LEWISTON – For once, money wasn’t the cornerstone of a discussion about health care.

Instead, options and flexibility were the overriding themes of a new product offered to small business through a network of chambers of commerce and Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

The business association and the state’s largest provider of health insurance rolled out Chamber BlueOptions, a package of five separate health plans available to Chamber members whose businesses fall between two and 50 employees, or who are self employed. About 30 local businesspeople turned out to hear the pitch.

“It’s a never-ending battle,” said one attendee, commiserating about the struggle to offer health insurance to her employees who often see their raises swallowed up by premium increases. Providing medical coverage usually tops the local Chamber’s annual survey of members’ concerns.

For many, the problem is finding a policy that covers a small, but divergent, employee mix.

Chip Morrison, the president of the local Chamber who hosted the workshop, offered his four-member staff as an example.

“You could have a 62-year-old who’s falling apart like me and a 27-year-old colleague with no health problems at all,” he said. “She could save a lot of money through this.”

Previously, Anthem only offered businesses with 10 or fewer employees one plan; with Chamber BlueOptions, they can choose from among five plans, or mix and match them according to their employee preferences. The flexibility – from a preferred-provider or HMO network, to a Health Savings Account plan – is the program’s strength.

“It’s what makes this unique,” said Don Antonucci, the small group sales manager with Anthem, who addressed the group.

Each plan has a different level of coverage and range of premiums. Deductibles (from $5,000 to zero), co-pays, maximums, prescription costs and out-of-pocket expenses vary with each plan. All cover preventative care without a deductible.

Chamber members must have 60 percent of their staff eligible to enroll in BlueOptions, but employees who are covered elsewhere (for instance, through a spouse’s policy) aren’t counted in the mix.

So far, more than 150 businesses have signed up in the first two months of availability.

“We’re beyond our expectations regarding enrollment at this point,” said Antonucci, noting that about 90 percent of businesses in Maine have 19 or fewer employees. Around 60 percent of those don’t offer any health coverage at all, he said.

One of the options, the HSA plan, drew particular interest. Employers and employees put in pre-tax dollars into an interest-bearing account, which is then used to pay for medical care. The account can reach almost $3,000 per year and rolls over from year to year. It’s also portable, going with the employee if he or she should leave the company.

“There are tax advantages … and people are more likely to ask about costs when they manage the account themselves,” said Antonucci of the consumer-driven plan. “That has brought down some health-care costs.”

Anthem appoints a network of insurance agencies to explore which options work best for each business. Those agencies work out the quotes based on a company’s size, location and age mix of employees. For details, go to www.mainechamber.org and click on the BlueOptions button.

Since the rates are based on the community market, there are no inherent discounts through the Chamber plan. But the options are appealing.

“It was interesting,” said Sue Fournier of Hebert Construction of the Anthem presentation. “We’re always looking for ways to extend coverage.”