West Des Moines, Iowa employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
38 employers in West Des Moines, Iowa filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 78,325 participants. They reported $61M in insurance premiums and $5.2M in broker commissions and fees. Against 2023, premiums were down 4.4% and broker pay rose 10.0%.
Funding: 6 fully insured · 17 self-funded · 15 mixed. 32 of 38 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in West Des Moines
West Des Moines employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and Affiliated Co | $25,778,902 | $124,950 | 2,785 | Brown & Brown |
| Hy-Line International | $14,330,448 | $67,676 | 675 | Benefit Source, Inc |
| Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center | $3,665,321 | — | 285 | — |
| Board of Trustees of the Cooperative Welfare Benefits Fund | $3,249,564 | $678,611 | 5,467 | Holmes Murphy |
| Wild Rose Entertainment LLLP | $2,936,122 | $145,449 | 247 | USI Insurance Services |
| Bank Iowa | $2,689,214 | $70,168 | 262 | Holmes Murphy |
| Hubbell Realty Company | $2,593,023 | $84,636 | 326 | Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc |
| Unitypoint Rural Health Alliance Benefits Plan | $2,536,186 | — | 1,371 | — |
| Hirsh Industries, Inc. | $2,019,114 | $23,514 | 169 | Holmes Murphy |
| TMG Insurance Services, LLC | $1,273,616 | $30,379 | 629 | Gis Benefits Inc |
| Arona Corporation | $25,699 | $49,104 | 795 | Holmes Murphy |
| Iowa Health System | $0 | $115,108 | 34,733 | Mercer |
| Hy-Vee, Inc. | $0 | $2,176,098 | 16,212 | Midwest Heritage Services Inc. |
| Care Initiatives, Inc. | $0 | $169,485 | 2,097 | Mercer |
| Athene Annuity and Life Company | $0 | $83,682 | 1,897 | NFP |
| Businessolver.Com Inc | $0 | $228,634 | 1,262 | Alliant Insurance Services |
| American Healthcare Management Services LLC | $0 | $16,356 | 1,166 | Cattail Inc |
| American Equity Investment Life Insurance | $0 | $32,386 | 977 | Brown & Brown |
| Ita Group, Inc. | $0 | $63,215 | 892 | Holmes Murphy |
| The Iowa Clinic P.C. | $0 | — | 806 | Holmes Murphy |
| Telligen | $0 | $16,423 | 624 | Lockton |
| Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa | $0 | — | 571 | — |
| Carrot Fertility | $0 | $347,245 | 458 | Sequoia |
| Dhi Group, Inc. | $0 | $169,930 | 456 | Holmes Murphy |
| Iowa Network Services, Inc. | $0 | $25,723 | 416 | Holmes Murphy |
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 West Des Moines employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Midwest Heritage Services Inc. | $1,930,166 | 1 |
| Holmes Murphy | $944,412 | 13 |
| Sequoia | $347,245 | 1 |
| Mercer | $205,237 | 4 |
| Alliant Insurance Services | $175,268 | 1 |
| Topbenefits | $151,945 | 1 |
| USI Insurance Services | $136,091 | 1 |
| Avant Specialty Benefits LLC | $128,652 | 4 |
| Brown & Brown | $120,174 | 2 |
| Truenorth Companies, L.C. | $81,086 | 2 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
West Des Moines against Iowa 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.
| West Des Moines | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 38 | 619 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | n/a | 1.6% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | n/a | 1.1% – 2.4% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $40,095 | $38,968 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | n/a | $10,958 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 3 | 54 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 36 West Des Moines employers reported $64M in premiums and $4.7M in broker pay for 79,560 participants; in 2024 it was $61M and $5.2M for 78,325 participants (premiums −4.4%, broker pay +10.0%).
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 West Des Moines employers pay health insurance brokers?
38 West Des Moines employers reported $5,151,945 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 33 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Too few fully insured medical plans in West Des Moines reported premium to compute a stable commission rate; the Iowa median is 1.6% and the U.S. median is 3.8%. In dollars, the median West Des Moines employer that disclosed broker pay reported $40,095.
Which West Des Moines employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and Affiliated Co ($26M), Hy-Line International ($14M), Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center ($3.7M) lead. 25 West Des Moines employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in West Des Moines?
By compensation reported by West Des Moines employers, the largest brokers are Midwest Heritage Services Inc. ($1.9M, 1 plans), Holmes Murphy ($944,412, 13 plans), Sequoia ($347,245, 1 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa, Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
Are West Des Moines employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 38 West Des Moines employer plans, 6 are fully insured, 17 are self-funded and 15 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 Iowa
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