Fort Smith, Arkansas employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
21 employers in Fort Smith, Arkansas filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 14,826 participants. They reported $23M in insurance premiums and $1.6M in broker commissions and fees. Against 2023, premiums were down 11.2% and broker pay fell 9.6%.
Funding: 7 fully insured · 6 self-funded · 8 mixed. 14 of 21 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Fort Smith
Fort Smith employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Colleges of Health Education | $2,790,676 | $63,891 | 155 | American Fidelity Assurance Company |
| Tri State Enterprises Inc | $2,471,452 | $62,980 | 607 | BHC Next, LLC |
| Bost, Inc. | $2,211,333 | $73,268 | 449 | OneDigital |
| QP Holdings, LLC | $2,175,281 | $130,113 | 409 | Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance LLC |
| Stein Ancillary Services, LLC | $2,098,400 | $69,147 | 188 | Gallagher |
| Water Tech, Inc. & Affiliates | $1,713,223 | $62,823 | 150 | Higginbotham |
| Western Arkansas Counseling & Guidance Center | $1,647,709 | $115,315 | 225 | BHC Next, LLC |
| Arcbest Corporation | $1,552,314 | $203,375 | 4,855 | Stephens Ins. Inc. |
| Forsgren, Inc. | $1,457,729 | $44,325 | 113 | BHC Insurance |
| Orr Motors of Fort Smith | $1,250,589 | $40,944 | 198 | Daines Insurance |
| Littlefield Investment Company Health an | $1,043,536 | $34,333 | 296 | Gallagher |
| Methodist Nursing Home of Fort Smith Inc. | $670,450 | $14,349 | 148 | BHC Next LLC |
| O.K. Foods, Inc. | $588,356 | $221,142 | 2,860 | Lockton |
| Burton Pools & Spas LLC | $477,405 | $6,684 | 105 | Alliant Insurance Services |
| First Bank Corp | $236,962 | $69,041 | 621 | BHC Next, LLC |
| Boyd Metals | $124,165 | $82,382 | 237 | BHC Next LLC |
| Wonder Boys Properties of Arkansas, LLC dba Van Buren Health & Rehab | $109,064 | $25,773 | 177 | Ibenefit Tech Resources |
| Mop-Cloyes, Inc. | $97,601 | $46,227 | 189 | Brown & Brown |
| Carco Capital Corporation | $60,339 | $16,901 | 164 | BHC Next LLC |
| Central Arkansas Nursing Centers, | $0 | $221,543 | 2,547 | Caremax Services Agency |
| Weldon Williams & Lick, Inc | $0 | $33,491 | 133 | Gallagher |
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 Fort Smith employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| BHC Next, LLC | $241,292 | 8 |
| Caremax Services Agency | $221,543 | 1 |
| Lockton | $177,160 | 1 |
| Stephens Ins LLC | $152,250 | 1 |
| Gallagher | $129,688 | 4 |
| Higginbotham | $93,522 | 3 |
| Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance LLC | $88,955 | 1 |
| OneDigital | $57,939 | 1 |
| Avant Specialty Benefits LLC | $51,125 | 1 |
| Marsh McLennan Agency | $43,982 | 1 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Fort Smith against Arkansas 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.
| Fort Smith | Arkansas | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 21 | 371 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | n/a | 3.7% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | n/a | 2.5% – 5.1% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $62,980 | $64,301 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | $4,791 | $5,286 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 8 | 56 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 20 Fort Smith employers reported $26M in premiums and $1.8M in broker pay for 14,737 participants; in 2024 it was $23M and $1.6M for 14,826 participants (premiums −11.2%, broker pay −9.6%).
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 Fort Smith employers pay health insurance brokers?
21 Fort Smith employers reported $1,638,047 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 21 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Too few fully insured medical plans in Fort Smith reported premium to compute a stable commission rate; the Arkansas median is 3.7% and the U.S. median is 3.8%. In dollars, the median Fort Smith employer that disclosed broker pay reported $62,980.
Which Fort Smith employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, Arkansas Colleges of Health Education ($2.8M), Tri State Enterprises Inc ($2.5M), Bost, Inc. ($2.2M) lead. 21 Fort Smith employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Fort Smith?
By compensation reported by Fort Smith employers, the largest brokers are BHC Next, LLC ($241,292, 8 plans), Caremax Services Agency ($221,543, 1 plans), Lockton ($177,160, 1 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Armada Care, Blueadvantage Administrators of Arkansas.
Are Fort Smith employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 21 Fort Smith employer plans, 7 are fully insured, 6 are self-funded and 8 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 Arkansas
Is your company on this page? Get its Form 5500 read next to the Fort Smith, Arkansas medians.
Tell us the company and a specialist writes up what the public Form 5500 record shows for it, if it files one: broker pay against the medians above, fee disclosure and filing timeliness, in a form you can forward to your CFO or counsel. Tick the box if you also want a 15-minute walkthrough call.
We don't sell your email. By submitting, you agree that BenefitsLedger and its benefits advisory partner, WellthCare, may email or call you about these findings. Opt out anytime by replying. See our privacy policy.