Michigan Chronicle
Amber Ogden
Sept. 3, 2024
The Wayne County government has announced an innovative “Waynetrepreneurs” initiative in collaboration with HealthChoice. This pioneering program is designed to support small businesses and their employees by addressing the challenge of high health insurance costs. The initiative aims to alleviate financial burdens, promote economic development, and prioritize the health and wellness of the small business workforce in Wayne County.
In partnership with Wayne County, the HealthChoice program offers cost-effective and high-quality health insurance coverage with no out-of-pocket costs for small businesses in Wayne and Oakland Counties. This program provides new small business owners and their employees with three months of complimentary HealthChoice coverage.
New businesses established in Wayne County after January 1, 2024, have processed the initial payroll for a minimum of two full-time employees, and a maximum of 50 employees are qualified for enrollment. Both the business and its employees must not have been previously registered in HealthChoice.
Warren C. Evans, the Wayne County Executive, strongly supports the notion that small businesses play a crucial role in our community by driving economic growth and creating job opportunities for local residents.
“Nationally, 44% of businesses do not offer health insurance to their employees. The ‘Waynetrepreneurs’ initiative will provide critical support for new small businesses across Wayne County to provide health insurance for their employees as they get off the ground,” Evans said.
Abdul El-Sayed, the director of HHVS, highlights the significant challenge that new small businesses face in addressing healthcare needs for their employees.
“Waynetrepeneurs will offer a pathway toward affordable healthcare for new small business owners and their employees—reducing the number of uninsured in our county and improving health and wellbeing—all while supporting our business climate,” El-Sayed said.
Alisha Bell, the Chair of the Wayne County Commission, stressed the pressing issue small-business owners face regarding the financial burden of providing health insurance for their employees. She expressed enthusiasm for the new program, highlighting its potential to support economic development and safeguard the well-being of the county’s workforce.
The Executive Director of HealthChoice, Christopher Johnson, emphasized the vital role that small businesses play in the community, serving as a robust catalyst for economic growth at the local level.
“HealthChoice offers an incredible value for small businesses in our county—the ‘Waynetrepeneurs’ program will extend that value to new businesses and their employees,” Johnson said.
Dina Harris, the visionary leader, and chief executive officer (CEO) of National Faith Homebuyers, has trusted Healthchoice to offer comprehensive healthcare benefits to her dedicated team members at the thriving small business for numerous years.
For over two decades, Harris has dedicated herself to assisting first-time homebuyers with their housing needs while prioritizing securing the best healthcare options for her team.
“As we grew, our income went from our first-year budget of around $200,000, and this year our budget should be about 4 million, and we’re still with Healthchoice,” Harris said.
Alisha Bell, Chair of the Wayne County Commission, mentioned that she and her team are fortunate to have contracts with Detroit Medical Center and recently signed on Corwell Health. As a result, individuals who enroll in the program receive exceptional healthcare coverage at hospitals and networks they can access.
“The cost, of course, is affordable for a single person, $250 for the employee and $250 for the employer, and you can’t really get that anywhere else for that, and you have all the coverages that you can’t get. So I’m proud of the longevity of the program,” Bell said.
“This new program is amazing for any business that opened up this year, and for them to have three months of healthcare coverage for their employees is amazing. A small business just launching off the ground is hard enough, but you need to have that comfort in knowing that you aren’t going to have high turnover rates because your employees are looking for the next best gig. So we can provide that employer and that employee with three months of free health care. That’s a game-changer.”