Birmingham, Alabama employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
158 employers in Birmingham, Alabama filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 197,271 participants. They reported $181M in insurance premiums and $25M in broker commissions and fees. Against 2023, premiums were down 6.2% and broker pay rose 13.0%.
Funding: 31 fully insured · 75 self-funded · 52 mixed. 127 of 158 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Birmingham
Birmingham employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PBS Aso, LLC | $23,342,062 | $989,876 | 2,468 | Payroll and Benefit Solution |
| BL Harbert International, LLC | $8,914,094 | $189,214 | 654 | Valent Group |
| Ligon Industries LLC | $8,542,172 | $60,876 | 1,502 | Kepplehealthcare Consulting Inc. |
| Bradford Health Services | $7,376,156 | $15,216 | 573 | Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance, in |
| McWane Inc | $6,431,660 | $759,168 | 5,266 | Lockton |
| Books-A-Million, Inc. | $5,299,361 | $299,074 | 783 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Dunn Investment Company | $5,035,978 | $189,425 | 1,265 | Cobbs Allen |
| Biohorizons Implant Systems, Inc. | $4,786,494 | $194,511 | 396 | Cobbs Allen |
| Therapy Brands Thrive LLC | $4,487,874 | $23,752 | 529 | USI Insurance Services |
| Birmingham Hematology & Oncology Associates, LLC | $4,123,162 | $98,762 | 268 | The Priestly Company Inc |
| Anesthesiologists Associated, PC | $3,770,369 | $286,631 | 446 | David Lyon |
| Harbert Management Corporation | $3,432,492 | — | 196 | — |
| Imaging Business Machines, LLC | $3,303,918 | $75,908 | 287 | Valent Group, LLC |
| Simpeo, LLC | $3,229,879 | — | 384 | — |
| Balch & Bingham LLP | $3,138,458 | — | 349 | — |
| Affinity Hospice Holdings, LLC | $2,927,087 | $266,150 | 512 | Gibson Insurance Agency, Inc |
| Surgical Care Affiliates, LLC | $2,749,678 | $703,878 | 11,942 | Lockton |
| Regions Financial Corporation | $2,570,204 | — | 17,599 | — |
| Quality Restaurant Concepts, LLC | $2,310,646 | — | 282 | — |
| PS Holdco, LLC | $2,296,752 | $540,052 | 3,768 | Lockton |
| Craneworks,inc. | $2,210,221 | $191,756 | 183 | Valent Group, LLC |
| Jay Industrial Repair, Inc | $2,201,077 | $42,633 | 210 | Lockton |
| Dentons Sirote, P. C. | $2,191,508 | $23,159 | 158 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Apco Employees Credit Union | $2,183,719 | $8,154 | 157 | OneDigital |
| Mayco Holdings, LLC | $2,115,585 | $88,190 | 271 | Mesirow Insurance |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, plan year 2024; employers are grouped by the sponsor's mailing city as filed. Self-funded employers show only stop-loss and ancillary premium.
Who gets paid
Commissions and fees reported by Birmingham employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Cobbs Allen | $5,474,126 | 30 |
| Lockton | $5,254,915 | 21 |
| Marsh McLennan Agency | $1,562,024 | 15 |
| Valent Group, LLC | $1,290,538 | 26 |
| Payroll and Benefit Solution | $680,842 | 1 |
| Willis Towers Watson | $589,691 | 12 |
| Art Hauser Ins Inc | $532,931 | 1 |
| Ibenefit Communication, LLC | $518,025 | 1 |
| Patriot Growth | $445,279 | 8 |
| Lakeshore Benefit Alliance | $437,691 | 12 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Birmingham against Alabama and the U.S.
Medians over the same definitions on every BenefitsLedger page: commission rate on commission-paying, fully insured medical plans; broker pay per employer that disclosed any; medical premium per covered person.
| Birmingham | Alabama | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 158 | 638 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | n/a | 3.7% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | n/a | 3.0% – 4.8% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $80,751 | $64,089 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | $5,806 | $6,384 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 48 | 272 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 160 Birmingham employers reported $193M in premiums and $22M in broker pay for 195,952 participants; in 2024 it was $181M and $25M for 197,271 participants (premiums −6.2%, broker pay +13.0%).
Source: DOL Form 5500 and Schedule A, plan years 2024 and 2023, employer health plans with 100 or more participants; built October 24, 2026. Medians need at least 10 rated plans to be shown for a city. Methodology.
How much do Birmingham employers pay health insurance brokers?
158 Birmingham employers reported $24,601,806 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 139 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Too few fully insured medical plans in Birmingham reported premium to compute a stable commission rate; the Alabama median is 3.7% and the U.S. median is 3.8%. In dollars, the median Birmingham employer that disclosed broker pay reported $80,751.
Which Birmingham employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, PBS Aso, LLC ($23M), BL Harbert International, LLC ($8.9M), Ligon Industries LLC ($8.5M) lead. 25 Birmingham employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Birmingham?
By compensation reported by Birmingham employers, the largest brokers are Cobbs Allen ($5.5M, 30 plans), Lockton ($5.3M, 21 plans), Marsh McLennan Agency ($1.6M, 15 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Al, Blue Cross of Idaho.
Are Birmingham employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 158 Birmingham employer plans, 31 are fully insured, 75 are self-funded and 52 mix insured and self-funded coverage. Self-funded plans report only stop-loss and ancillary contracts on Schedule A, so their premium and broker pay understate total spend.
Other cities in Alabama
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