Philadelphia, Pennsylvania employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
292 employers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 546,714 participants. They reported $529M in insurance premiums and $38M in broker commissions and fees. The median broker rate on commission-paying, fully insured medical plans was 4.2% of premium, against 4.4% across Pennsylvania and 3.8% nationally. Against 2023, premiums were down 5.3% and broker pay rose 9.7%.
Funding: 51 fully insured · 112 self-funded · 129 mixed. 241 of 292 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Philadelphia
Philadelphia employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aramark Services, Inc. | $99,547,601 | $1,549,030 | 62,460 | Mercer |
| Independence Blue Cross, LLC | $77,010,751 | $487,785 | 4,182 | James Nelligan & Associates |
| Board of Trustees Usw District 10, Local 286, | $20,536,177 | $41,117 | 1,637 | Steven Rodia |
| Duane Morris LLP | $16,889,099 | $148,791 | 1,575 | Safeguard Group Ince |
| Reconstructive Orthopaedic Associates Ii, P.C. | $14,416,439 | $532,117 | 1,057 | Conner Strong & Buckelew |
| Spark Therapeutics, Inc. | $13,949,500 | $414,623 | 917 | Flexible Benefit Plans, Inc. |
| Agustawestland Philadelphia Corporation | $13,608,172 | $40,204 | 873 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Defender Association of Philadelphia | $11,811,414 | $238,319 | 650 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| IBEW Local 98 Health & Welfare Plan Board of | $11,057,207 | — | 3,386 | — |
| IBEW Local # 98 Sound and Communication Workers Health and Welfare Pla | $9,020,004 | — | 569 | — |
| Police and Fire Federal Credit Union | $8,941,759 | $580,231 | 1,002 | Simkiss & Block |
| American Heritage Federal Credit Union | $7,662,192 | $452,623 | 671 | Corporate Synergies |
| Community Behavioral Health | $7,293,575 | $250,596 | 551 | NFP |
| Philadelphia Corporation for Aging | $7,060,320 | $159,825 | 631 | Donald C. Savoy Associates |
| The Phillies | $6,907,618 | $305,765 | 538 | NFP |
| Horizon House, Inc. | $6,533,893 | $285,747 | 719 | Emerson Rogers, LLC |
| Starr Restaurant Organization, L.P. | $6,249,536 | $52,804 | 683 | Conner Strong & Buckelew |
| Pmhcc, Inc. | $6,148,050 | $29,676 | 650 | NFP |
| Freedompay, Inc | $5,914,763 | $158,185 | 485 | James R. Nelligan & Associates |
| The Glenmede Corporation | $5,666,935 | $23,634 | 581 | OneDigital |
| American College of Physicians | $5,143,198 | $67,154 | 280 | Triben Insurance Solutions |
| U.S. Facilities Inc. | $4,892,739 | $231,963 | 510 | Kistler Tiffany Benefits General |
| Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP | $4,441,082 | $65,845 | 386 | Conner Strong & Buckelew |
| Philadelphia Orchestra Association | $4,350,961 | $184,128 | 313 | Willis Towers Watson |
| Path, Inc. | $4,177,559 | $189,998 | 458 | Corporate Synergies |
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 Philadelphia employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Gallagher | $5,555,434 | 22 |
| Mercer | $2,989,209 | 18 |
| Marsh McLennan Agency | $2,501,607 | 26 |
| Willis Towers Watson | $2,281,204 | 14 |
| Emerson Rogers, LLC | $2,080,243 | 30 |
| Conner Strong & Buckelew | $1,776,825 | 21 |
| NFP | $1,708,980 | 26 |
| Aon | $1,221,345 | 16 |
| Lockton | $1,048,911 | 12 |
| Corporate Synergies | $997,989 | 9 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Philadelphia against Pennsylvania 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.
| Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 292 | 2,599 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | 4.2% (63 plans) | 4.4% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | 3.0% – 5.4% | 3.0% – 5.4% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $84,393 | $57,332 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | $8,297 | $7,621 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 13 | 54 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 291 Philadelphia employers reported $559M in premiums and $34M in broker pay for 551,205 participants; in 2024 it was $529M and $38M for 546,714 participants (premiums −5.3%, broker pay +9.7%).
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 Philadelphia employers pay health insurance brokers?
292 Philadelphia employers reported $37,649,766 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 253 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Among 63 commission-paying, fully insured medical plans, the median broker rate was 4.2% of premium, 0.3 points below the Pennsylvania median of 4.4% and 0.4 points above the U.S. median of 3.8%. In dollars, the median Philadelphia employer that disclosed broker pay reported $84,393.
Which Philadelphia employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, Aramark Services, Inc. ($100M), Independence Blue Cross, LLC ($77M), Board of Trustees Usw District 10, Local 286, ($21M) lead. 25 Philadelphia employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Philadelphia?
By compensation reported by Philadelphia employers, the largest brokers are Gallagher ($5.6M, 22 plans), Mercer ($3.0M, 18 plans), Marsh McLennan Agency ($2.5M, 26 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Independence Blue Cross, Independence Administrators, Keystone Health Plan East.
Are Philadelphia employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 292 Philadelphia employer plans, 51 are fully insured, 112 are self-funded and 129 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 Pennsylvania
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