History

• Following the Second World War, U.S. employers offered group health insurance coverage to their employees at an ever-increasing rate, a pace that continued until the late 1990s.
  
  

Benefits

• Group health insurance polices are beneficial because they tend to be less expensive per insured than individual policies.
  
  

Pre-Existing Conditions

• One of the reasons group health insurance is important centers on the issue of pre-existing conditions. If a consumer transfers coverage from one group health insurance policy to another without interruption, she is covered "as is" under the policy despite any prior condition.
  
  

Size

• Due to the size and reach of a group health insurance policy, the risk is spread more efficiently than is the case with individual coverage. More widely spread risk lowers the costs of covering consumers for a health insurance company.
  
  

Types

• There are three types of group health insurance policies, two of which are found in every state in the country: large and small group policies. Some states also offer "group of one" policies that are well suited for a small business owner who contemplates hiring employees in the future.