Cincinnati, Ohio employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
277 employers in Cincinnati, Ohio filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 491,419 participants. They reported $121M in insurance premiums and $27M in broker commissions and fees. The median broker rate on commission-paying, fully insured medical plans was 2.9% of premium, against 3.5% across Ohio and 3.8% nationally. Against 2023, premiums were down 0.8% and broker pay rose 0.0%.
Funding: 51 fully insured · 158 self-funded · 68 mixed. 226 of 277 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Cincinnati
Cincinnati employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Kroger Co. | $25,664,162 | $423,587 | 71,475 | Mercer |
| Bon Secours Mercy Health, Inc. | $20,626,091 | $1,032,218 | 44,175 | Alliant Insurance Services |
| The Procter & Gamble Company | $8,969,052 | $100,708 | 26,178 | Ikon Benefits Group Inc |
| Fifth Third Bancorp | $8,680,327 | $203,552 | 19,929 | Alliant Insurance Services |
| GG Brands Company | $6,858,070 | $252,239 | 714 | Horan Associates Inc. |
| American Financial Group, Inc. | $4,903,600 | $1,511 | 7,202 | Img |
| Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP | $4,215,660 | $753,058 | 1,483 | Danny S. Donley |
| Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment, Inc. | $3,362,446 | $125,429 | 532 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| The Christ Hospital | $2,536,979 | $661,892 | 6,821 | USI Insurance Services |
| Cincinnati Bengals, Inc. | $2,466,439 | $117,056 | 129 | USI Insurance Services |
| Wulco, Inc. | $2,389,478 | $56,804 | 195 | Houchens Insurance Group, Inc. |
| Health Care Facilities Staffing, LLC | $2,170,997 | $331,418 | 13,087 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| HGC Construction Co. | $2,118,742 | $93,464 | 312 | Cottingham & Butler Insurance |
| Kerry Automotive Group | $2,109,083 | $80,229 | 364 | Lang Financial Group, Inc. |
| First Student, Inc. | $1,888,272 | $414,678 | 48,286 | Fidelity Health Insurance Services |
| Metcut Research Associates Inc. | $1,533,978 | $49,687 | 150 | Horan Associates, Inc. |
| Paycor, Inc. | $1,432,999 | $115,734 | 2,766 | Mercer |
| Rhinegeist Holding Company Inc. | $1,349,057 | $33,374 | 219 | McGohan Brabender, Inc. |
| Richards Industrials, Inc. | $1,291,548 | $52,680 | 125 | McGohan Brabender, Inc. |
| Medpace, Inc | $1,162,382 | $245,082 | 3,078 | Gallagher |
| Lendkey Technologies, Inc. | $1,096,454 | $103,625 | 160 | Sequoia |
| Fti Buyer LLC | $939,025 | $56,424 | 125 | Second Act Benefits |
| Prolink Staffing Services, LLC | $698,260 | $63,862 | 2,319 | Willis Towers Watson |
| Xtek Inc | $643,711 | — | 376 | — |
| Messer Construction Co. | $529,620 | $184,693 | 1,197 | Gallagher |
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 Cincinnati employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| USI Insurance Services | $4,438,580 | 61 |
| Willis Towers Watson | $1,926,669 | 6 |
| HUB International | $1,828,511 | 54 |
| McGohan Brabender, Inc. | $1,814,145 | 33 |
| Gallagher | $1,634,089 | 17 |
| Marsh McLennan Agency | $1,295,912 | 18 |
| Alliant Insurance Services | $1,169,913 | 4 |
| Lockton | $882,774 | 8 |
| Horan Associates Inc. | $853,769 | 36 |
| Art Hauser Insurance Inc | $606,795 | 2 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Cincinnati against Ohio 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.
| Cincinnati | Ohio | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 277 | 2,404 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | 2.9% (13 plans) | 3.5% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | 2.5% – 4.8% | 2.5% – 4.7% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $56,142 | $56,081 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | $10,001 | $11,620 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 1 | 17 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 279 Cincinnati employers reported $122M in premiums and $27M in broker pay for 493,182 participants; in 2024 it was $121M and $27M for 491,419 participants (premiums −0.8%, broker pay +0.0%).
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 Cincinnati employers pay health insurance brokers?
277 Cincinnati employers reported $26,950,340 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 253 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Among 13 commission-paying, fully insured medical plans, the median broker rate was 2.9% of premium, 0.6 points below the Ohio median of 3.5% and 0.9 points below the U.S. median of 3.8%. In dollars, the median Cincinnati employer that disclosed broker pay reported $56,142.
Which Cincinnati employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, The Kroger Co. ($26M), Bon Secours Mercy Health, Inc. ($21M), The Procter & Gamble Company ($9.0M) lead. 25 Cincinnati employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Cincinnati?
By compensation reported by Cincinnati employers, the largest brokers are USI Insurance Services ($4.4M, 61 plans), Willis Towers Watson ($1.9M, 6 plans), HUB International ($1.8M, 54 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Medical Mutual of Ohio, Selecthealth, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado.
Are Cincinnati employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 277 Cincinnati employer plans, 51 are fully insured, 158 are self-funded and 68 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 Ohio
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