Chicago, Illinois employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
902 employers in Chicago, Illinois filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 1,663,412 participants. They reported $1.4B in insurance premiums and $131M in broker commissions and fees. The median broker rate on commission-paying, fully insured medical plans was 1.5% of premium, against 1.5% across Illinois and 3.8% nationally. Against 2023, premiums were down 8.7% and broker pay rose 9.8%.
Funding: 246 fully insured · 204 self-funded · 452 mixed. 656 of 902 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Chicago
Chicago employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonalds Licensees Health and Welfare Trust | $239,294,091 | $1,345,560 | 22,546 | Willis Towers Watson |
| Board of Trustees of Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Health Fu | $195,607,488 | $391,055 | 20,554 | Vision Service Plan |
| The University of Chicago | $102,490,833 | $615,874 | 27,612 | NFP |
| Hyatt Corporation | $91,273,651 | $300,658 | 27,705 | Custom Benefit Programs Inc |
| The University of Chicago Medical Center | $89,297,384 | $600,368 | 9,330 | Mercer |
| The Aspen Group (tag) | $85,081,940 | $5,451 | 15,139 | Mercer |
| GE Healthcare Technologies Inc. | $69,453,121 | $452,753 | 42,814 | American Benefits & Comp Systems |
| Trans Union LLC | $52,375,424 | $485,694 | 4,838 | Willis Towers Watson |
| Guaranteed Rate, Inc. | $46,407,025 | $989,246 | 5,927 | HUB International |
| SP Plus Corporation | $42,446,845 | $1,092,070 | 11,786 | Lockton |
| Sargent & Lundy, L.L.C. | $31,242,973 | $444,863 | 2,922 | Lockton |
| United Airlines, Inc. | $24,372,736 | $2,320,506 | 126,338 | Mercer |
| Cushman & Wakefield | $23,860,638 | $1,992,891 | 31,369 | Mercer |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association | $21,870,064 | — | 1,446 | — |
| Hightower Holding, LLC | $19,817,026 | $509,279 | 1,545 | The Plexus Groupe LLC |
| Sinai Health System | $17,818,354 | $491,853 | 1,875 | Gallagher |
| Gateway Foundation, Inc. | $13,440,490 | $195,568 | 1,304 | EPIC Insurance Brokers |
| Alfred Benesch & Company | $12,263,732 | $136,869 | 836 | HUB International |
| Trustees of Restaurant & Hospitality Association Benefit TR | $11,688,754 | $664,379 | 2,988 | Quickbenefits, LLC |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | $10,567,074 | $177,763 | 1,055 | Alliant Insurance Services |
| Studio Mechanics Local 476 Health and Welfare Fund | $10,460,700 | $85,709 | 632 | Horton Group Inc |
| Mesirow Financial Administrative Corporation | $9,867,342 | $168,108 | 497 | Alliant Insurance Services |
| Bmo Financial Corp. | $9,086,398 | $225,898 | 20,223 | Willis Towers Watson |
| Czarnowski Display Service, Inc. | $8,917,184 | $342,448 | 790 | Alliant Insurance Services |
| Wirtz Corporation | $8,893,296 | $78,747 | 967 | Wirtz Insurance Agency |
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 Chicago employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Marsh McLennan Agency | $12,696,001 | 136 |
| HUB International | $11,610,301 | 85 |
| Mercer | $10,460,101 | 49 |
| Willis Towers Watson | $9,392,545 | 48 |
| Lockton | $9,131,863 | 93 |
| Alliant Insurance Services | $8,176,702 | 85 |
| Gallagher | $7,035,703 | 73 |
| Aon | $5,771,902 | 42 |
| GCG Financial LLC | $4,699,009 | 43 |
| USI Insurance Services | $3,911,058 | 55 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Chicago against Illinois 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.
| Chicago | Illinois | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 902 | 2,831 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | 1.5% (29 plans) | 1.5% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | 0.3% – 3.3% | 0.4% – 3.1% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $96,383 | $85,899 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | $6,467 | $6,708 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 8 | 30 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 882 Chicago employers reported $1.6B in premiums and $119M in broker pay for 1,617,596 participants; in 2024 it was $1.4B and $131M for 1,663,412 participants (premiums −8.7%, broker pay +9.8%).
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 Chicago employers pay health insurance brokers?
902 Chicago employers reported $130,553,821 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 875 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Among 29 commission-paying, fully insured medical plans, the median broker rate was 1.5% of premium, 0.0 points above the Illinois median of 1.5% and 2.3 points below the U.S. median of 3.8%. In dollars, the median Chicago employer that disclosed broker pay reported $96,383.
Which Chicago employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, McDonalds Licensees Health and Welfare Trust ($239M), Board of Trustees of Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Health Fu ($196M), The University of Chicago ($102M) lead. 25 Chicago employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Chicago?
By compensation reported by Chicago employers, the largest brokers are Marsh McLennan Agency ($13M, 136 plans), HUB International ($12M, 85 plans), Mercer ($10M, 49 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Bluecross Blueshield of Illinois, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Medical Mutual.
Are Chicago employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 902 Chicago employer plans, 246 are fully insured, 204 are self-funded and 452 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 Illinois
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