Kalamazoo, Michigan employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
42 employers in Kalamazoo, Michigan filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 22,034 participants. They reported $50M in insurance premiums and $5.3M in broker commissions and fees. The median broker rate on commission-paying, fully insured medical plans was 3.2% of premium, against 3.2% across Michigan and 3.8% nationally. Against 2023, premiums were up 6.8% and broker pay rose 25.2%.
Funding: 11 fully insured · 15 self-funded · 16 mixed. 31 of 42 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beacon Specialized Living Services, Inc. | $9,442,570 | $539,747 | 1,762 | Brian D. Carragher |
| Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine | $6,755,274 | $730,009 | 756 | Susan L. Culhane |
| Advia Credit Union | $4,652,725 | $150,166 | 446 | Gibson Insurance Agency |
| Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan | $2,890,626 | $136,383 | 280 | Cassie Goodband |
| Tower Pinkster Titus Associates, Inc. | $2,791,970 | $123,971 | 194 | Susan L Culhane |
| Dimplex Thermal Solutions | $2,687,843 | $116,597 | 195 | The Nulty Agency Inc. |
| Stafford Smith, Inc. | $2,372,998 | $123,362 | 298 | Susan Culhane |
| Consumers Concrete Corporation | $2,299,497 | $70,996 | 235 | Hylant |
| Arbor Financial Credit Union | $2,139,340 | $90,351 | 162 | Benefits Partner LLC |
| Imperial Beverage Company dba CKL Corporation | $2,114,812 | $94,179 | 243 | Susan L Culhane |
| Taplin Holdings, LLC | $1,933,691 | $79,460 | 135 | Cameron M Kennedy |
| Residential Opportunities, Inc. | $1,674,730 | $94,183 | 295 | John Schuemann |
| The CSM Group, Inc. | $1,658,692 | $66,918 | 170 | Michelle R Stouffer |
| Bronson Healthcare Group, Inc. | $1,578,485 | $1,046,416 | 7,866 | Custom Benefit Programs Inc |
| Heritage Community of Kalamazoo | $1,134,415 | $58,114 | 201 | Ryan T Pylman |
| B&B Trucking, Inc. | $1,025,266 | $66,262 | 191 | Olivier Vandyk Insurance |
| Greenleaf Hospitality Group | $534,622 | $170,220 | 412 | Jason Nickel |
| Borroughs Corp Employee Benefit Plan | $427,592 | $27,229 | 149 | Coldbrook Insurance Group, LLC |
| Kalsec, Inc. | $419,749 | $80,147 | 430 | The Nulty Agency Inc. |
| Credit Unions Chartered in State of Mich 1027 Consumers Credit Union | $305,018 | $117,238 | 391 | The Nulty Agency Inc. |
| Midwest Fastener Corporation | $147,474 | $44,424 | 239 | Lighthouse Group |
| Allied Mechanical Services, Inc. | $144,456 | $100,475 | 256 | Debra Wright |
| Knight Watch, Inc. | $128,661 | $48,719 | 129 | Rose Street Advisors LLC |
| Edwards Garment Co. | $126,865 | $25,788 | 150 | Lighthouse Group |
| Denooyer Brothers, Inc. | $90,953 | $95,762 | 120 | Triena Atkinson |
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 Kalamazoo employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Susan L Culhane | $853,539 | 4 |
| Custom Benefit Programs Inc | $760,252 | 1 |
| The Nulty Agency, Inc. | $470,980 | 8 |
| Aon | $284,915 | 1 |
| Brian D Carragher | $272,441 | 1 |
| Acrisure | $252,155 | 7 |
| Thompson Flanagan Benefits Group | $187,258 | 1 |
| Lighthouse Group | $135,297 | 4 |
| Cassie Goodband | $108,252 | 2 |
| Benefits Partner LLC | $90,351 | 1 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Kalamazoo against Michigan 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.
| Kalamazoo | Michigan | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 42 | 2,113 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | 3.2% (15 plans) | 3.2% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | 2.9% – 3.5% | 3.0% – 4.5% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $71,413 | $68,927 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | $6,018 | $5,845 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 0 | 47 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 45 Kalamazoo employers reported $46M in premiums and $4.3M in broker pay for 22,810 participants; in 2024 it was $50M and $5.3M for 22,034 participants (premiums +6.8%, broker pay +25.2%).
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 Kalamazoo employers pay health insurance brokers?
42 Kalamazoo employers reported $5,324,199 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 42 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Among 15 commission-paying, fully insured medical plans, the median broker rate was 3.2% of premium, 0.0 points below the Michigan median of 3.2% and 0.6 points below the U.S. median of 3.8%. In dollars, the median Kalamazoo employer that disclosed broker pay reported $71,413.
Which Kalamazoo employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, Beacon Specialized Living Services, Inc. ($9.4M), Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine ($6.8M), Advia Credit Union ($4.7M) lead. 25 Kalamazoo employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Kalamazoo?
By compensation reported by Kalamazoo employers, the largest brokers are Susan L Culhane ($853,539, 4 plans), Custom Benefit Programs Inc ($760,252, 1 plans), The Nulty Agency, Inc. ($470,980, 8 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network of Michigan, Priority Health.
Are Kalamazoo employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 42 Kalamazoo employer plans, 11 are fully insured, 15 are self-funded and 16 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 Michigan
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