversation. In a county where the individual market prices well below small group, the arithmetic changes and it changes fast at 30 employees.
Ohio is the clearest example we track. In Franklin County the plan year 2026 difference between the lowest-cost small group plan and the lowest-cost individual plan runs $484 to $885 per employee per month depending on metal tier and age. Across a 30-employee company that is a large annual number even after capping it at what the employer actually contributes. In Summit County, an hour up the road, the same comparison is $369 at the silver age-50 benchmark, and the case is real but far less dramatic.
The honest version: roughly a third of the companies we analyse are better off staying on their group plan. Older censuses, rich benefits used as a genuine recruiting lever, and counties with a narrow spread all point back toward group coverage.
Last reviewed 2026-08-21. Premium figures are plan year 2026 on both sides of every comparison, from the CMS Marketplace Public Use Files (individual market) and Ideon (small group). Employer counts from BLS QCEW 2024 Q2. All savings figures are ranges and estimates, not quotes or guarantees.
Related questions
Which is cheaper for a 30-employee company?
It depends on the county. In Franklin County, Ohio the plan year 2026 gap runs $484 to $885 per employee per month, which is decisive at 30 employees. In Summit County the silver age-50 figure is $369, where the case is real but much smaller.
When does the group plan win?
When your renewal is flat, your census skews older in a way that narrows the individual-market advantage, or rich benefits are a genuine recruiting lever. Roughly a third of the companies we analyse are better off staying put.
Do employees lose coverage quality?
No. Individual-market plans are ACA-compliant major medical coverage with the same essential health benefits and pre-existing condition protections. Networks do vary by plan, which is worth checking against your team's actual doctors.