Fargo, North Dakota employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
63 employers in Fargo, North Dakota filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 92,596 participants. They reported $295M in insurance premiums and $6.0M in broker commissions and fees. Against 2023, premiums were up 6.4% and broker pay fell 15.9%.
Funding: 16 fully insured · 22 self-funded · 25 mixed. 47 of 63 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Fargo
Fargo employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanford | $291,781,380 | $320,600 | 43,497 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Dacotah Paper Company | $1,036,747 | $52,703 | 158 | Bell Insurance Services LLC |
| TFC, Inc. | $753,130 | $120,204 | 985 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Butler Machinery Company | $424,747 | $64,854 | 846 | Gallagher |
| W.W. Wallwork, Inc. | $302,196 | $46,516 | 466 | HUB International |
| Family Healthcare Center | $192,451 | $32,972 | 137 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| YMCA of the Northern SKY | $165,361 | $40,728 | 183 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Anchor Ingredients Co., LLC | $134,049 | $33,613 | 196 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Pentex Restaurant Group, Inc. | $69,902 | $36,116 | 108 | Bell Insurance Services |
| R.D. Offutt Company | $0 | $973,550 | 4,823 | Freestone Financial, LLC. |
| Board of Trustees of Dakotas and Western Minnesota Electrical Industry | $0 | — | 4,479 | — |
| Pioneer Healthcare Trust | $0 | — | 4,224 | — |
| Building Industry Health Plan of the Red River Valley | $0 | $45,098 | 3,395 | Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dak |
| Scheels All Sports Inc | $0 | $389,489 | 2,984 | HUB International |
| Eide Bailly LLP | $0 | $28,858 | 2,699 | Hays Companies |
| Border States Industries Inc. | $0 | $104,705 | 2,636 | Mercer |
| Otter Tail Corporation | $0 | $135,672 | 2,097 | Mercer |
| Noridian Healthcare Solutions | $0 | — | 2,062 | — |
| State Bankshares, Inc. dba Bell Bank | $0 | $330,430 | 1,828 | Azurance Group |
| North Dakota Grain Dealers Association Benefit Plan and Trust | $0 | $63,775 | 1,312 | Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dak |
| Magnum, LTD | $0 | $578,627 | 1,175 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Ulteig Engineers, Inc. | $0 | $147,667 | 1,085 | Willis Towers Watson |
| Brandt Holdings | $0 | $4,624 | 1,016 | HUB International |
| Dakota Supply Group, Inc | $0 | $150,318 | 995 | Cottingham and Butler |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota | $0 | $639,706 | 865 | Blue Cross Blue Shield of ND |
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 Fargo employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Marsh McLennan Agency | $897,189 | 15 |
| HUB International | $766,803 | 10 |
| Freestone Financial, LLC | $762,532 | 1 |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of ND | $639,706 | 1 |
| Azurance Group | $360,323 | 6 |
| Mercer | $333,598 | 3 |
| NFP | $256,895 | 7 |
| Keeler & Associates | $204,181 | 2 |
| USI Insurance Services | $192,755 | 1 |
| The KNW Group LLC | $160,366 | 6 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Fargo against North Dakota 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.
| Fargo | North Dakota | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 63 | 173 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | n/a | 1.9% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | n/a | 1.9% – 1.9% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $46,361 | $46,125 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | n/a | n/a | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 1 | 2 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 56 Fargo employers reported $277M in premiums and $7.1M in broker pay for 90,428 participants; in 2024 it was $295M and $6.0M for 92,596 participants (premiums +6.4%, broker pay −15.9%).
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 Fargo employers pay health insurance brokers?
63 Fargo employers reported $5,953,027 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 54 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Too few fully insured medical plans in Fargo reported premium to compute a stable commission rate; the North Dakota median is 1.9% and the U.S. median is 3.8%. In dollars, the median Fargo employer that disclosed broker pay reported $46,361.
Which Fargo employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, Sanford ($292M), Dacotah Paper Company ($1.0M), TFC, Inc. ($753,130) lead. 25 Fargo employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Fargo?
By compensation reported by Fargo employers, the largest brokers are Marsh McLennan Agency ($897,189, 15 plans), HUB International ($766,803, 10 plans), Freestone Financial, LLC ($762,532, 1 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Sanford Health Plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, Aflac.
Are Fargo employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 63 Fargo employer plans, 16 are fully insured, 22 are self-funded and 25 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 Dakota
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