Hollywood, Florida is the home of the Memorial Healthcare System's flagship campus: Memorial Regional Hospital — a 797-bed public acute care hospital at Johnson Street and North 35th Avenue, the largest hospital in the Memorial system and one of the largest public hospitals in Florida. Directly across the street, connected by an enclosed skyway, is Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital (JDCH), which opened its current freestanding building on July 21, 2011 and houses the only pediatric rehabilitation program in South Florida staffed by fellowship-trained, board-certified pediatric physiatrists. JDCH is ranked nationally in multiple pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. For physical therapy clinic owners in Hollywood, these two institutions define the local labor market: they offer comprehensive benefits packages, strong clinical brands, and direct competition for the same licensed PTs and PTAs that independent outpatient clinics need to hire and retain.
Related resources:
Small Business Health Insurance Guide Florida ACA Guide Small Business Health Insurance in FloridaMemorial Regional Hospital's rehabilitation services and JDCH's nationally recognized Pediatric Rehabilitation Center — which also operates five community outpatient locations — employ a significant share of Hollywood's licensed physical therapy workforce. MedPlus Centers operates PT locations across Hollywood, Miramar, and Davie, providing additional multi-location competition. The overall market has enough institutional employers to set expectations high for any independent clinic owner.
PT clinics in Hollywood that serve the post-surgical orthopedic and sports medicine patient population drawn by both the Memorial and private orthopedic practices in the area can build strong, commercially insured books of business. The revenue profile supports offering health benefits — and failing to offer them means losing DPT candidates to facilities that can make a substantially stronger total compensation offer.
Shopping group health for your team
Hollywood's Broward County location places it in the same moderately high premium tier as Pembroke Pines and the surrounding communities. Estimates for a small PT clinic with 3–15 employees:
| Plan Tier | Total Premium/Employee/Mo | Employer Share (70%) | Employee Share (30%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze HMO | $400 – $510 | $280 – $357 | $120 – $153 |
| Silver HMO | $430 – $560 | $301 – $392 | $129 – $168 |
| Gold HMO | $530 – $670 | $371 – $469 | $159 – $201 |
A 10-person Hollywood PT clinic at a mid-range Silver HMO level carries approximately $3,500–$4,500 per month in employer premium costs. Tax deductions and FICA savings offset a portion of this cost from year one. Exact rates depend on carrier, zip code, and employee census — request a quoted rate from a licensed broker for your specific situation.
Sole proprietors and single-member LLCs deduct 100% of health insurance premiums paid for themselves, their spouse, and dependents on Schedule 1 of Form 1040. This above-the-line deduction reduces adjusted gross income and does not require itemizing. It interacts favorably with the IRC §199A QBI deduction for PT practices organized as pass-through entities.
S-corporation owners with more than 2% ownership must include health premiums in their W-2 wages and deduct them on Schedule 1. The S-corp must pay or reimburse the premium and report it correctly on the W-2 — verify annually that your payroll provider is handling this step correctly, as the IRS has specific requirements around timing and documentation.
Employer contributions to employee premiums are deductible ordinary business expenses under IRC §162. A Hollywood PT clinic contributing $350 per employee per month for 10 employees deducts $42,000 per year directly from business taxable income.
Section 125 cafeteria plan FICA savings: When employees contribute pre-tax through a Section 125 plan, the clinic saves 7.65% in employer FICA taxes on those contributions. On $42,000 in annual employer contributions, FICA savings are approximately $3,213 per year.
Hollywood PT clinics use the same ACA FTE methodology as all Florida employers. Part-time staff — including part-time PTAs, exercise aides, and administrative coordinators — count toward the FTE total:
Clinics at or above 50 FTEs face these 2026 ACA penalties if coverage is not offered:
The 2026 ACA affordability threshold is 8.39% of W-2 wages. A Hollywood PT clinic billing coordinator earning $38,000 per year can be required to contribute a maximum of $38,000 × 0.0839 ÷ 12 = $266 per month for the lowest-cost self-only plan. Verify this calculation for every full-time employee annually at renewal time.
Individual Coverage HRA is a strong structural fit for Hollywood PT practices because of the Memorial Healthcare System's dominance as an area employer. Many PT clinic employees may be married to Memorial Regional or JDCH workers and already covered by the Memorial system employee plan. ICHRA's design anticipates this:
Yes. PT clinic owners structured as sole proprietors, S-corp shareholders, or partners can deduct 100% of health insurance premiums for themselves, their spouse, and dependents as an above-the-line deduction on Schedule 1 of Form 1040. Employer contributions to employee premiums are also fully deductible under IRC §162.
For a small PT clinic in Hollywood with 3–15 employees, expect total premiums of $430–$560 per employee per month for a Silver HMO. Broward County rates are moderately high due to provider density. A 70% employer contribution at Silver runs approximately $301–$392 per employee per month in employer cost.
Florida Blue, Aetna, and UnitedHealthcare are the primary small group carriers in Broward County. Networks include Memorial Regional Hospital (797 beds) and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, both located in Hollywood. Florida Blue typically offers the broadest Broward County network access.
Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood is the only pediatric rehabilitation program in South Florida with fellowship-trained, board-certified pediatric physiatrists. It operates five community outpatient locations in addition to its Hollywood campus. PT clinics that serve pediatric patients in Hollywood compete directly against JDCH's clinical brand and benefits packages for specialized pediatric PT staff.
ICHRA is particularly well-suited for Hollywood PT clinics where employees may already be covered through Memorial Regional Hospital or JDCH spousal plans. It eliminates group participation minimums, caps the employer's cost as a fixed monthly allowance, and allows employees who need coverage to choose their own plan from all available Broward County options.
Compare 2026 Broward County small group rates from Florida's top carriers.
Also see: small business health insurance options at Sunstate Coverage for additional Florida carrier comparisons.