Vermont Business Magazine The Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce, as part of the Vermont Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (VACCE), announced that its organization will once again be offering a variety of health insurance plans to its over 430 members throughout the Bennington County for the first time since 2013. The statewide chamber organization, VACCE – Vermont Association for Chamber of Commerce Executives, will partner with BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont to provide three separate plans to businesses, ranging in size from 1 to 100 employees: the VACE Advantage 100% Health Savings Account, the VACE Advantage Copay and the VACE Advantage Copay HSA.
“As part of 29 other chambers that belong to the VACCE organization we are extremely pleased to offer these three competitively priced insurance plans, which provide added value to businesses joining the chamber,” said Matt Harrington, executive director of the Bennington Area Chamber. “In our last State of the Commerce Survey that came out this summer we saw that healthcare was one of the main issues that challenged small businesses. We, along with a subcommittee in our VACCE organization, have been working to bring back the health care benefit in the chamber as a way to help our members.”
The Vermont Chamber, The Richards Group, BlueCross Blueshield and the Vermont’s Department of Financial Regulation have been working to get these plans reviewed and approved. “Our intent from the beginning has been to not compete with Vermont Health Connect but complement the many fine plans the state offers already.” Said Darcie McCann of Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce, who was part of the subcommittee health care group of VACCE.
Harrington noted, “These new insurance plans will be especially attractive to independent contractors, sole proprietors, young professionals, employee-based companies from 1 to 100 and those on the bubble, not receiving any financial or premium assistance from the state. This matches both the demographic of members we tend to have in the chamber and where the burden of health care is the greatest.”
The statewide chamber organization plans to offer the plan immediately, with open enrollment starting Nov. 1 and ending Dec. 15. The chamber association also offers two very affordably priced dental plans and a vision program that are available to chamber members in Vermont.
At one time, chamber health insurance plans served more than 17,000 Vermonters and was an $81-million program.
“I think we’ve been able to come back to the table with this plan because historically Vermont chambers know how to run an efficient, seamless and affordable healthcare program and have an amazing team in place to handle the stream of businesses that we know will be interested in these plans,” encouraged Harrington. “Additionally, the Bennington regional chamber now representing the full Shires of Vermont or Bennington County region will be the chamber of choice for many businesses within the county to take advantage of the program. If people belong to the Dorset Chamber as well they can choose which chamber to put down to enter into the VACE program.”
Harrington singled out Vermont Chamber’s Betsy Bishop, Shannon Wilson and Karen Winchester, The Richards Group’s Tom Scull and Jessi Jacobs and fellow VACCE board members Ed Stahl (former Stowe Area Association director), Bill Moore (Central Vermont Chamber director), Tom Torti (Lake Champlain Chamber director) and McCann for their “tireless work” in readying this plan for implementation. “We could not have done it without them,” he noted.
The 29 Vermont chambers that can offer these insurance plans to its members are the Franklin County Regional Chamber of Commerce, Jay Peak Area Chamber of Commerce, Lamoille Region Chamber of Commerce, Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce, Swanton Chamber of Commerce, Heart of Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, Lyndon Area Chamber of Commerce, Stowe Area Association, Vermont’s North Country Chamber of Commerce, Addison County Chamber of Commerce, Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Killington Pico Area Association, Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce, Poultney Area Chamber of Commerce, Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce, Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, Cohase Regional Chamber of Commerce, Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce, Vermont Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce, White River Valley Chamber of Commerce, Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce, Dorset Chamber of Commerce, Southern Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce, Great Falls Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.
Interested businesses are encouraged to reach out to their health insurance broker and to visit www.Bennington.com/healthcarefor more info on brokers and chambers.
Source: Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce 11.2.2018