How many employees must enroll
Carriers usually want a minimum share of eligible employees to enroll in a group plan — commonly around 70%. There’s an important exception: a yearly special window when those minimums are waived.
To issue a group plan, carriers generally require roughly 70% of eligible employees (those without other qualifying coverage) to participate. If you can’t hit that, most carriers waive the participation and contribution minimums during an annual open window, typically November 15 to December 15 — a useful path to get coverage started.
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Employees with other qualifying coverage — a spouse’s plan, Medicare, or Medicaid — can usually be counted out of the participation calculation, making the 70% threshold easier to meet.