Sparks, Maryland employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
18 employers in Sparks, Maryland filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 44,129 participants. They reported $6.9M in insurance premiums and $1.9M in broker commissions and fees. Against 2023, premiums were up 30.4% and broker pay rose 0.5%.
Funding: 0 fully insured · 10 self-funded · 8 mixed. 18 of 18 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Sparks
Sparks employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
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 Sparks employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Marsh McLennan Agency | $421,127 | 1 |
| Group Vision Services MGMT Inc | $369,469 | 2 |
| Brown & Brown | $254,267 | 1 |
| The Hilb Group of Maryland LLC | $212,132 | 2 |
| Benefit Communication Inc | $173,872 | 1 |
| Gallagher | $171,608 | 1 |
| Innovative Benefit Planning | $56,138 | 1 |
| USI Insurance Services | $49,094 | 1 |
| Watchtower Benefits, LLC | $29,095 | 1 |
| Mather and Strohl Admin. Services | $19,117 | 1 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Sparks against Maryland 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.
| Sparks | Maryland | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 18 | 1,084 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | n/a | 5.5% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | n/a | 3.9% – 8.1% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $125,386 | $77,915 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | n/a | $7,401 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 0 | 12 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 21 Sparks employers reported $5.3M in premiums and $1.9M in broker pay for 43,486 participants; in 2024 it was $6.9M and $1.9M for 44,129 participants (premiums +30.4%, broker pay +0.5%).
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 Sparks employers pay health insurance brokers?
18 Sparks employers reported $1,874,141 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 12 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Too few fully insured medical plans in Sparks reported premium to compute a stable commission rate; the Maryland median is 5.5% and the U.S. median is 3.8%. In dollars, the median Sparks employer that disclosed broker pay reported $125,386.
Which Sparks employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, Board of Trustees, Operating Engineers Trust Fund of Wash DC and Vicin ($6.0M), UNITE Here Local 25 & Hotel Association of Washington DC Health & Welf ($708,446), Fundamental Administrative Services, LLC ($237,657) lead. 18 Sparks employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Sparks?
By compensation reported by Sparks employers, the largest brokers are Marsh McLennan Agency ($421,127, 1 plans), Group Vision Services MGMT Inc ($369,469, 2 plans), Brown & Brown ($254,267, 1 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Janus Associates, Inc. dba BHS, Health Plan of Nevada/Sierra Health & Life, Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company.
Are Sparks employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 18 Sparks employer plans, 0 are fully insured, 10 are self-funded and 8 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 Maryland
Is your company on this page? Get its Form 5500 read next to the Sparks, Maryland 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.