Hickory, North Carolina employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
32 employers in Hickory, North Carolina filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 20,626 participants. They reported $4.4M in insurance premiums and $3.1M in broker commissions and fees. Against 2023, premiums were up 10.5% and broker pay rose 11.2%.
Funding: 7 fully insured · 14 self-funded · 11 mixed. 25 of 32 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Hickory
Hickory employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wesley Hall, Inc. Employee Benefit | $2,514,619 | $86,427 | 339 | Gage Benefit Advisors, Inc |
| RHF Investments, Inc. | $590,597 | $180,671 | 1,655 | Justice-Crews Insurance Agency Inc. |
| Klingspor Abrasives Inc. | $549,042 | $24,545 | 220 | Scott C. Anderson |
| Maximus Health Group, LLC | $232,947 | $46,904 | 143 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| US Conec, LTD. | $220,749 | $125,257 | 312 | Gallagher |
| Paramount Motor Sales, LLC | $142,245 | $63,154 | 442 | Aon |
| Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Hickory, N.C., Inc. | $124,362 | $184,429 | 338 | USI Insurance Services |
| Alex Lee, Inc. | $0 | $280,101 | 3,875 | Employee Plans Ins Consultants Inc |
| Alg Senior LLC | $0 | $185,500 | 3,206 | Directpath LLC |
| Transportation Insight | $0 | $65,275 | 1,723 | Gallagher |
| Shurtape Technologies, LLC | $0 | $254,371 | 1,401 | NFP |
| Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company | $0 | $241,745 | 1,356 | USI Insurance Services |
| Sherrill Furniture Company | $0 | $224,911 | 896 | Pedersen Dowie Clabby & McCausland |
| Turbocoating Corp | $0 | $331,773 | 815 | Benjamin Dobson |
| Marcal South, LLC | $0 | $42,047 | 534 | USI Insurance Services |
| Vanguard Furniture Company | $0 | — | 405 | — |
| Lenoir-Rhyne University | $0 | $91,005 | 320 | David Simas |
| WW Healthcare Consultants, LLC | $0 | $39,467 | 284 | NFP |
| Everett Chevrolet Inc | $0 | $57,371 | 251 | Mosaic Group Services |
| Kontane Logistics Inc. | $0 | $54,439 | 225 | USI Insurance Services |
| Design Foundry, LLC | $0 | $79,676 | 217 | USI Insurance Services |
| United Beverages of North Carolina, LLC | $0 | $62,512 | 198 | Donald C Savoy |
| Sunbelt Furniture Xpress, Inc. | $0 | $99,785 | 193 | William J Crews |
| Tack Automotive Group | $0 | — | 181 | — |
| King Hickory Furniture Company Inc | $0 | $946 | 168 | Ebenconcepts Company |
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 Hickory employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| USI Insurance Services | $526,892 | 8 |
| NFP | $398,085 | 4 |
| Employee Plans Ins Consultants Inc | $280,101 | 1 |
| Benjamin Dobson | $229,138 | 1 |
| Justice-Crews Insurance Agency Inc. | $225,438 | 3 |
| Gallagher | $190,532 | 2 |
| Pedersen Dowie Clabby & McCausland | $184,697 | 1 |
| David Simas | $80,303 | 1 |
| Totalis Consumer Benefit Solutions | $73,681 | 1 |
| Gage Benefit Advisors, Inc | $72,998 | 1 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Hickory against North Carolina 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.
| Hickory | North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 32 | 1,587 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | n/a | 4.5% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | n/a | 2.8% – 7.0% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $65,275 | $64,516 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | n/a | $5,949 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 0 | 12 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 30 Hickory employers reported $4.0M in premiums and $2.8M in broker pay for 19,627 participants; in 2024 it was $4.4M and $3.1M for 20,626 participants (premiums +10.5%, broker pay +11.2%).
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 Hickory employers pay health insurance brokers?
32 Hickory employers reported $3,058,666 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 29 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Too few fully insured medical plans in Hickory reported premium to compute a stable commission rate; the North Carolina median is 4.5% and the U.S. median is 3.8%. In dollars, the median Hickory employer that disclosed broker pay reported $65,275.
Which Hickory employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, Wesley Hall, Inc. Employee Benefit ($2.5M), RHF Investments, Inc. ($590,597), Klingspor Abrasives Inc. ($549,042) lead. 25 Hickory employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Hickory?
By compensation reported by Hickory employers, the largest brokers are USI Insurance Services ($526,892, 8 plans), NFP ($398,085, 4 plans), Employee Plans Ins Consultants Inc ($280,101, 1 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Companion Life Insurance Company, Nationwide.
Are Hickory employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 32 Hickory employer plans, 7 are fully insured, 14 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 North Carolina
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