Santa Cruz, California employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
18 employers in Santa Cruz, California filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 5,044 participants. They reported $158,685 in insurance premiums and $1.7M in broker commissions and fees. Against 2023, premiums were up 21.7% and broker pay rose 23.2%.
Funding: 5 fully insured · 2 self-funded · 11 mixed. 13 of 18 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joby Aero, Inc. | $158,685 | $34,112 | 1,452 | OneDigital |
| Harmony Foods, LLC | $0 | $285,992 | 570 | Lockton |
| New Leaf Community Market, Inc | $0 | $2,955 | 440 | Verus Insurance Services, LLC |
| Santa Cruz Seaside Company | $0 | $47,052 | 285 | Progressive Benefit Group |
| Encompass Community Services | $0 | $140,134 | 278 | Calnonprofits Insurance Services |
| Santa Cruz Bicycles, Inc. | $0 | $42,798 | 248 | HUB International |
| Front Street Inc. /7th Avenue Center | $0 | $113,801 | 231 | OneDigital |
| Alliance Member Services, Inc. | $0 | $124,175 | 188 | Vita Insurance Associates, Inc. |
| Santa Cruz Community Health Centers | $0 | $35,721 | 188 | Patriot Growth |
| Jane Technologies, Inc. | $0 | $190,370 | 181 | OneDigital |
| Santa Cruz County Bank | $0 | $165,015 | 143 | OneDigital |
| SC Laboratories, LLC | $0 | $28,252 | 142 | Lockton |
| Ccof, Inc. | $0 | $109,464 | 140 | The Baldwin Group |
| NHS, Inc. | $0 | — | 138 | — |
| Janus of Santa Cruz | $0 | $53,979 | 112 | Nac Insurance Administration Corp |
| Santa Cruz Medical Group, Inc. | $0 | $160,465 | 108 | USI Insurance Services |
| Dientes Community Dental Care | $0 | $77,222 | 100 | Nava Benefits |
| Housing Matters | $0 | $57,015 | 100 | Nac Insurance Administration |
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 Santa Cruz employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| OneDigital | $424,798 | 4 |
| Lockton | $314,244 | 2 |
| Nac Insurance Administration Corp | $173,218 | 4 |
| USI Insurance Services | $160,499 | 1 |
| Vita Insurance Associates, Inc. | $123,131 | 1 |
| Calnonprofits Insurance Services | $77,949 | 2 |
| The Baldwin Group | $67,752 | 1 |
| Nava Benefits | $62,017 | 1 |
| Beere & Purves Inc | $52,627 | 1 |
| HUB International | $36,024 | 1 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Santa Cruz 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.
| Santa Cruz | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 18 | 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 | $77,222 | $104,298 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | n/a | $6,689 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 0 | 25 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 15 Santa Cruz employers reported $130,409 in premiums and $1.4M in broker pay for 4,709 participants; in 2024 it was $158,685 and $1.7M for 5,044 participants (premiums +21.7%, broker pay +23.2%).
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 Santa Cruz employers pay health insurance brokers?
18 Santa Cruz employers reported $1,668,522 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 17 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Too few fully insured medical plans in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz employer that disclosed broker pay reported $77,222.
Which Santa Cruz employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, Joby Aero, Inc. ($158,685), Harmony Foods, LLC ($0), New Leaf Community Market, Inc ($0) lead. 18 Santa Cruz employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Santa Cruz?
By compensation reported by Santa Cruz employers, the largest brokers are OneDigital ($424,798, 4 plans), Lockton ($314,244, 2 plans), Nac Insurance Administration Corp ($173,218, 4 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Unitedhealthcare of California, Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc..
Are Santa Cruz employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 18 Santa Cruz employer plans, 5 are fully insured, 2 are self-funded and 11 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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