BIAW Health Insurance Alternatives
BIAW Health Insurance Alternatives Compare your renewal before you sign.
If this year’s BIAW Health Insurance Program renewal is more than you budgeted, quote the same employees other ways first. Then decide on the numbers.
By Brandon Hoobler, Washington Insurance Brokers. In insurance since 2009. Information current as of October 2026.
The short answer: quote the same employees four other ways: an ACA small-group plan, a level-funded plan, an ICHRA, or a lower-premium group plan paired with an HRA. Then decide whether voluntary coverage belongs on top. No option is cheaper by default. Your census decides.
Washington Insurance Brokers is an independent employee benefits broker. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW), its local associations, EPK & Associates, Capital Benefit Services, or the insurers that underwrite the BIAW Health Insurance Program.
The program
What the BIAW Health Insurance Program is
| Topic | What BIAW and its administrator say |
|---|---|
| What it is | What BIAW and its administrator sayA fully insured association health plan sponsored by BIAW and directed by a board of trustees (BIAW letter to the U.S. Department of Labor, February 20, 2024). |
| Medical insurers | What BIAW and its administrator sayRegence BlueShield, Asuris Northwest Health, and Kaiser Permanente. |
| Administration | What BIAW and its administrator sayEPK & Associates is “the exclusive contract administrator for the BIAW Health Insurance Program.” Capital Benefit Services handles plan design and renewal negotiation. |
| Who can join | What BIAW and its administrator sayCurrent BIAW members (usually through a local home builders association) whose principal line of business is building or construction, with 2 or more full-time eligible employees including active owners. |
| Participation | What BIAW and its administrator say100% of eligible employees for groups of 2–5, and 80% for groups of 6 or more, excluding approved waivers. |
| Size | What BIAW and its administrator say“Over 750 member companies with nearly 15,000 employees and their families participate” (BIAW, February 2024). |
| Published rates | What BIAW and its administrator sayNone. Rates are quoted from your census. |
Eligibility and participation terms are from the trust’s administrative manual (pages revised 2016–2019). Confirm current terms with EPK.
BIAW says you don’t have to be a member to request a quote, and asking for a comparison doesn’t change your membership or your coverage. BIAW plans are placed and serviced through the trust’s own administrator and consultant, so we can’t be your broker on a BIAW plan. What we can do is quote everything else side by side, and tell you honestly how it compares.
Why the numbers differ
Why your BIAW renewal and a small-group quote can come out so different
A construction company can buy group health coverage several ways. Three of them price the same crew by very different rules.
- Association plans that meet Washington’s bona fide association test, with more than 50 eligible employees across member employers, are rated as large-group plans (WAC 284-43-8140). Employers buying through them “are not small employers” (RCW 48.21.047), so the small-group limits below don’t apply. Washington’s insurance commissioner says association health plans can consider someone’s health condition when setting premiums. BIAW’s public documents don’t describe its current rating method.
- ACA small-group plans (1–50 employees) pool every small group in the state together (RCW 48.21.045). Your crew can’t be priced on its health, claims, gender, or industry. Rates vary only by age, rating area, family size, and wellness programs. Age still counts, but an adult’s rate can’t be more than 3 times a 21-year-old’s. A 60-year-old’s rate, for example, is about 2.7 times. If your carrier offers composite billing, every adult is billed one average rate (and children one child rate), fixed for the plan year and reset at renewal. See how group health insurance is priced in Washington.
- Level-funded plans are priced from your own group’s projected claims, using your census (age, gender, location) and health information. Underwriting matters, and so does the stop-loss contract. See level-funded vs. fully insured.
From Brandon
“In the association renewals I’ve reviewed, the answer has gone both ways. Some crews came out ahead staying, and some didn’t.”
Your options
Your alternatives, side by side
| Option | How it’s priced | Tends to fit | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Renew on BIAW | How it’s pricedSet by the trust and its insurers; quoted from your census. | Tends to fitGroups whose renewal still compares well, and groups that value the features listed under “What you’d keep or give up.” | Watch-outsMembership must be kept up each year. Participation minimums apply. Changes generally happen only at the annual open enrollment. |
| 2. ACA small-group plan | How it’s pricedStatewide pool. No health, claims, or gender rating. Age within a 3:1 band, plus rating area and family size. Composite billing (one adult rate, one child rate) if the carrier offers it. | Tends to fitOlder crews, or crews with known health conditions. | Watch-outsStill costs more as the crew ages. Carriers can require up to 75% participation (100% for 3 or fewer). Size is last calendar year’s average headcount; at 51 or more you’re large group. |
| 3. Level-funded plan | How it’s pricedA fixed monthly payment covering a claims fund, administration, and stop-loss, priced from your group’s age, gender, and health profile. | Tends to fitYounger or healthier crews with steady headcount. | Watch-outsUnderwriting can raise the price or decline the group. Renewals follow your own claims. Refunds are possible, not promised, and can be reduced by termination fees. |
| 4. ICHRA | How it’s pricedYou set a fixed monthly allowance by employee class. Employees buy individual plans, and you reimburse up to the allowance. | Tends to fitCrews spread across counties or states, high turnover, or owners who want a fixed budget. | Watch-outsEmployees carry individual-market increases (Washington’s 2027 exchange average is +22.2%). Networks differ. Written notice is due 90 days before the plan year. An affordable offer ends employees’ premium tax credits. |
| 5. Higher-deductible plan + HRA | How it’s pricedA lower group premium. You reimburse part of each employee’s deductible only when claims happen. | Tends to fitOwners who want to keep group coverage and a familiar network but lower the fixed bill. | Watch-outsYour cost varies with claims, up to the HRA maximum you set. HSA plans need a post-deductible or limited-purpose HRA design. |
| 6. QSEHRA | How it’s pricedA tax-free allowance for individual coverage. The 2026 maximum is $6,450 self-only or $13,100 family. | Tends to fitContractors with fewer than 50 full-time employees who are leaving group coverage completely. | Watch-outsOnly if you offer no group plan at all, including group dental or vision. The caps rarely cover an older worker’s premium in full. |
| On top of any option: voluntary benefits | How it’s pricedUsually employee-paid. Accident, hospital indemnity, and critical illness coverage pay set dollar amounts for covered events. | Tends to fitCrews who want help with off-the-job injuries and high deductibles. Owners outside L&I may want 24-hour accident coverage. | Watch-outsLimited coverage, not a replacement for medical insurance. On-the-job injuries for L&I-covered workers go through L&I. |
Which route tends to fit which crew
These are starting points to test on your census, not predictions.
Start with ACA small group
Several employees in their 50s and 60s, low turnover. The 3:1 age cap and the ban on health rating are the reasons to test it first.
Run a level-funded quote
Compare it alongside the renewal on the maximum annual cost, not just the monthly payment.
Look at an ICHRA by class
Hourly field employees on one allowance, salaried office staff on another. If you keep a group plan for the office, the class getting the ICHRA generally needs at least 10 employees (for employers with fewer than 100).
Price a higher deductible with an HRA
Keep a familiar network and lower the fixed premium, with an HRA that covers part of the deductible.
Compare QSEHRA with ICHRA
Both reimburse individual coverage. The QSEHRA has annual caps and rules out any group plan.
Check the ACA employer rules
Whatever you choose has to hold up. See 2027 numbers Washington employers need and ACA compliance.
Timing: work backward from your renewal date
Don’t give notice to any plan until the replacement’s effective date is confirmed in writing.
- BIAW
- The trust’s manual says enrollment and participation changes generally happen only at the annual open enrollment. Ask EPK for your anniversary date and the notice required to end participation.
- ACA small group
- A plan can start on the first of a month. If your group can’t meet a carrier’s participation or contribution rules, enrollment is limited to November 15–December 15 for a January 1 start.
- Level-funded
- Allow time for underwriting before your deadline.
- ICHRA
- Employees must get written notice at least 90 days before the plan year. A February 1, 2027 start needs notice by about November 3, 2026.
A fair comparison
What you’d keep or give up by leaving
Count what the BIAW program includes, not just the premium.
- One monthly bill for medical, dental, vision, and life, according to BIAW.
- COBRA. The trust’s manual says all participating companies are COBRA-eligible regardless of size. Federal COBRA applies to employers with 20 or more employees, so a smaller company should ask what continuation rights a replacement plan carries.
- Owner injuries on the job. BIAW says its Regence plans cover on-the-job accidents when the person isn’t covered by workers’ compensation. Regence’s and Premera’s Washington small-group plan documents carry similar language; check the plan document for any level-funded plan before you switch. Sole proprietors, partners, and many corporate officers and LLC members aren’t automatically covered by L&I (RCW 51.12.020). Health insurance can pay the medical bills, but only L&I replaces lost wages, and elective L&I coverage has to be in place before an injury.
- Membership. Your BIAW membership and your health plan are separate decisions. Ask your local association what membership includes beyond insurance.
Public works
Check the prevailing-wage math
Washington lets employer-paid medical insurance count toward the prevailing-wage benefit credit, annualized over all hours worked (RCW 39.12.010, WAC 296-127-014). L&I’s method divides the annual employer contribution by 2,080 hours unless you document actual hours. If a change lowers your employer health spending, your hourly credit drops, and cash wages may have to make up the difference. L&I hasn’t published guidance on HRA or ICHRA dollars, so confirm with L&I before counting them.
See the construction benefits page for an example. We don’t make prevailing-wage determinations.
How the renewal check works
About 15 minutes on the phone, then a side-by-side on your census.
What Brandon will ask
- Your renewal date and the notice deadline to leave
- How many employees and owners are enrolled, and the rough age mix
- Current and renewal monthly totals, and what you contribute
- Your association dues
- Whether any employees live or work outside Washington
What to send
- Your renewal letter and rate sheet
- Your plan summaries (SBCs)
- Your employee census, through our secure census upload
What you get back
A small-group quote on your census within 2–4 business days, plus a straight answer on whether level-funded or an ICHRA is worth pursuing. If renewing on BIAW still comes out ahead, we’ll tell you.
How we’re paid: we don’t charge a broker fee. Insurers pay us when we place coverage. Some administrators, such as COBRA administrators, bill their own fees.
Frequently asked questions
What are the alternatives to BIAW health insurance?
An ACA small-group plan, a level-funded plan, an ICHRA, a higher-deductible group plan with an HRA, or, for employers with fewer than 50 employees and no group plan, a QSEHRA. Compare them on the same census before your trust anniversary.
Do I have to leave BIAW to get a comparison?
No. Asking for a comparison doesn’t change your membership or your coverage, and you’re not committing to anything.
Can you be our broker on the BIAW plan?
No. BIAW plans are placed and serviced through the trust’s own administrator and consultant, EPK & Associates and Capital Benefit Services. We compare the alternatives, and if renewing on BIAW still comes out ahead, we’ll tell you.
Is an association plan cheaper than the small-group market?
Not by default. Association plans are priced by different rules than ACA small-group plans, so the answer depends on your crew. That’s why the comparison has to use your census.
Most of my crew is over 50. Does that matter?
It can. ACA small-group rates can’t use your crew’s health or claims, and an adult’s rate can’t exceed 3 times a 21-year-old’s. Older employees still cost more, just within that limit. Qualifying association plans aren’t bound by those small-group rules. Look at your rate sheet, then test a small-group quote.
I’m an owner who isn’t covered by L&I. Will a new plan cover me if I’m hurt on the job?
Ask before you switch. Regence and Premera small-group plans in Washington generally cover work injuries for people who aren’t covered by workers’ compensation, but level-funded plan documents vary. Health insurance doesn’t replace lost wages. Elective L&I coverage does, and it has to be in place before an injury.
Does an ICHRA work for seasonal or field crews?
It can. Seasonal, hourly, salaried, full-time, part-time, and rating-area classes are all allowed, each with its own allowance. Employees need their own individual coverage, and an affordable offer ends their eligibility for premium tax credits.
Will my employees keep their doctors?
Check before you switch. Networks differ between Regence, Asuris, Kaiser, and other carriers, and individual-market networks can be narrower. Run a network and prescription check on your census.
Do HRA or ICHRA dollars count toward prevailing wage?
L&I clearly credits employer-paid medical insurance. It hasn’t published guidance on HRA or ICHRA money, so confirm with L&I first.
Is the BIAW plan self-funded?
No. BIAW told the U.S. Department of Labor in February 2024 that its plans are fully insured.
Sources checked October 21, 2026. General information; your plan and circumstances matter. Washington Insurance Brokers LLC is a Washington-licensed insurance agency (license 1309085). We don’t provide legal, tax, or prevailing-wage determinations. Confirm current plan terms with your plan administrator.
BIAW Health Insurance ProgramBIAW letter to the DOL, Feb. 2024BIAW trust administrative manualMaster Builders Pierce: BIAW Health TrustOIC association health plansRCW 48.21.045RCW 48.21.04745 CFR 147.10226 CFR 54.9802-4 (ICHRA)IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (QSEHRA)OIC 2027 individual market ratesRCW 51.12.020L&I benefits calculation policySend your BIAW renewal for a second look.
Tell us when your plan renews and roughly who is on it. We’ll quote the alternatives on your census within 2–4 business days. Or call or text (206) 653-9636.