A Fort Myers plumbing company with 8–15 employees — a master plumber owner, 3–4 journeymen, 2–3 apprentices, and a dispatcher/admin — is at the size where group health insurance starts paying for itself in retention. The trades labor market in Lee County is tight; experienced plumbers can leave for $5K more in annual wages without health benefits, but rarely do for the same wage with benefits. This page covers what group coverage looks like for a Fort Myers plumbing contractor.
Florida Blue, Aetna, Ambetter participate in Lee County small group. Lee Memorial Health System dominates local hospital provision and is well-covered. Premium levels run slightly below state average — Lee County prices favorably for blue-collar workforces with relatively high commercial provider competition.
Shopping group health for your team
| Plan | Per-Employee Monthly | 10-Person Annual (50/50) |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze HMO | $365–$490 | $21,900–$29,400 |
| Silver HMO | $435–$575 | $26,100–$34,500 |
| Silver PPO | $555–$735 | $33,300–$44,100 |
Higher-utilization workforce. Plumbers experience more orthopedic and back issues than office workers. Mid-tier (Silver) coverage typically pays back through reduced absenteeism. Bronze plans with $7,000 deductibles often leave plumbers underinsured for routine injury care.
Workers' comp is the bigger expense. Plumbing class code 5183 (plumbing — not steam fitting) rates $5.50–$7.50 per $100 payroll in Florida. For $500K of plumber payroll, that's $27,500–$37,500/year — typically higher than health insurance spend.
Construction industry threshold. Florida workers' comp requires coverage at 1+ employee for construction (not the 4-employee non-construction threshold). Plumbing falls under construction.
Apprentices earn 50–70% of journeyman rate and often qualify for marketplace subsidies. ICHRA at $400/month preserves those subsidies and lets the firm offer something to all employees without the full group plan participation cost. For firms with several apprentices, ICHRA is worth modeling.
The 1–2 office staff face different health insurance economics than field crew — typically lower wages, often qualifying for subsidies. ICHRA again works well here. Some plumbing firms run a hybrid: group plan for senior journeymen and admin staff, ICHRA for apprentices and lower-tenure crew.
Plumbers travel to job sites across Lee County and sometimes into Charlotte, Collier, or Hendry County. PPO coverage with out-of-network access is genuinely useful for staff who get injured at remote job sites. Most Fort Myers plumbing contractors choosing between HMO and PPO pick PPO for this reason despite the 25% premium premium.
Coordinated with workers' comp class code 5183 and trades retention strategy.
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