Not sure where you are located, but I deal with a fantastic insurance broker that covers the Northeast and CA called Corporate Synergies (http://www.corpsyn.com) They shopped my current plans and reduced my rates without compromising the plan benefits I had chosen for my employees. Everyone I have dealt with there has been extremely professional!
What is that you don't like about a ppo plan? Typically they are not much different then an HMO and you have more freedom. You don't need to have referrals and such. I've had both and prefer the PPO.
I just read your post below.
You still pay copays for office visits, ob visits, etc. The deductible comes into play when you are doing special services such as inpatient or outpatient services.
For services such as inpatient, you would pay the bill 100% until your deductible is met. You mentioned $2000. Once the deductible is met, you pay whatever the plan is (ie. 80/20, 90/10, etc.). If you use the number I used, it would be either 10 or 20% of the bill.
As far as small business insurance, see if you can find a broker to do the work for you. Often times they can get good rates from various companies and you can pick.
Good luck to you
I'm looking for the same information for my small company. The quotes I've been receiving for health insurance are just astronomical and it would be great to find a plan that my employees and I can afford!
Sandy