Who can be considered a possible applicant and contract policyholder for group health benefits?

The employer can be considered a possible applicant and contract policyholder for group health benefits because group health insurance is typically purchased by an employer on behalf of its employees. In this arrangement, the employer acts as the policyholder, and the employees become the insured members through the group policy. This setup is designed to provide health coverage to multiple individuals under a single contract, which often leads to lower premiums due to the risk being spread across a larger group.

Independent contractors, workers in a sole proprietorship, and freelancers usually do not have a direct employer-employee relationship that qualifies them for group health benefits. Instead, they are often considered self-employed, which means they would typically need to seek individual health insurance plans rather than group coverage provided through an employer.