Cambridge, Massachusetts employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
79 employers in Cambridge, Massachusetts filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 164,340 participants. They reported $245M in insurance premiums and $16M in broker commissions and fees. The median broker rate on commission-paying, fully insured medical plans was 2.3% of premium, against 2.5% across Massachusetts and 3.8% nationally. Against 2023, premiums were down 4.1% and broker pay fell 0.7%.
Funding: 10 fully insured · 11 self-funded · 58 mixed. 69 of 79 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Cambridge
Cambridge employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vinfen Corporation | $22,988,313 | $500,599 | 2,331 | HUB International |
| Flagship Pioneering | $18,220,743 | $580,231 | 1,325 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Forrester Research Inc. | $18,190,508 | $386,920 | 1,234 | Lockton |
| Intersystems Corporation | $17,055,564 | $349,240 | 734 | Gallagher |
| Abt Global, Inc. | $11,506,385 | $377,085 | 1,259 | Aon |
| Biontech US Inc. | $11,458,298 | $273,071 | 715 | Gallagher |
| Sage Therapeutics, Inc. | $10,606,240 | $212,792 | 611 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Blueprint Medicines Corporation | $10,042,642 | $231,596 | 660 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Cytel Inc. | $8,833,590 | $224,575 | 555 | HP Planning. LLC |
| Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. | $8,747,882 | $149,483 | 644 | Lockton |
| Beam Therapeutics | $7,379,248 | $178,655 | 471 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Corium, LLC | $6,717,571 | $378,134 | 522 | Gallagher |
| Cerevel Therapeutics, LLC | $6,249,798 | $161,785 | 341 | Willis Towers Watson |
| Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. | $5,753,698 | $192,370 | 289 | Gallagher |
| Relay Therapeutics Inc. | $5,523,817 | $172,032 | 325 | HUB International |
| Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Inc. | $5,231,955 | $125,486 | 372 | Thompson Risk Ii, LLC |
| Buckingham Browne & Nichols School | $4,528,881 | $95,362 | 304 | IMA Financial |
| Editas Medicine, Inc. | $4,381,815 | $185,981 | 249 | Gallagher |
| Seres Therapeutics, Inc | $4,279,564 | $99,908 | 404 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | $4,117,367 | $129,351 | 311 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Inari Agriculture Inc | $3,996,103 | $98,029 | 256 | Mercer |
| Bluerock Therapeutics LP | $3,774,849 | $130,734 | 218 | Abd Ins. and Financial SVCS., Inc. |
| Scholar Rock | $3,609,407 | $87,874 | 156 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| General Catalyst Enterprises, Inc. | $3,584,816 | $132,275 | 182 | Willis Towers Watson |
| Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. | $3,557,217 | $147,500 | 186 | R S C Ins Bkge dba Risk Stratagies |
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 Cambridge employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Brown & Brown | $3,931,591 | 6 |
| Marsh McLennan Agency | $2,118,243 | 17 |
| Gallagher | $1,616,596 | 12 |
| Willis Towers Watson | $1,029,377 | 5 |
| Aon | $893,084 | 3 |
| EPIC Insurance Brokers | $861,958 | 2 |
| HUB International | $751,702 | 4 |
| OneDigital | $651,150 | 7 |
| Mercer | $382,159 | 5 |
| Lockton | $375,532 | 4 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Cambridge against Massachusetts 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.
| Cambridge | Massachusetts | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 79 | 1,864 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | 2.3% (37 plans) | 2.5% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | 1.8% – 2.7% | 2.0% – 3.2% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $102,355 | $75,078 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | $8,201 | $8,072 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 1 | 18 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 81 Cambridge employers reported $256M in premiums and $16M in broker pay for 164,278 participants; in 2024 it was $245M and $16M for 164,340 participants (premiums −4.1%, broker pay −0.7%).
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 Cambridge employers pay health insurance brokers?
79 Cambridge employers reported $15,935,439 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 77 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Among 37 commission-paying, fully insured medical plans, the median broker rate was 2.3% of premium, 0.3 points below the Massachusetts median of 2.5% and 1.5 points below the U.S. median of 3.8%. In dollars, the median Cambridge employer that disclosed broker pay reported $102,355.
Which Cambridge employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, Vinfen Corporation ($23M), Flagship Pioneering ($18M), Forrester Research Inc. ($18M) lead. 25 Cambridge employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Cambridge?
By compensation reported by Cambridge employers, the largest brokers are Brown & Brown ($3.9M, 6 plans), Marsh McLennan Agency ($2.1M, 17 plans), Gallagher ($1.6M, 12 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Inc., Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Triple S Salud, Inc..
Are Cambridge employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 79 Cambridge employer plans, 10 are fully insured, 11 are self-funded and 58 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 Massachusetts
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