Boulder, Colorado employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
46 employers in Boulder, Colorado filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 15,582 participants. They reported $1.7M in insurance premiums and $2.8M in broker commissions and fees. Against 2023, premiums were down 19.2% and broker pay rose 2.2%.
Funding: 2 fully insured · 24 self-funded · 20 mixed. 44 of 46 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Boulder
Boulder employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage V Foods, LLC | $1,158,933 | $96,649 | 205 | USI Insurance Services |
| The Cigarette Store LLC | $205,632 | $43,063 | 310 | GBS Colorado, LLC |
| Boulder Medical Center, P.C. | $151,557 | $8,712 | 388 | HUB International |
| Nite Ize, Inc. | $103,207 | $1,686 | 193 | Holmes Murphy |
| Frasier Meadows Manor | $82,704 | $90,773 | 165 | Lockton |
| Zayo Group LLC | $0 | $217,692 | 2,605 | National Insurance Marketing Broker |
| Boulder Community Health | $0 | $144,920 | 1,631 | Mercer |
| University Corporation for Atmospheric Research | $0 | $30,661 | 1,421 | Mercer |
| Aurora Organic Dairy Holdings, LLC | $0 | $258,551 | 827 | Hylant |
| Corden Pharma Colorado, Inc. | $0 | $105,185 | 593 | HUB International |
| Rocky Mountain Institute | $0 | $15,193 | 589 | Lockton |
| Uplight, Inc. | $0 | $20,726 | 431 | IMA Financial |
| E Source Companies LLC | $0 | $1,762 | 293 | Willis Towers Watson |
| Techstars Central, LLC | $0 | $22,786 | 290 | Sequoia |
| Spectra Logic Corporation | $0 | $34,835 | 282 | Holmes Murphy |
| Lbe Holdings, LLC | $0 | $40,440 | 279 | HUB International |
| Emergy, Inc. | $0 | $125,712 | 266 | Abd Ins. and Financial SVCS., Inc. |
| Renaissance Solutions, Inc. dba Terrapin Care Station | $0 | $47,710 | 256 | Moody Insurance Agency |
| Outside Interactive, Inc | $0 | $263,148 | 256 | Sequoia |
| Boulder Associates Architects Inc. | $0 | $117,786 | 219 | Fidelity Health Insurance |
| Sumup, Inc | $0 | $31,021 | 212 | Lockton |
| Somalogic, Inc. | $0 | $30,432 | 210 | James R. Nelligan & Associates LLC |
| Datavail Corporation | $0 | $221,266 | 210 | NFP |
| Ascend Analytics | $0 | $8,768 | 210 | Lockton |
| Integral Consulting, Inc. | $0 | $19,015 | 203 | Armfield Harrison and Thomas Inc |
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 Boulder employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Sequoia | $284,392 | 2 |
| Hylant | $196,814 | 1 |
| Mercer | $175,634 | 3 |
| National Insurance Marketing Broker | $171,026 | 1 |
| Lockton | $160,704 | 8 |
| HUB International | $144,920 | 5 |
| GBS Colorado, LLC | $139,795 | 4 |
| GBS Benefits Inc | $136,245 | 3 |
| NFP | $133,738 | 1 |
| Fidelity Health Insurance Services | $117,786 | 1 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Boulder against Colorado 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.
| Boulder | Colorado | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 46 | 1,040 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | n/a | 5.0% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | n/a | 1.8% – 9.3% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $32,582 | $46,030 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | n/a | n/a | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 0 | 2 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 48 Boulder employers reported $2.1M in premiums and $2.7M in broker pay for 15,395 participants; in 2024 it was $1.7M and $2.8M for 15,582 participants (premiums −19.2%, broker pay +2.2%).
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 Boulder employers pay health insurance brokers?
46 Boulder employers reported $2,786,410 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 45 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Too few fully insured medical plans in Boulder reported premium to compute a stable commission rate; the Colorado median is 5.0% and the U.S. median is 3.8%. In dollars, the median Boulder employer that disclosed broker pay reported $32,582.
Which Boulder employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, Sage V Foods, LLC ($1.2M), The Cigarette Store LLC ($205,632), Boulder Medical Center, P.C. ($151,557) lead. 25 Boulder employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Boulder?
By compensation reported by Boulder employers, the largest brokers are Sequoia ($284,392, 2 plans), Hylant ($196,814, 1 plans), Mercer ($175,634, 3 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company.
Are Boulder employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 46 Boulder employer plans, 2 are fully insured, 24 are self-funded and 20 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 Colorado
Is your company on this page? Get its Form 5500 read next to the Boulder, Colorado 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.