Cogent Communications, LLC
Updated Filing received by DOL
Cogent Communications, LLC, an information & publishing employer in Washington, District of Columbia, reported 1,791 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2025. Its Form 5500 shows 4 insurance contracts with no premium reported and $388,381 in broker commissions and fees. The plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. The Department of Labor received the filing on June 23, 2026, before the deadline.
Who was paid on Cogent Communications, LLC's plan
Schedule A, Part I lists each broker or agent paid on each insurance contract and the amount. Totals below add every contract Cogent Communications, LLC filed for 2025.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Meltzer Group, Inc · Bethesda, MD | $33,339 | $236,397 | $269,736 | 4 |
| James R. Nelligan · Wall, NJ | $68,011 | $0 | $68,011 | 4 |
| Plansource Benefits Administration · Orlando, FL | $0 | $28,341 | $28,341 | 3 |
| NFP · Austin, TX | $0 | $13,916 | $13,916 | 3 |
| Totalis Benefits Inc. · Austin, TX | $8,377 | $0 | $8,377 | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliance Standard Life Insurance Companylife | 1,474 | — | $88,989 | — |
| Reliance Standard Life Insurance Companylong-term disability | 1,474 | — | $24,463 | — |
| Reliance Standard Life Insurance Companycoverage not coded | 906 | — | $4,381 | — |
| Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company and Affiliateshealth, dental, vision, indemnity | 1,252 | — | $270,548 | — |
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 Cogent Communications, LLC 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.
Not computable: no insured medical premium on the filing.
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 | 808 | 1,791 | +121.7% |
| Premiums filed | $0 | $0 | not comparable |
| Broker commissions + fees | $254,961 | $388,381 | +52.3% |
| Commission rate | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cogent Communications, Inc. Employee Benefits Plan#501 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2025 | June 23, 2026 | before deadline | 1,791 |
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 Cogent Communications, LLC pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2025?
Cogent Communications, LLC's 2025 Form 5500 reports $388,381 in broker commissions and fees across 4 insurance contracts ($109,727 in commissions, $278,654 in fees), with The Meltzer Group, Inc receiving the largest share.
Is Cogent Communications, LLC'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 Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company and Affiliates.
How does Cogent Communications, LLC's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
A commission-to-premium ratio cannot be computed for Cogent Communications, LLC because the filing does not report medical premium on Schedule A (usual for self-funded plans). In dollars, employers with 1,000-4,999 participants that disclosed broker pay reported a median of $168,579.
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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.