Duluth, Minnesota employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
22 employers in Duluth, Minnesota filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 29,159 participants. They reported $181,360 in insurance premiums and $2.0M in broker commissions and fees. Against 2023, premiums were down 79.0% and broker pay rose 52.8%.
Funding: 3 fully insured · 14 self-funded · 5 mixed. 19 of 22 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Duluth
Duluth employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHB, Inc | $181,360 | $6,363 | 194 | Johnson Insurance Consultants Agenc |
| Essentia Health | $0 | $568,551 | 13,224 | Mercer |
| Allete, Inc. | $0 | $197,522 | 2,577 | Lockton |
| ST. Lukes Hospital | $0 | $105,265 | 2,459 | Lockton |
| Maurices Incorporated | $0 | $97,031 | 2,401 | GCG Financial, Inc. |
| Cirrus Design Corporation | $0 | $58,671 | 2,373 | Lockton |
| Trustees of Northern Mn-Wi Retail Food Health and Welfare Fund | $0 | $31,485 | 1,183 | Labor First LLC |
| Trustees of Electrical Workers Health and Welfare Fund | $0 | $31,500 | 1,126 | Brown & Brown |
| Duluth Building Trades Health Welfare Fund | $0 | — | 890 | — |
| Northland Dealers Investment Group | $0 | $74,195 | 409 | USI Insurance Services |
| Lake Superior Consulting, LLC | $0 | $30,905 | 284 | Holmes Murphy |
| Kivi Brothers Trucking, Inc. | $0 | $45,594 | 281 | Hni Risk Services, LLC |
| Oliver Companies, Inc. | $0 | $16,269 | 279 | Acrisure |
| Encompass Energy Services | $0 | $7,267 | 273 | Aon |
| Human Development Center | $0 | $33,041 | 267 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Duluth Regional Care Center, Inc. | $0 | $15,770 | 160 | Christensen Group Inc. |
| Members Cooperative Credit Union | $0 | — | 144 | — |
| Twin Diamond Operator, LLC | $0 | $33,064 | 142 | Propel Insurance Agency, LLC |
| Wescom, Inc. | $0 | $623,935 | 138 | National Health Insurance Company |
| Northwood Children's Home Society, Inc. | $0 | — | 130 | — |
| North Shore Bank of Commerce | $0 | $24,325 | 119 | Wheeler Associates Financial Serv. |
| Five Lions, LLC dba Labovitz Enterprises | $0 | $11,545 | 106 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
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 Duluth employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Mercer | $577,462 | 2 |
| National Health Insurance Company | $419,604 | 1 |
| Lockton | $316,467 | 3 |
| National General Insurance Company | $82,128 | 1 |
| USI Insurance Services | $64,420 | 1 |
| GCG Financial LLC | $59,166 | 1 |
| Marsh McLennan Agency | $43,088 | 2 |
| Brown & Brown | $41,459 | 2 |
| Hni Risk Services | $37,914 | 1 |
| Wheeler Associates | $33,384 | 3 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Duluth against Minnesota 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.
| Duluth | Minnesota | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 22 | 1,318 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | n/a | 5.0% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | n/a | 3.6% – 5.9% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $33,041 | $58,196 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | n/a | n/a | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 0 | 3 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 23 Duluth employers reported $862,682 in premiums and $1.3M in broker pay for 29,996 participants; in 2024 it was $181,360 and $2.0M for 29,159 participants (premiums −79.0%, broker pay +52.8%).
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 Duluth employers pay health insurance brokers?
22 Duluth employers reported $2,012,298 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 19 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Too few fully insured medical plans in Duluth reported premium to compute a stable commission rate; the Minnesota median is 5.0% and the U.S. median is 3.8%. In dollars, the median Duluth employer that disclosed broker pay reported $33,041.
Which Duluth employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, LHB, Inc ($181,360), Essentia Health ($0), Allete, Inc. ($0) lead. 22 Duluth employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Duluth?
By compensation reported by Duluth employers, the largest brokers are Mercer ($577,462, 2 plans), National Health Insurance Company ($419,604, 1 plans), Lockton ($316,467, 3 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are National Health Insurance Company, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Dean Health Plan Inc.
Are Duluth employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 22 Duluth employer plans, 3 are fully insured, 14 are self-funded and 5 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 Minnesota
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