Insurance agreement between a health plan (contracting entity) and an employer (certificate holder) that gives coverage to all employees (group members) of the plan. The group members receive an identification card to show they have health insurance coverage. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), insurance portability is tied to employer-group plans in which an employee changes jobs.

Type of life insurance in which a master contract covers the lives of current and future debtors of the policy owner who is the beneficiary of the policy.

Type of annuity that sometimes funds a retirement plan. The employer contributes under a group deferred annuity contract, and these funds are used to purchase deferred annuities for the retirement benefits of participants of the plan.

Contract between a health insurance plan and a group sponsor who acts as the intermediary for an insured group.

1. Any insurance plan by which a number of employees of an employer (and their dependents), or members of a similar homogeneous group, are insured under a single policy (master contract), issued to their employer or the group with individual certificates of insurance given to each insured individual or family. Usually, group insurance has lower monthly premiums compared with individual insurance. Group insurance is usually experience rated. Also called group insurance or blanket insurance . 2. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), an employee welfare benefit plan (as defined by ERISA) including any insured or self-insured plan that provides medical care including items and services paid for as medical care to employees or dependents either directly or through insurance, reimbursement, or otherwise if (a) the plan has 50 or more participants or (b) is administered by an entity other than the employer that established and maintains the plan. Also called group health coverage .

Managed care organization that contracts with two or more groups of practices to provide health services.