What is the employer to do?

Am a new employer in the state of Iowa and have offered health insurance to the employees of the business. One of the employees husband has had full coverage insurance at his place of employment. An agreement between my employee and myself(our business) was that we did not need to place her on the companies policy, as her husbands was 100% coverage including deductable. This has now change and my employee is requesting that she receive funding to help with her husbands insurance. What am to offer her? She is entitled to single insurance, where her husband has family. Both companies have Blue Cross. Looking for some advice

[Beth3]

You have no obligation whatsoever to provide an employee money in lieu of taking your health insurance. You can if you want but before you go down that path, I suggest you think this through very carefully - it can become quite a complex situation for you going forward. For one thing, every time her husband's employer increases the premiums employees must pay, she'll be back asking for more from you.

On the whole, my advice is to offer every employee the opportunity to participate in your plan when they're eligible. If they opt not to, then that's their choice.