Charleston, South Carolina employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
49 employers in Charleston, South Carolina filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 23,952 participants. They reported $37M in insurance premiums and $5.2M in broker commissions and fees. The median broker rate on commission-paying, fully insured medical plans was 4.0% of premium, against 3.9% across South Carolina and 3.8% nationally. Against 2023, premiums were down 20.3% and broker pay rose 10.1%.
Funding: 15 fully insured · 16 self-funded · 18 mixed. 34 of 49 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Charleston
Charleston employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina Federal Credit Union | $4,901,458 | $15,826 | 564 | The Cason Group Inc. |
| Beemok Capital LLC | $4,624,863 | $357,046 | 179 | Howard Einstein Rosenfeld Einstein |
| Landmark Construction Company, Inc. | $4,457,523 | $228,108 | 318 | The Hilb Group of South Carolina |
| Hall Hospitality Group LLC | $2,589,218 | $140,629 | 412 | The Hilb Group of South Carolina |
| Southern Diversified Distributors, Inc. | $2,361,897 | $47,733 | 268 | John Wofford |
| Evening Post Publishing, Inc. | $2,216,813 | $192,950 | 296 | Fallon Benefits Group, Inc. |
| We Are Sharing Hope SC | $2,148,241 | $94,919 | 136 | USI Insurance Services |
| Technica LLC | $2,077,423 | $127,340 | 816 | Jeffcoat & Jeffcoat LLC |
| Palmetto Exterminators LLC | $1,725,418 | $70,017 | 231 | — |
| Ashley Hall Foundation | $1,330,322 | $86,457 | 159 | Hilb Group of South Carolina |
| Ep Group | $1,292,328 | $14,874 | 170 | Palmer and Cay LLC |
| The Francis Marion Hotel | $1,268,982 | $15,456 | 129 | James a Scott & Son Inc |
| Home Team Management Company, LLC | $1,242,747 | $69,045 | 175 | NFP |
| Baker Motor Company of Charleston, Inc. | $1,226,981 | $113,677 | 354 | Hilb Group of South Carolina |
| South Carolina Aquarium | $1,098,299 | $63,382 | 121 | USI Insurance Services |
| Avocet Hospitality Group, Inc. | $1,053,983 | $74,886 | 140 | USI Insurance Services |
| Automoney, Inc. | $643,858 | $29,813 | 138 | NFP |
| Homegrown Hospitality Group | $636,644 | $38,154 | 180 | USI Insurance Services |
| Blackbaud, Inc | $269,151 | $175,860 | 2,553 | Aon |
| Hudson Automotive Group | $0 | $913,864 | 3,638 | Levelfunded Health Partners, LLC |
| University Medical Associates | $0 | — | 2,647 | — |
| Board of Trustees, Waterfront Employers -I.L.A. Welfare Plan | $0 | $158,860 | 2,239 | Cornerstone Financial LLC |
| Astenjohnson, Inc. | $0 | $92,310 | 888 | Lockton |
| Ir Management | $0 | $165,462 | 784 | NFP |
| Marine Repair Services, Inc. | $0 | $176,573 | 607 | EPIC Insurance Brokers |
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 Charleston employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Levelfunded Health Partners, LLC | $641,127 | 1 |
| NFP | $544,340 | 9 |
| Hilb Group of South Carolina | $542,992 | 5 |
| USI Insurance Services | $503,411 | 10 |
| Marsh McLennan Agency | $415,655 | 5 |
| Gis Benefits Inc | $272,737 | 2 |
| Howard Einstein Rosenfeld Einstein | $232,409 | 1 |
| HUB International | $193,228 | 2 |
| Fallon Benefits Group | $187,200 | 1 |
| EPIC Insurance Brokers | $176,573 | 1 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Charleston against South 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.
| Charleston | South Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 49 | 612 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | 4.0% (16 plans) | 3.9% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | 3.0% – 4.7% | 2.7% – 4.4% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $73,560 | $73,727 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | $10,088 | $10,873 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 2 | 37 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 48 Charleston employers reported $47M in premiums and $4.7M in broker pay for 48,685 participants; in 2024 it was $37M and $5.2M for 23,952 participants (premiums −20.3%, broker pay +10.1%).
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 Charleston employers pay health insurance brokers?
49 Charleston employers reported $5,166,769 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 48 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Among 16 commission-paying, fully insured medical plans, the median broker rate was 4.0% of premium, 0.1 points above the South Carolina median of 3.9% and 0.3 points above the U.S. median of 3.8%. In dollars, the median Charleston employer that disclosed broker pay reported $73,560.
Which Charleston employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, South Carolina Federal Credit Union ($4.9M), Beemok Capital LLC ($4.6M), Landmark Construction Company, Inc. ($4.5M) lead. 25 Charleston employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Charleston?
By compensation reported by Charleston employers, the largest brokers are Levelfunded Health Partners, LLC ($641,127, 1 plans), NFP ($544,340, 9 plans), Hilb Group of South Carolina ($542,992, 5 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, Bluechoice Healthplan, Blue Choice Health Plan of South Carolina.
Are Charleston employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 49 Charleston employer plans, 15 are fully insured, 16 are self-funded and 18 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 South Carolina
Is your company on this page? Get its Form 5500 read next to the Charleston, South Carolina medians.
Tell us the company and a specialist writes up what the public Form 5500 record shows for it, if it files one: broker pay against the medians above, fee disclosure and filing timeliness, in a form you can forward to your CFO or counsel. Tick the box if you also want a 15-minute walkthrough call.
We don't sell your email. By submitting, you agree that BenefitsLedger and its benefits advisory partner, WellthCare, may email or call you about these findings. Opt out anytime by replying. See our privacy policy.