Call it coverage without the middle man. Last week, two major companies announced plans to shift their health-care model, giving more control to employees.

Sears and Darden Restaurants Inc. plan to implement a new way of providing benefits to workersgiving them a flat sum of money and allowing them to choose their coverage and insurer from an online marketplace, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Journal reported Darden claims employees will have the same contribution out-of-pocket that they currently have for the same level of coverage, and those who choose more coverage will have to up their own payments to cover the difference. The same goes for those who choose less coveragetheir out-of-pocket costs will drop. The plans are still considered employer-sponsored, rather than individual coverage.

But would the flat-rate model ever work for small businesses?

This model would be efficient for small employers depending on how they are attempting to compete in the job market, according to Gary Kushner, president of Kushner & Company. Benefits are obviously a competitive advantage, especially at a smaller company. However, he said, under Obamacare there is no penalty for not offering coverage for businesses with fewer than 50 workers.

Offering workers a flat amount to go shop in an online exchange may work best for a company like Sears or Darden, with many part-time workers, because they are not necessarily looking for lifers.

"Lets say I am a McDonald's franchisee. I am going to hire all sorts of people, training takes a short period of time, and I don't need to provide expensive benefits to attract and retain. Having that defined contribution may make financial sense for different employers, where the overall HR strategy is not about pursuing lifetime career employees, he said.

Diane Pfadenhauer, president of EPA Advisors, said that while it is unclear how employers will handle the changes that will occur under Obamacare, one thing is sure-- they will do whatever is cheapest. If that means offering plans via Web exchanges until the state-sponsored exchanges kick in for small companies in 2014, its a potential solution.

"Employers are more inclined, as the cost of health care goes up every year, to pass that cost along to their employees," Pfadenhauer said.

However, large companies like Sears have more buying power when approaching insurance companies. They will be receiving better rates than smaller companies without a doubt, she said.

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Would Sears’ Health-Care Approach Work for Your Business?