Associated Industries of Massachusetts announced today that it will offer health-insurance discounts to companies with 50 or fewer full-time employees through a cooperative of Bay State chambers of commerce and business associations.

The Chamber Health Coop will add another choice to a growing menu of options that AIM maintains for Massachusetts companies seeking to manage the cost of providing health insurance to their employees. AIM already offers the HealthSolution program for companies with 1-9 employees and will announce next week an innovative health insurance program for employers with more than 50 eligible employees.

AIM is pleased to join with the Massachusetts Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (MACCE) and more than 50 chambers and associations from throughout the commonwealth to offer affordable health insurance to small businesses. We remain committed to providing a range of health insurance choices to companies working to manage premium costs.

The Coop compliments AIM’s extensive educational and public policy activities on health-cost issues. We are proud to be the only business association in Massachusetts to have called upon the health care industry to reduce the rise of medical spending two percentage points below overall economic growth.

The Chamber Health Coop is the first business buying group to be approved under legislation signed by Governor Deval Patrick on August 10, 2010. The organization is offering discounts of three percent on selected policies from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Fallon Community Health Plan, and 5 percent discounts on policies from Springfield-based Health New England.

The Coop is open to any AIM member employer with 50 or fewer employees and includes a modest membership fee that varies according to the insurance company selected.  The program also provides a health and wellness component to help employees manage medical conditions and live healthy lives.

Employers will be able to obtain price quotes in late June for coverage beginning in August. Companies with 1-5 employees will enroll for a period ending March 31, 2013, while companies with 6-50 employees will enroll for a full 12 months.

AIM members may purchase coverage through their brokers as long as those brokers have been certified to participate in the Coop. Otherwise, members may contact Adelaide Lincoln 800.876.2765, x8832, for assistance.  AIM expects to provide detailed information about the Coop to members in the next two weeks.