Rapid City, South Dakota employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
20 employers in Rapid City, South Dakota filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 12,549 participants. They reported $109M in insurance premiums and $758,678 in broker commissions and fees. Against 2023, premiums were down 7.6% and broker pay rose 1.8%.
Funding: 4 fully insured · 10 self-funded · 6 mixed. 16 of 20 plans pay at least some medical claims from the employer's own assets.
Largest employer health plans in Rapid City
Rapid City employers reporting the most insurance premium across every Schedule A contract, with what they paid brokers.
| Employer | Premiums | Broker pay | Participants | Top broker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Hills Corporation | $100,223,556 | $15,515 | 2,982 | North Risk Partners, LLC |
| Rapid City Medical Center, LLP Self Funded Plan | $3,552,635 | $28,560 | 287 | North Risk Partners |
| MG Oil Company | $2,760,291 | $129,600 | 401 | Acripoint LLC |
| Ketel Thorstenson, LLP | $1,255,278 | $37,043 | 142 | USI Insurance Services |
| Moyle Petroleum Company | $1,057,096 | $40,102 | 225 | Patriot Growth |
| Lynn's Inc C/O Rod Messmer | $99,806 | $16,420 | 151 | James McDonald |
| Monument Health, Inc. | $0 | $168,414 | 4,494 | Parker Smith & Feek Insurance, LLC |
| Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country | $0 | $68,972 | 734 | Holmes Murphy |
| Re/Spec Inc. | $0 | $46,320 | 483 | Holmes Murphy |
| Black Hills Works Inc. | $0 | $1,645 | 377 | Marsh McLennan Agency |
| Pete Lien & Sons, Inc. | $0 | $8,440 | 355 | Acripoint, LLC |
| Black Hills Surgical Hospital, LLP | $0 | $38,188 | 350 | HUB International |
| Rapid Fire Protection, Inc | $0 | $11,863 | 342 | Jack W. Abel |
| Liv Employee Benefits, LLC | $0 | $8,412 | 316 | Holmes Murphy |
| Scull Construction Service, Inc. | $0 | $26,897 | 202 | Western Dakota Insurors Inc |
| Security First Bank | $0 | $61,438 | 165 | Hays Companies |
| Riddles Group, Inc. | $0 | $31,397 | 158 | USI Insurance Services |
| Black Hills Orthopedic and Spine Center | $0 | — | 140 | — |
| McKie Ford Lincoln, Inc | $0 | $19,452 | 128 | Fischer, Rounds & Associates |
| Presbyterian Retirement Village of Rapid City, Inc. | $0 | — | 117 | — |
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 Rapid City employers, with the number of employer plans naming each broker.
| Broker | Commissions + fees | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Parker Smith & Feek Inc. | $117,797 | 1 |
| Holmes Murphy | $112,314 | 3 |
| North Risk Partners LLC | $106,560 | 4 |
| USI Insurance Services | $70,985 | 3 |
| Acripoint LLC | $48,400 | 3 |
| Hays Companies | $37,234 | 1 |
| HUB International | $32,833 | 1 |
| Wendy Swartz | $28,936 | 1 |
| Western Dakota Insurors Inc | $26,897 | 1 |
| Patriot Growth | $26,352 | 1 |
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written for these employers.
Rapid City against South 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.
| Rapid City | South Dakota | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer plans | 20 | 164 | 58,547 |
| Median commission rate | n/a | 1.6% | 3.8% |
| Middle half of rates | n/a | 1.3% – 2.3% | 2.7% – 5.0% |
| Median broker pay per employer | $29,979 | $35,673 | $72,628 |
| Medical premium per covered person | n/a | $9,660 | $7,274 |
| Plans reporting no commission | 1 | 11 | 933 |
Year over year. In plan year 2023, 18 Rapid City employers reported $118M in premiums and $745,261 in broker pay for 11,785 participants; in 2024 it was $109M and $758,678 for 12,549 participants (premiums −7.6%, broker pay +1.8%).
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 Rapid City employers pay health insurance brokers?
20 Rapid City employers reported $758,678 in broker commissions and fees on their 2024 Form 5500 filings, 18 of them disclosing at least some compensation. Too few fully insured medical plans in Rapid City reported premium to compute a stable commission rate; the South Dakota median is 1.6% and the U.S. median is 3.8%. In dollars, the median Rapid City employer that disclosed broker pay reported $29,979.
Which Rapid City employers have the largest health plans?
By insurance premium reported for 2024, Black Hills Corporation ($100M), Rapid City Medical Center, LLP Self Funded Plan ($3.6M), MG Oil Company ($2.8M) lead. 20 Rapid City employers are listed on this page; every employer in the record has its own page.
Which brokers and carriers are paid the most in Rapid City?
By compensation reported by Rapid City employers, the largest brokers are Parker Smith & Feek Inc. ($117,797, 1 plans), Holmes Murphy ($112,314, 3 plans), North Risk Partners LLC ($106,560, 4 plans). By medical premium, the largest carriers are Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of SD, Sanford Health Plan.
Are Rapid City employer health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Of 20 Rapid City employer plans, 4 are fully insured, 10 are self-funded and 6 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 Dakota
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