Companies often pay for much of full-time workers' coverage. They can be reluctant to add part-time workers or contractors because of the expense.
The new insurance is scaled-down and won't be subsidized by the companies, said Jeff McGuiness, the consortium's executive director.
McGuiness said the companies are hoping to enroll several hundred thousand of the 3 million people eligible.
Two of the health plans are major medical policies with high deductibles -- $2,000 for a single in one, and $1,100 in the other. One of the other plans covers 80 percent of the cost of an office visit, leaving the patient to pay the rest.
The companies hope that as consumers begin writing healthcare checks they will also put pressure on health providers to lower costs, said Greg A. Lee, vice president for human resources at Sears and chairman of the coalition that came up with the insurance plan.
Lee called rising costs "a healthcare crisis."
"This is just a start. This is not a panacea," he said.
Lee said about 100,000 part-time Sears workers will be offered the coverage.
UnitedHealth Group of Minnetonka, Minn., will offer the four cheapest plans, with Humana Inc. and Cigna Corp. handling the major medical policies.
