ChamberPlus History
“Finally, affordable benefits for small business” is not just the company slogan. It is what companies throughout Mississippi have been exclaiming after finding out about ChamberPlus, Inc. Established in 1996 to give the “small business” a “big business” discount on quality health plans, ChamberPlus is a dream come true for its 1550 participating companies and more than 22,000 employees and dependents covered under the program.
Traditionally, employee benefits have represented a “Catch-22” dilemma for small businesses. If they don’t provide benefits, such as health insurance, they have difficulty recruiting and keeping good employees; and if they do, the high rates to insure a small group can put them in financial jeopardy. When small businesses turned to the MetroJackson Chamber of Commerce for help, the Chamber listened and responded.
First, the Chamber researched and found a benefits program that was working for small businesses in Cleveland, Ohio to use as a model. Next, they sought expert advice from human resource managers and outside health benefit consultants to tailor the program with Mississippi’s smaller companies in mind.
The result was the creation of ChamberPlus, the first and only program in the state that puts small businesses together to give them the purchasing leverage to negotiate attractive prices for their health benefit plans. After sending out a request for proposals to potential insurers, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi responded with the best discounts and products and was contracted to be the program’s insurance partner.
Not only does ChamberPlus make providing health care benefits more affordable, it also makes it simpler. Claims for all ChamberPlus members are processed directly by Blue Cross and Blue Shield, eliminating the need for small business owners to expend their time and energy on paperwork or confusing terms such as tiered rating, pre-existing condition, or PPO.