San Diego, California employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
362 employers in San Diego, California filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 381,127 participants. They reported $228M in insurance premiums and $58M in broker commissions and fees. Against 2023, premiums were up 6.5% and broker pay rose 3.2%.
Funding: 84 fully insured · 21 self-funded · 257 mixed. 278 of 362 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in San Diego
San Diego employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benefits Plus Trust Fund Welfare Benefit Plan | $87,102,044 | — | 3,091 | — |
| Nv5, Inc. | $23,462,034 | $613,705 | 2,753 | Alliant Insurance Services |
| Edf Renewables, Inc. | $21,297,797 | $258,954 | 1,174 | HUB International |
| Automotive Benefit Association | $21,187,394 | $73,248 | 2,104 | Napa Insurance Center |
| Qualcomm Incorporated | $18,965,823 | $516,957 | 17,428 | Willis Towers Watson |
| FF Properties, L.P. | $16,894,485 | $575,884 | 2,258 | Lockton |
| Solv Energy, LLC Inc. | $9,482,953 | $363,448 | 1,256 | Gallagher |
| K2 Insurance Services, LLC | $7,228,505 | $246,210 | 291 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Kratos Defense & Security Solutions | $5,966,019 | $926,577 | 2,770 | Mercer |
| Plaza Home Mortgage, Inc. | $3,689,259 | $323,233 | 420 | HUB International |
| Kyriba Corporation | $3,672,871 | $281,346 | 295 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | $3,585,897 | $359,498 | 273 | Gallagher |
| H.G. Fenton Company | $1,623,328 | $205,044 | 289 | HUB International |
| Point Loma Nazarene University | $536,385 | $341,107 | 650 | Lockton |
| Ledcor Contractors Group, Inc. | $488,449 | $29,236 | 886 | Mesirow Ins Srvcs Inc |
| Hyundai Translead | $335,693 | $58,971 | 192 | USI Insurance Services |
| Jack in the Box Inc. | $321,468 | $73,134 | 839 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Robbins Geller Rudman and Dowd, LLP | $302,499 | $363,994 | 448 | Lockton |
| Nuvasive, Inc. | $296,013 | $227,725 | 2,399 | Mercer |
| Ace Relocation Systems, Inc. | $225,221 | $30,483 | 247 | HUB International |
| National University | $220,933 | $145,629 | 2,176 | USI Insurance Services |
| Board of Trustees, San Diego UNITE - Here Health Fund | $171,060 | — | 3,500 | — |
| ST. Paul's Episcopal Home, Inc. | $142,730 | $193,831 | 605 | Alliant Insurance Services |
| Legal Aid Society of San Diego, Inc. | $107,279 | $229,349 | 212 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| The San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC | $99,179 | $38,617 | 163 | 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 San Diego employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Marsh McLennan Agency | $11,932,838 | 92 |
| HUB International | $10,528,031 | 75 |
| Lockton | $4,926,134 | 26 |
| Mercer | $4,381,307 | 16 |
| Gallagher | $4,084,012 | 28 |
| Alliant Insurance Services | $3,932,661 | 36 |
| Willis Towers Watson | $922,085 | 6 |
| USI Insurance Services | $903,110 | 13 |
| Sequoia | $883,505 | 8 |
| Acrisure | $808,436 | 7 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
San Diego against California 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.
| San Diego | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 362 | 6,836 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | n/a | 4.0% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | n/a | 0.6% – 6.3% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $118,086 | $104,298 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | $6,652 | $6,689 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 1 | 25 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 363 San Diego employers reported $214M in premiums and $56M in broker pay for 397,603 participants; in 2024 it was $228M and $58M for 381,127 participants (premiums +6.5%, broker pay +3.2%).
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 San Diego employers pay health insurance brokers?
362 San Diego employers reported $58,257,684 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 346 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Too few fully insured medical plans in San Diego reported premium to compute a stable commission rate; the California median is 4.0% and the U.S. median is 3.8%. In dollars, the median San Diego employer that disclosed broker pay reported $118,086.
Which San Diego employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, Benefits Plus Trust Fund Welfare Benefit Plan ($87M), Nv5, Inc. ($23M), Edf Renewables, Inc. ($21M) lead. 25 San Diego employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in San Diego?
By compensation reported by San Diego employers, the largest brokers are Marsh McLennan Agency ($12M, 92 plans), HUB International ($11M, 75 plans), Lockton ($4.9M, 26 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Cigna Helath and Life Insurance Company.
Are San Diego employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 362 San Diego employer plans, 84 are fully insured, 21 are self-funded and 257 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 California
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