Empire Airlines
Updated Filing received by DOL
Empire Airlines, a transportation — truck & rail employer in Hayden, Idaho, reported 282 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2025. Its Form 5500 shows $197,198 in insurance premiums across 6 contracts and $136,208 in broker commissions and fees. The plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. The Department of Labor received the filing on July 1, 2026, before the deadline.
Who was paid on Empire Airlines's plan
Schedule A, Part I lists each broker or agent paid on each insurance contract and the amount. Totals below add every contract Empire Airlines filed for 2025.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer · Spokane, WA | $28,491 | $105,339 | $133,830 | 6 |
| Susan Lee Mensching · Coeur D Alene, ID | $1,811 | $0 | $1,811 | 1 |
| Terry K Allen · Otis Orchards, WA | $316 | $0 | $316 | 1 |
| Lisa Michelle Hall · Coeur D Alene, ID | $114 | $0 | $114 | 1 |
| Kaci L Bishop · Spokane Valley, WA | $114 | $0 | $114 | 1 |
| Jordan Douglas Emmans · Kirkland, WA | $23 | $0 | $23 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Dental of Idahodental | 203 | $197,198 | $10,665 | 5.4% |
| Unitedhealthcare Insurance Companyhealth, prescription drug, PPO | 227 | — | $104,110 | — |
| Health Advocate Solutions, Inc.coverage not coded | 287 | — | — | — |
| Metropolitan Life Insurance Companyvision | 356 | — | $4,134 | — |
| Continental American Insurance Companycoverage not coded | 122 | — | $7,774 | — |
| Symetra Life Insurance Companylife | 276 | — | $9,525 | — |
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 Empire Airlines 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 | 289 | 282 | −2.4% |
| Premiums filed | $221,026 | $197,198 | not comparable |
| Broker commissions + fees | $134,212 | $136,208 | +1.5% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empire Airlines Group Health Plan#501 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2025 | July 1, 2026 | before deadline | 282 |
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 Empire Airlines pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2025?
Empire Airlines's 2025 Form 5500 reports $136,208 in broker commissions and fees across 6 insurance contracts ($30,869 in commissions, $105,339 in fees), with Mercer receiving the largest share.
Is Empire Airlines'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 Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company.
How does Empire Airlines's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
A commission-to-premium ratio cannot be computed for Empire Airlines because the filing does not report medical premium on Schedule A (usual for self-funded plans). In dollars, employers with 200-499 participants that disclosed broker pay reported a median of $77,013.
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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.