MINIMUM ESSENTIAL COVERAGE PLANS (MEC) FOR EMPLOYERS

When the renewal comes back and the math stops working.

 Major medical prices assume salaried headcount and low turnover. On an hourly roster, that math breaks. EMI Health MEC plans cover the care people actually use, at a price your employees will say yes to, so you can keep offering something instead of nothing.

Plans start at $55 per employee per month.

Find out if your group qualifies
  • No underwriting
  • No claims history
  • Renewals never increase more than 3%
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MEC plans at a glance

  • Satisfies the ACA requirement to offer coverage (the Section 4980H(a) "Penalty A")

  • Preventive care at 100% on all three plans, with no copay

  • $0 cost telehealth, including general medical and therapy counseling, unlimited, including multi-lingual accessibility

  • Prescription coverage starting with preventive drugs. Generic and brand coverage options for MEC Plus and MEC Enhanced

  • Robust national network coverage with First Health Limited Benefit network and EMI Health MEC network in Utah

  • Vision discounts through VSP Choice, plus member savings through BenefitHub

  • Three plan levels, starting at $55 per employee per month

THE CHALLENGE

You have to offer coverage. You want to.

"If you're an applicable large employer (50 or more full-time equivalent employees), the offer requirement isn't optional. For 2026, not offering minimum essential coverage can cost $3,340 per full-time employee (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-26). Checking that compliance box is the easy part. The harder part is finding a plan that works for your budget and that your employees will actually join. That's true whether you run a staffing agency, a restaurant group, a retail chain, or a home care company.

Benefits keep a crew together.

Your people compare offers. Coverage is one of the things that decides whether they stay or take the job down the street.

The math has to work.

You're covering a large roster, and every dollar per employee multiplies fast. The plan has to fit the budget you actually have.

People have to enroll.

A plan nobody signs up for helps no one. It has to be priced so employees say yes instead of waiving.

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Rates for all coverage tiers

Tier MEC MEC Plus MEC Enhanced
Employee only $55 $79 $129
Employee + spouse $85 $119 $194
Employee + children $99 $139 $222
Family $129 $175 $277

Rates effective January 1, 2026. Last updated September 2026.

Three plan levels. Pick the one that fits your roster.

Rates shown are employee-only. Employer-paid, contributory, and voluntary setups all work. See each plan's overview and Member Guide for full benefit details, copays, and limitations.

MEC $55/monthper employee See plan overview
MEC Plus $79/monthper employee See plan overview
MOST COVERAGE MEC Enhanced $129/monthper employee See plan overview
INCLUDED IN EVERY PLAN
Preventive care at 100% Included Included Included
Preventive prescriptions Included Included Included
$0 Cost telehealth, general medical AND therapy counseling, unlimited, multi-lingual Included Included Included
VSP Vision Discount Program Included Included Included
ADDED WITH MEC PLUS
Generic prescription coverage — Included Included
Primary care visits, 3 per year — Included Included
ADDED WITH MEC ENHANCED
Brand prescription coverage — — Included
Specialist visits, 3 per year — — Included
Urgent care, 3 per year — — Included
Convenience clinic, 3 per year — — Included
Diagnostic testing, 4 per year — — Included
Outpatient surgery, 1 per year — — Included
Dental Value discount program — — Included

GO BEYOND THE MINIMUM

MEC covers everyday care. The Six-Pack covers the bad day too.

A MEC plan pays in network and does not cover the emergency room. The Six-Pack adds hospital indemnity, accident coverage, and critical illness that pay cash directly to your employee for an ER visit or a hospital stay, and upgrades the dental and vision discounts to full insurance. One enrollment, one bill, built with Mutual of Omaha.

See the MEC Six-Pack

SINCE 1935

Coverage people understand is coverage people use.

NETWORK

Real doctors, not a discount card.

Your employees use an established provider network, not a limited list.

17,000+
UTAH

Providers and facilities in the EMI Health MEC Network.

1.2 million
ALL OTHER STATES

Providers nationwide through the First Health Limited Benefit Network.

MEC plans pay in network only. Care from a provider outside the network is not covered, so employees should confirm their provider participates before scheduling. Staying in network is only the first step. These plans cover a specific list of services, mainly preventive care, with higher plan levels adding certain office and urgent care visits. Seeing an in-network provider does not guarantee a service is covered. Employees should check their plan documents for covered services before receiving care.

GETTING STARTED

Getting started is simple.

No underwriting. No claims data to gather. Your broker works with you at every step.

01
APPLY
Submit a group application

One application. There is no underwriting and no claims history to pull together.

02
CHOOSE
Pick your plan level

MEC, MEC Plus, or MEC Enhanced. Employer-paid, contributory, and voluntary setups all work.

03
RENEW
Your first renewal increase is capped at 3%, in writing

The cap is written into your quote. You know your worst-case rate for year two before you sign.

Minimums: 10 eligible employees. If you offer MEC alongside an EMI Health major medical plan, the minimum drops to 5 eligible employees. Groups with 10 to 40 eligible employees may offer up to 2 MEC products. Groups with 41 or more may offer up to 3.

The number of out-of-state employees may not exceed 50% of the eligible employees with no more than 25% in states other than Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah.

Submit application

Choose your state

BEFORE YOU APPLY

A few things to know

The carrier behind these rates. EMI Health has served employers since 1935 and offers group medical, dental, and vision plans in eight states. Last year EMI Health processed 1.7 million claims with 99.6 percent accuracy and an average turnaround of 5.9 days. MEC plans use the First Health Limited Benefits network and the EMI Health MEC network in Utah.

MEC works differently from a fully insured medical plan. Here is what that means for your team.

How the plan is funded

Your MEC plan is self-funded and administered by EMI Health. We handle claims, billing, member services, and the network. Stop loss coverage is included.

The monthly rates you are charged are the maximum liability rates, so no additional cost will ever be requested.

Compliance that we handle

Part D creditable coverage notices, the gag clause attestation, RxDC reporting, machine-readable files, and SBC distribution are handled for you. No election needed. For groups with 50 or fewer full-time equivalents, we also file ACA Forms 1094 and 1095.

What stays with you

Your group files IRS Form 720 and pays the PCORI fee by July 31. Each year we send you a statement showing the calculation and the amount to pay, so there's no math on your end. Groups above 50 full-time equivalents also file their own 1094 and 1095 forms.

Who can be covered

Active W-2 employees working 20 or more hours a week, and their dependents. Retirees are not covered, and 1099 contractors are not eligible. Your group also needs a current Workers Compensation plan in place.

QUESTIONS

Common questions about MEC

What is a MEC plan?

MEC stands for minimum essential coverage. It covers preventive care at 100%, plus telehealth and a set of everyday services depending on the plan level. It is built to be affordable enough that hourly and part-time employees will actually enroll.

How much does a MEC plan cost?

Employee-only rates start at $55 per employee per month for MEC, $79 for MEC Plus, and $129 for MEC Enhanced. Rates for spouse, children, and family tiers are shown in the rate table above. There is no underwriting, so the rate you see is the rate you get.

Your quoted rates include a 3% rate cap on your first renewal. That means your rates cannot go up more than 3% in year two.

Employer-paid, contributory, and voluntary setups all work.

How is MEC different from major medical?

Major medical is catastrophic coverage. MEC is everyday coverage.

A major medical plan exists to protect against large claims. Hospital stays, surgery, serious illness. It is priced for that risk, which is why it costs what it costs.

A MEC plan covers the care people actually use. Preventive visits at 100%, $0 telehealth, and some prescription coverage. Depending on the plan level, it also covers primary care, specialist, and urgent care visits. It does not cover hospitalization or catastrophic care, and it is not a replacement for major medical.

The practical difference is who enrolls. MEC starts at $55 per employee per month, so hourly and part-time employees can say yes to it. It satisfies your requirement to offer coverage, but it does not meet the separate minimum value standard. It works best alongside a major medical plan for salaried staff, not instead of one.

Is a MEC plan the same as a skinny plan?

"Skinny plan" is an informal name some people use for MEC plans, but it undersells what the plan does. The name comes from what MEC does not cover: hospitalization and catastrophic care. What it does cover is the care most people use in a normal year. Preventive visits at 100%, unlimited $0 telehealth, prescription coverage, and depending on the plan level, primary care, specialist, and urgent care visits.

A better way to think about it: MEC is everyday coverage at a price hourly employees will actually pay. If your team hears "skinny plan" from another source, it almost always means a MEC plan like these.

Does a MEC plan satisfy the employer coverage requirement?

Yes, it satisfies the requirement to offer coverage. For an applicable large employer (ALE), offering MEC avoids the Section 4980H(a) penalty for failing to offer coverage, sometimes called Penalty A. For 2026, that penalty is $3,340 per full-time employee (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-26). A MEC plan is not a minimum value plan, so it does not avoid the separate $5,010 penalty that applies when a full-time employee declines the plan and receives a premium tax credit on the marketplace. Talk with your benefits counsel about how that applies to your workforce.

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Who is eligible, and what are the minimums?

You need 10 eligible employees, or 5 if you offer MEC alongside an EMI Health major medical plan.

Employer-paid, contributory, and voluntary setups all work.

Can we offer MEC alongside another carrier's major medical plan?

Yes. Many employers pair MEC for their hourly and part-time workforce with major medical for salaried staff, and the major medical plan does not have to be with EMI Health.

What states is MEC available in?

Every state where EMI Health is licensed for group business including Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah.

What if we already have EMI Health major medical?

Pairing them makes MEC easier to qualify for. Your minimum drops from 10 eligible employees to 5. MEC enrollment also counts toward the participation requirement on your EMI Health major medical plan, which helps if participation is tight.

One thing to plan for. Moving an employee from MEC to major medical at open enrollment is not automatic. Those employees may need to complete individual health questionnaires, and the results can affect major medical rates.

When do new employees become eligible?

You set the waiting period. Coverage can start on the date of hire, or after a waiting period your group chooses, up to the 90 days federal rules allow. You also decide whether to cover domestic partners and legal guardianship. All of this is set on your group application.

Can I add dental, vision, or other benefits to a MEC plan?

Yes, two ways. You can pair any MEC plan with EMI Health dental and vision plans, quoted separately, and build the package that fits your group.

Or, if you want everything in one plan, the MEC Six-Pack bundles MEC Enhanced medical with dental, vision, hospital indemnity, accident, and critical illness coverage for $234 per employee per month, fully employer-paid with one bill. The Six-Pack is available in Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Texas, and Utah for groups of 10 or more. [See the MEC Six-Pack.]

What kinds of businesses use MEC plans?

MEC plans are built for employers with hourly, part-time, variable-hour, or high-turnover workforces. Common industries include staffing agencies, restaurants and food service, retail, hospitality, home health and home care, franchises, and construction. If most of your workforce would decline major medical because of the paycheck cost, a MEC plan lets you offer real coverage employees will actually use.