Traverse City, Michigan employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
22 employers in Traverse City, Michigan filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 15,001 participants. They reported $6.6M in insurance premiums and $2.2M in broker commissions and fees. Against 2023, premiums were down 72.7% and broker pay rose 42.4%.
Funding: 7 fully insured · 4 self-funded · 11 mixed. 15 of 22 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Traverse City
Traverse City employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4front Credit Union | $2,175,013 | $97,518 | 246 | Benefits Partner LLC |
| Schmidt Family of Companies | $1,482,837 | $10,382 | 173 | HUB International |
| Britten, Inc. | $1,264,703 | $56,646 | 221 | Rebecca a McLaughlan |
| Shoreline Fruit, LLC | $1,043,758 | $59,023 | 113 | Michael Dilorenzo |
| Riverside Energy Michigan LLC | $138,717 | $108,558 | 246 | Robert Hughes |
| Skilled Manufacturing, Inc. | $119,884 | $56,155 | 237 | Robert L. Hughes |
| Century, LLC | $110,825 | $29,068 | 146 | HUB International |
| Northwest Michigan Surgery Center | $85,228 | $53,084 | 139 | John F Dilorenzo |
| Central-State Bancorp, Inc. | $75,116 | $4,473 | 103 | Great Northern Benefits LLC |
| Great Lakes Mechanical Systems, Inc. | $59,755 | $46,164 | 112 | Megan N Consolo |
| Elmers Crane and Dozer, Inc. | $42,464 | $18,260 | 513 | Bryan K Brenner |
| Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan, Inc. | $2,398 | $8,997 | 259 | Michael Dilorenzo |
| Munson Healthcare | $0 | $643,168 | 6,565 | Gallagher |
| Highstreet Insurance Partners, Inc. | $0 | $737,824 | 2,730 | Heather Engel |
| Hagerty Insurance Agency, LLC | $0 | $49,940 | 1,657 | Daniel M Woys |
| Serra Traverse City M Holding | $0 | $12,587 | 284 | Advantage Benefits Group |
| Russ' Steamer Service, LLC | $0 | $11,396 | 277 | Berends Hendricks Stuit Ins. Agency |
| Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency | $0 | $63,507 | 273 | Brian N. Hirko |
| Hospitality Restaurant Group, Inc. | $0 | — | 254 | — |
| Serra Traverse City LLC | $0 | $60,434 | 195 | Michigan Planners Inc |
| Oryana Food Cooperative Inc. | $0 | $40,435 | 144 | Brian N. Hirko |
| Tom's Food Markets Inc | $0 | $57,208 | 114 | Michael J Dilorenzo |
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 Traverse City employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Gallagher | $643,168 | 1 |
| Heather Engel | $399,631 | 1 |
| Cassandra Hawkins | $130,325 | 1 |
| Benefits Partner LLC | $97,518 | 1 |
| Robert L. Hughes | $95,849 | 2 |
| Michigan Planners, Inc. | $95,799 | 6 |
| James R Nelligan & Associates LLC | $85,646 | 1 |
| Advantage Benefits Group, Inc. | $85,450 | 4 |
| Flinn Financial, Inc. | $71,098 | 1 |
| HUB International | $58,040 | 3 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Traverse City 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.
| Traverse City | Michigan | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 22 | 2,113 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | n/a | 3.2% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | n/a | 3.0% – 4.5% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $53,084 | $68,927 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | n/a | $5,845 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 1 | 47 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 22 Traverse City employers reported $24M in premiums and $1.6M in broker pay for 13,633 participants; in 2024 it was $6.6M and $2.2M for 15,001 participants (premiums −72.7%, broker pay +42.4%).
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 Traverse City employers pay health insurance brokers?
22 Traverse City employers reported $2,224,827 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 21 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Too few fully insured medical plans in Traverse City reported premium to compute a stable commission rate; the Michigan median is 3.2% and the U.S. median is 3.8%. In dollars, the median Traverse City employer that disclosed broker pay reported $53,084.
Which Traverse City employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, 4front Credit Union ($2.2M), Schmidt Family of Companies ($1.5M), Britten, Inc. ($1.3M) lead. 22 Traverse City employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Traverse City?
By compensation reported by Traverse City employers, the largest brokers are Gallagher ($643,168, 1 plans), Heather Engel ($399,631, 1 plans), Cassandra Hawkins ($130,325, 1 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Blue Care Network of Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Priority Health.
Are Traverse City employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 22 Traverse City employer plans, 7 are fully insured, 4 are self-funded and 11 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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