Columbia, South Carolina employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
63 employers in Columbia, South Carolina filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 50,983 participants. They reported $140M in insurance premiums and $6.0M in broker commissions and fees. The median broker rate on commission-paying, fully insured medical plans was 3.5% of premium, against 3.9% across South Carolina and 3.8% nationally. Against 2023, premiums were up 4.1% and broker pay fell 4.1%.
Funding: 14 fully insured · 21 self-funded · 28 mixed. 49 of 63 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Columbia
Columbia employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC Automobile Dealers Association Employee Benefit Trust | $14,685,555 | $2,946 | 1,545 | BCBS of South Carolina |
| South Carolina Dental Association | $10,755,921 | $4,198 | 949 | Scda Member Benefits Group |
| Pure Fishing, Inc. | $8,816,147 | $260,967 | 1,212 | Lockton |
| South Carolina State Firefighters' Association | $8,072,827 | $1,606 | 459 | Gibson & Associates |
| Jje Capital Holdings, Inc. | $7,816,326 | $408,098 | 1,559 | Fmlasource Inc. |
| South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance Group Insurance Trust | $7,335,392 | $9,255 | 506 | NFP |
| Home Builders Association of South Carolina Group Insurance Trust | $6,201,985 | $2,899 | 658 | Southeastern Ins Consultants, LLC |
| Uci Medical Affiliates, Inc. | $5,701,588 | — | 478 | — |
| SC Trucking Association Group Insurance Trust | $5,199,873 | $5,288 | 498 | South Carolina Trucking Association |
| The Ritedose Corporation | $4,532,433 | $54,468 | 499 | Alliant Insurance Services |
| Together SC | $4,264,603 | $15,230 | 297 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Vc3, Inc. | $4,207,483 | $292,206 | 497 | HUB International |
| M. B. Kahn Construction Co., Inc. | $4,186,708 | $20,954 | 249 | Janet Sloan |
| Virtual Business Office Associates, Inc | $3,945,292 | $70,002 | 813 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Capital Waste Services LLC | $3,666,766 | $300,044 | 417 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union | $3,128,467 | $9,713 | 291 | HUB International |
| Edens Realty, Inc. | $2,687,561 | $35,768 | 203 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| South Carolina Oncology Associates | $2,508,907 | $137,590 | 245 | The Cason Group Inc |
| Allsouth Federal Credit Union | $2,105,461 | $128,374 | 321 | Gallagher |
| Avantech LLC | $2,034,678 | $56,040 | 168 | Alliant Insurance Services |
| Lizards Thicket, Inc | $2,017,851 | $97,439 | 174 | Lockton |
| First Reliance Bank | $1,937,643 | $97,478 | 170 | Laurie Winston |
| Gregory Electric Company Inc | $1,892,080 | $62,632 | 270 | Melissa Shealy |
| KW Associates, LLC dba KW Beverage | $1,839,444 | $153,887 | 371 | Hilb Group of South Carolina |
| Wateree Community Actions, Inc. | $1,740,059 | $85,545 | 214 | HUB International |
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 Columbia employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Marsh McLennan Agency | $886,207 | 13 |
| Custom Benefit Programs Inc | $853,935 | 1 |
| HUB International | $437,064 | 5 |
| Lockton | $378,477 | 4 |
| Hilb Group of South Carolina | $312,937 | 3 |
| Aon | $293,824 | 1 |
| Clark Insurance | $165,376 | 2 |
| USI Insurance Services | $151,316 | 3 |
| Gallagher | $121,161 | 2 |
| Clarke & Company Benefits LLC | $117,937 | 5 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Columbia 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.
| Columbia | South Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 63 | 612 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | 3.5% (23 plans) | 3.9% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | 2.4% – 4.0% | 2.7% – 4.4% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $68,461 | $73,727 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | $11,092 | $10,873 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 14 | 37 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 69 Columbia employers reported $134M in premiums and $6.3M in broker pay for 48,248 participants; in 2024 it was $140M and $6.0M for 50,983 participants (premiums +4.1%, broker pay −4.1%).
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 Columbia employers pay health insurance brokers?
63 Columbia employers reported $6,019,033 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 60 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Among 23 commission-paying, fully insured medical plans, the median broker rate was 3.5% of premium, 0.4 points below the South Carolina median of 3.9% and 0.3 points below the U.S. median of 3.8%. In dollars, the median Columbia employer that disclosed broker pay reported $68,461.
Which Columbia employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, SC Automobile Dealers Association Employee Benefit Trust ($15M), South Carolina Dental Association ($11M), Pure Fishing, Inc. ($8.8M) lead. 25 Columbia employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Columbia?
By compensation reported by Columbia employers, the largest brokers are Marsh McLennan Agency ($886,207, 13 plans), Custom Benefit Programs Inc ($853,935, 1 plans), HUB International ($437,064, 5 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, Bluechoice Healthplan South Carolina, Bluechoice Health Plan.
Are Columbia employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 63 Columbia employer plans, 14 are fully insured, 21 are self-funded and 28 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 Columbia, 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.