Birmingham Zoo, Inc.
Updated Filing received by DOL
Birmingham Zoo, Inc., an arts & entertainment employer in Birmingham, Alabama, reported 104 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2025. Its Form 5500 shows $612,168 in insurance premiums across 4 contracts and $10,223 in broker commissions and fees, 0.0% of medical premium against a national median of 3.8% among plans that paid commissions in plan year 2024. The plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. The Department of Labor received the filing on June 12, 2026, before the deadline.
Who was paid on Birmingham Zoo, Inc.'s plan
Schedule A, Part I lists each broker or agent paid on each insurance contract and the amount. Totals below add every contract Birmingham Zoo, Inc. filed for 2025.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valent Group, LLC · Birmingham, AL | $6,686 | $0 | $6,686 | 1 |
| IMA Financial · Birmingham, AL | $2,649 | $150 | $2,799 | 2 |
| S. S. Nesbitt & Company · Birmingham, AL | $738 | $0 | $738 | 1 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, Part I (broker commissions and fees), plan year 2025, as published in EBSA's 2025 "Latest" dataset. Part I names whoever the carrier paid, which can be a firm or an individual agent; both are public record. Amounts exclude pay from carriers not tied to a listed contract.
Insurance contracts and carriers
Every insurance contract reported on Schedule A: carrier, what it covers, people covered at year end, earned premium, and broker compensation.
| Carrier · coverage | Covered | Premium | Broker pay | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabamahealth, dental, prescription drug, PPO | 106 | $612,168 | — | — |
| Eyemed Vision Care on Behalf of the Fidelity Security Life Ins. Co.vision | 102 | — | $738 | — |
| Unum Insurance Companycoverage not coded | 41 | — | $2,165 | — |
| The Lincoln National Life Insurance Companylife, short-term disability, long-term disability | 115 | — | $7,320 | — |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, plan year 2025. Self-funded medical coverage has no premium; amounts shown for it are stop-loss or administrative contracts.
How Birmingham Zoo, Inc. compares
Medians across employers for plan year 2024, the most recent complete year. Commission rates use fully insured medical contracts only; dollar medians use every employer that disclosed broker pay.
Premium per covered person on medical contracts: $5,775 a year (national median $7,274).
Source: BenefitsLedger benchmarks from 58,547 employer health plans with 100 or more participants, plan year 2024. Methodology.
Year over year
| 2024 | 2025 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 100 | 104 | +4.0% |
| Premiums filed | $522,951 | $612,168 | +17.1% |
| Broker commissions + fees | $8,747 | $10,223 | +16.9% |
| Commission rate | 0.0% | 0.0% | +0.0 pts |
Source: DOL Form 5500 filings for plan years 2024 and 2025.
Filings and timeliness
Plans this employer filed under its EIN with a health benefit code. Large plans are due seven months after the plan year ends, or two and a half months later with an extension; amended filings carry the amendment date, so no timing is asserted for them.
| Plan | Plan year end | Received by DOL | Timing | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Zoo Benefits Plan#501 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2025 | June 12, 2026 | before deadline | 104 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Part I and signature dates; "late" means received after the extended deadline (the 15th day of the tenth month after plan year end). What a late Form 5500 costs.
How much did Birmingham Zoo, Inc. pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2025?
Birmingham Zoo, Inc.'s 2025 Form 5500 reports $10,223 in broker commissions and fees across 4 insurance contracts ($10,073 in commissions, $150 in fees), with Valent Group, LLC receiving the largest share.
Is Birmingham Zoo, Inc.'s health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2025 filing indicates the plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. Medical coverage is written by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.
How does Birmingham Zoo, Inc.'s broker compensation compare with similar employers?
Birmingham Zoo, Inc. paid 0.0% of medical premium in commissions and fees. The median for employers with 100-199 participants is 4.2%, and the median in Alabama is 3.7%. Percentages are computed only on fully insured medical contracts with filed premiums.
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Record built October 24, 2026 from U.S. Department of Labor, EBSA Form 5500 datasets (2025, 2024, 2023 plan years, 'Latest' files). Filings can run 7 to 10 months behind the plan year; always confirm against current plan documents. BenefitsLedger is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor. Open the DOL filing search.