Detroit City Wire

The Wayne County government has announced the "Waynetrepreneurs" initiative in collaboration with HealthChoice. This program aims to support small businesses and their employees by addressing high health insurance costs, promoting economic development, and prioritizing workforce health and wellness in Wayne County.

In partnership with Wayne County, HealthChoice offers cost-effective and high-quality health insurance coverage with no out-of-pocket costs for small businesses in Wayne and Oakland Counties. The program provides new small business owners and their employees with three months of complimentary HealthChoice coverage.

Eligible for enrollment are new businesses established in Wayne County after January 1, 2024, that have processed the initial payroll for a minimum of two full-time employees, up to a maximum of 50 employees. Both the business and its employees must not have been previously registered in HealthChoice.

Warren C. Evans, the Wayne County Executive, emphasized the importance of small businesses in driving economic growth and creating job opportunities for local residents. “Nationally, 44% of businesses do not offer health insurance to their employees. The ‘Waynetrepreneurs’ initiative will provide critical support for new small businesses across Wayne County to provide health insurance for their employees as they get off the ground,” Evans said.

Abdul El-Sayed, director of HHVS, highlighted the significant challenge that new small businesses face regarding healthcare needs for their employees. “Waynetrepeneurs will offer a pathway toward affordable healthcare for new small business owners and their employees—reducing the number of uninsured in our county and improving health and wellbeing—all while supporting our business climate,” El-Sayed said.

Alisha Bell, Chair of the Wayne County Commission, stressed the financial burden on small-business owners providing health insurance for their employees. She expressed enthusiasm for the program's potential to support economic development and safeguard the well-being of the county’s workforce.

Christopher Johnson, Executive Director of HealthChoice, emphasized the role that small businesses play as catalysts for local economic growth. “HealthChoice offers an incredible value for small businesses in our county—the ‘Waynetrepeneurs’ program will extend that value to new businesses and their employees,” Johnson said.

Dina Harris, CEO of National Faith Homebuyers, has relied on Healthchoice to offer comprehensive healthcare benefits to her team members at her thriving small business. For over two decades, Harris has assisted first-time homebuyers while prioritizing securing optimal healthcare options for her team. “As we grew, our income went from our first-year budget of around $200,000; this year our budget should be about 4 million, and we’re still with Healthchoice,” Harris said.

Alisha Bell mentioned that she and her team have contracts with Detroit Medical Center and recently signed on Corwell Health. As a result, individuals enrolled in the program receive exceptional healthcare coverage at accessible hospitals and networks. “The cost is affordable...you can’t really get that anywhere else...So I’m proud of the longevity of the program,” Bell said.

Bell further commented on how beneficial it is for any business that opened this year to have three months of free healthcare coverage for their employees: “A small business just launching off the ground is hard enough...So we can provide that employer and that employee with three months of free health care. That’s a game-changer.”