Small business · Dental & medical offices · Michigan
Health insurance for Michigan dental and medical offices
Practices compete with hospital systems for hygienists, assistants and front-desk staff. Here’s the Michigan picture and what staff expect.
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- 74,457 MI physician-office jobs
- 33,504 MI dental-office jobs
- Avg. 9 jobs per dental office
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Dental & medical offices in Michigan, by the numbers
| Michigan private industry | Jobs (2025 avg.) | Locations | Avg. jobs per location | Avg. annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offices of physicians (NAICS 6211) | 74,457 | 5,466 | 13.6 | $102,425 |
| Offices of dentists (NAICS 6212) | 33,504 | 3,648 | 9.2 | $66,876 |
BLS QCEW, 2025 annual averages, private ownership; jobs per location is jobs divided by establishments.[1] QCEW covers jobs reported under unemployment insurance and excludes proprietors and the unincorporated self-employed.[2]
What benefits look like in this kind of work
- In health care and social assistance, 73% of private-industry workers had access to an employer medical plan; at hospitals it was 91%.[3]
- In private businesses with 1 to 49 workers, 55% of workers had access to an employer medical plan, compared with 86% at businesses with 100 or more.[3]
- Employers in health care and social assistance paid 81% of single-coverage premiums on average.[4]
- Nationally, 44% of private-industry workers had access to dental care benefits and 29% to vision care.[5]
National figures for private industry; BLS doesn’t publish these by state.[3]
What we’d look at for a practice
Michigan’s 3,648 dental offices averaged 9.2 jobs each in 2025, and physician offices averaged 13.6.[1] Hospital jobs carry much higher medical access than the sector average[3], so a practice’s package often needs medical plus dental and vision to keep staff. Average pay differs a lot: $66,876 at dental offices vs. $102,425 at physician offices[1], which affects tax-credit eligibility.
Rules that apply to you
- Small group is 1 to 50. For SHOP coverage you generally need 1 to 50 full-time-equivalent employees who aren’t owners or family, and you can start any time of year.[6] See small group rules.
- Can’t meet a carrier’s contribution or participation rule? Federal rules let insurers limit those groups to a November 15 to December 15 enrollment window each year.[7] See contribution and participation rules.
- The mandate starts at 50. Employers with at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalents, on average in the prior year are applicable large employers.[8]
- QSEHRA is open only to employers that aren’t applicable large employers and don’t offer a group health plan; 2026 limits are $6,450 single and $13,100 family.[9] See QSEHRA.
- ICHRA can be offered by class of employees, but you can’t offer the same class both an ICHRA and a traditional group plan.[10] See ICHRA and ICHRA vs. a group plan.
- Tax credit check. The small business health care tax credit requires fewer than 25 FTEs and average annual wages under $67,000 per FTE (2025 rules), with a plan through SHOP.[11] This industry’s Michigan average pay was $66,876 in 2025[1], but your own payroll math decides it. See the Form 8941 guide.
Workers’ compensation is a separate, required coverage and isn’t covered on this page.
Related: small business health insurance, level-funded plans and adding dental and vision.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Michigan, 2025 annual averages (private ownership). https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/area/26000.csv
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW Overview: coverage and employment exclusions. https://www.bls.gov/cew/overview.htm
- BLS, Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2026, Table 2: Medical care benefits, access and participation. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ebs2.t02.htm
- BLS, Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2026, Table 3: Share of premiums paid, single coverage. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ebs2.t03.htm
- BLS, Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2026 (news release, USDL-26-1534). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ebs2.nr0.htm
- HealthCare.gov, Overview of SHOP: Health insurance for small businesses. https://www.healthcare.gov/small-businesses/choose-and-enroll/shop-marketplace-overview/
- 45 CFR 147.104, Guaranteed availability of coverage (eCFR). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-B/part-147/section-147.104
- IRS, Determining if an employer is an applicable large employer. https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/employers/determining-if-an-employer-is-an-applicable-large-employer
- IRS, Publication 15-B (2026), Employer’s Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits. https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15b
- 26 CFR 54.9802-4, Special rule allowing integration of HRAs with individual health insurance coverage (eCFR). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-26/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-54/section-54.9802-4
- IRS, Instructions for Form 8941 (2025). https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i8941
Checked October 16, 2026. 2027 Marketplace plans and final 2027 rates aren’t published yet; we’ll update this page when they are.
Frequently asked questions
Do dental offices usually offer health insurance?
Nationally, 73% of private health care and social assistance workers had access to an employer medical plan in March 2026, per BLS; access is lower at businesses under 50 workers.
Can a small practice offer dental and vision without medical?
Yes. Limited-scope dental and vision under a separate policy are excepted benefits under federal rules.
Will you sell my information?
No. Your information goes to Nexus Benefit Solutions only and is never sold.