Davie is home to one of the most significant dental education institutions in the United States: Nova Southeastern University's College of Dental Medicine, one of the largest dental schools in the country by enrollment. NSU's presence shapes Davie's dental employment landscape in two important ways. First, it creates a steady local pipeline of new dental hygienists and assistants entering the job market each year. Second, NSU employs clinical dental staff with academic institution-level benefits — including comprehensive group health insurance — that private Davie dental practices indirectly compete against when recruiting locally trained graduates. Understanding this local context is essential for any Davie dental practice owner evaluating health insurance options.
This guide explains the best health insurance options available to Davie dental practices, from traditional Florida Blue and Cigna group plans to ICHRA alternatives, with actionable guidance on making the right choice for your team.
Beyond NSU's institutional influence, Davie sits in central Broward County — roughly equidistant between Fort Lauderdale and Pembroke Pines, and close enough to Hollywood to draw staff from across the central Broward employment pool. This central location is an advantage for patient recruitment but creates a broader competitive hiring environment, since your dental assistants and hygienists have easy commutes to practices in multiple neighboring cities.
Dental practices in Davie also face the same post-2026 premium shock as the rest of Florida. Individual ACA marketplace premiums jumped over 25% this year after enhanced subsidies expired. This means employees who previously relied on marketplace coverage as an affordable alternative to employer-sponsored plans are now more motivated to join any group plan you offer — assuming it's structured and priced attractively. The window for employers to offer genuinely competitive group coverage relative to the individual market has widened significantly.
The typical Davie dental practice staff mix — licensed hygienists, dental assistants, front-office coordinators, and potentially an associate dentist — spans a wide income range. This range complicates benefits design because a single plan structure rarely serves all these groups equally well. Higher earners may want PPO flexibility; lower earners may benefit most from a low-premium HMO or ICHRA allowance they can apply toward a subsidized plan.
Florida Blue's HMO plans anchor their Davie coverage to Memorial Regional Hollywood and Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale — both accessible from Davie's central location. For a Davie dental practice whose employees live across central and south Broward, Florida Blue's HMO provides comprehensive in-network access without the premium cost of a PPO. Florida Blue's two-year rate guarantee on new small group accounts adds stability in a volatile premium market. Estimated employer cost: $420–$580 per employee per month.
Cigna's HMO plans in central Broward consistently price $40–$80 per employee per month below comparable Florida Blue HMO plans. The network in the Davie area includes Memorial Healthcare System facilities and provides solid access for employees within the Broward footprint. For a Davie dental practice with a younger, healthier staff mix — common when hiring recent NSU graduates — Cigna's HMO provides excellent value at competitive premiums. Estimated employer cost: $380–$520 per employee per month.
If your practice employs an associate dentist who may travel, or if staff have established specialist relationships outside Broward, Aetna's small group PPO offers the broadest national network access. Aetna exited Florida's individual ACA marketplace but continues to offer fully competitive group plans in Broward County. PPO plans from Aetna are particularly well-suited to older employees or those with ongoing specialist care requirements. Estimated employer cost: $500–$680 per employee per month.
An ICHRA allows each employee to select their own individual plan and receive monthly reimbursement up to your set allowance. For Davie dental practices where several employees are already covered elsewhere — through NSU employment, a spouse's employer plan, or other sources — ICHRA eliminates the participation threshold problem. New NSU dental graduates entering the job market in Davie may already have coverage habits from their student years and prefer to maintain their existing individual plans. ICHRA accommodates this flexibility better than a mandatory group enrollment.
Florida's small group market is guaranteed issue — no employee can be denied based on health conditions. All plans cover ACA essential health benefits. Premium contributions are fully deductible for the practice; employee contributions are pre-tax through a Section 125 cafeteria plan.
In Broward County, employer contributions for mid-tier small group plans run $400–$700 per employee per month in 2026. Davie's central Broward location puts it in the same rating zone as Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood. Florida's individual marketplace premiums increased 25%+ in 2026 following enhanced subsidy expiration, making employer-sponsored coverage more cost-competitive than it has been in several years.
New for Broward County in 2026: Community Care Network (22 Health) entered the individual ACA marketplace, giving ICHRA participants and employees shopping independently a new plan option alongside Florida Blue and Ambetter (Sunshine Health).
Related resources on FloridaPlanFinder.com:
Small Business Health Insurance Guide ICHRA in Florida — Complete Guide Florida ACA Marketplace Guide Gulf Coast Plans: Small Business Health InsuranceNova Southeastern University's College of Dental Medicine, located in Davie, is one of the largest dental schools in the United States. It graduates hundreds of dental hygienists and dental professionals each year, creating a local talent pipeline. However, NSU also employs clinical staff with academic institution-level benefits, setting a local benefits benchmark that private Davie dental practices indirectly compete against. New graduates from NSU entering the local job market will compare private practice offers against academic and hospital-based alternatives.
Florida Blue is the dominant small group carrier in Broward County, offering the widest network including Memorial Regional Hospital and Broward Health Medical Center — the primary facilities serving central and west Broward employees. Cigna's HMO plans are competitively priced in central Broward and often come in $40–$80 per employee per month below comparable Florida Blue HMO plans. Aetna group plans remain available in 2026 and are competitive for dental practices with older employees who prefer PPO designs.
Florida small group carriers require a minimum employer contribution of at least 50% of the employee-only premium. For a Davie dental practice competing with NSU and hospital employers for hygienists and assistants, contributing 75–100% of employee-only premiums is more competitive. Dependent coverage can be offered at the employee's expense without triggering the minimum contribution requirement.
ICHRA is worth considering for Davie dental practices that have participation challenges — for example, if several employees are on a spouse's group plan from a local employer. With ICHRA, there is no minimum enrollment threshold, and you set a fixed monthly allowance that each employee uses toward their own plan. The flexibility is valuable in a workforce where hygienists and assistants may have very different household coverage situations. The tradeoff is administrative overhead and the subsidy eligibility impact for lower-income employees.
Yes. Florida small group plans renew annually, and there is no obligation to stay with the same carrier from year to year. Davie dental practices should get competitive quotes from multiple carriers 60–90 days before their current plan's renewal date. If a different carrier offers meaningfully lower premiums for comparable coverage, switching is a legitimate strategy — though it requires new enrollment paperwork and may have a brief transition period for any ongoing care.
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