Portland, Maine employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
45 employers in Portland, Maine filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 61,695 participants. They reported $17M in insurance premiums and $5.1M in broker commissions and fees. Against 2023, premiums were down 15.2% and broker pay rose 37.3%.
Funding: 11 fully insured · 16 self-funded · 18 mixed. 34 of 45 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Portland
Portland employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rarebreed Veterinary Partners, Inc. | $12,721,317 | $342,204 | 2,148 | Clark Insuranace |
| Verrill Dana, LLP | $2,416,724 | $128,610 | 288 | Varney & Co Benefits Advisors |
| Paradigm Operating Co, LLC | $877,383 | $36,115 | 157 | James B. Oswald Company |
| Berry Dunn McNeil & Parker, LLC | $438,499 | $45,623 | 898 | Cross Benefit Solutions |
| Anania & Associates Investment Co | $188,025 | $27,254 | 214 | Cross Benefit Solutions |
| Diversified Holding Co. | $99,736 | $143,911 | 301 | Mercer |
| Hospitality Health, LLC | $59,655 | $2,513 | 119 | Cross Benefit Solutions |
| TD Bank, N.A. | $0 | $1,668,706 | 32,181 | Willis Towers Watson |
| Unum Group | $0 | $49,402 | 9,382 | David C Reid LLC |
| Wex Inc. | $0 | $177,176 | 5,633 | Willis Towers Watson |
| Woodard and Curran, Inc. | $0 | $201,639 | 1,239 | Jennifer A. Borislow Ins Agency Inc |
| Tilson Technology Management, Inc. | $0 | $2,546 | 1,231 | USI Insurance Services |
| Spurwink Services | $0 | $70,949 | 928 | Lockton |
| Martins Point Health Care Plan | $0 | $7,431 | 615 | Mercer |
| The Olympia Companies | $0 | $135,307 | 554 | USI Insurance Services |
| Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Company | $0 | $87,083 | 520 | Business Insurance Agency Inc |
| Southworth International Group, Inc. | $0 | $65,104 | 326 | HUB International |
| Winxnet LLC | $0 | $49,302 | 322 | Lockton |
| Baker Newman & Noyes, LLC | $0 | $116,595 | 294 | Cross Benefit Solutions |
| Pierce Atwood LLP | $0 | $270,956 | 267 | Lockton |
| Avesta Housing Development Corp. | $0 | $86,241 | 247 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Maine Trust for Local News | $0 | $113,488 | 240 | HUB International |
| Bernstein Shur Sawyer & Nelson P.A. | $0 | $12,844 | 225 | E a Scribner Insurance Agency |
| Mainehealth | $0 | — | 205 | — |
| Preble Street | $0 | $98,398 | 198 | Cross Benefit Solutions |
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 Portland employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Willis Towers Watson | $1,383,705 | 2 |
| Lockton | $464,297 | 4 |
| American Benefits & Comp Systems | $396,900 | 1 |
| Acadia Benefits Inc | $319,417 | 5 |
| Cross Benefit Solutions | $316,458 | 7 |
| Varney & Company Benefits Advisors | $276,567 | 4 |
| Marsh McLennan Agency | $261,304 | 6 |
| USI Insurance Services | $217,085 | 3 |
| Clark Insuranace | $185,545 | 1 |
| HUB International | $161,706 | 3 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Portland against Maine 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.
| Portland | Maine | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 45 | 246 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | n/a | 3.8% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | n/a | 2.4% – 4.8% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $68,668 | $58,098 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | n/a | n/a | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 0 | 0 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 46 Portland employers reported $20M in premiums and $3.7M in broker pay for 28,665 participants; in 2024 it was $17M and $5.1M for 61,695 participants (premiums −15.2%, broker pay +37.3%).
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 Portland employers pay health insurance brokers?
45 Portland employers reported $5,104,158 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 44 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Too few fully insured medical plans in Portland reported premium to compute a stable commission rate; the Maine median is 3.8% and the U.S. median is 3.8%. In dollars, the median Portland employer that disclosed broker pay reported $68,668.
Which Portland employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, Rarebreed Veterinary Partners, Inc. ($13M), Verrill Dana, LLP ($2.4M), Paradigm Operating Co, LLC ($877,383) lead. 25 Portland employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Portland?
By compensation reported by Portland employers, the largest brokers are Willis Towers Watson ($1.4M, 2 plans), Lockton ($464,297, 4 plans), American Benefits & Comp Systems ($396,900, 1 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Aetna Life Insurance Company, Anthem Health Plans of Maine, Inc..
Are Portland employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 45 Portland employer plans, 11 are fully insured, 16 are self-funded and 18 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.
Is your company on this page? Get its Form 5500 read next to the Portland, Maine 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.
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