Solo owner
You're an individual buyer with the self-employed deduction. Price both markets.
You plus one
A spouse on payroll or one W-2 employee opens guaranteed-issue small-group coverage. Often the answer when one person has a condition.
3–50 employees
Level-funded and traditional group plans, deductible to the business. Under 50 there's no mandate to offer coverage. New York uses pure community rating — a 25-year-old and a 64-year-old pay the same marketplace premium — and the state restricts most non-ACA plans. Private options in New York are narrower than in other states, so the honest answer here is usually a careful comparison, not a promise of savings.