Higherechelon, Inc.
Updated Filing received by DOL
Higherechelon, Inc., a professional & technical services employer in Huntsville, Alabama, reported 320 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2025. Its Form 5500 shows $2.9M in insurance premiums across 2 contracts and $127,748 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 fully insured (an insurance carrier pays claims). The Department of Labor received the filing on July 29, 2026, before the deadline.
Who was paid on Higherechelon, 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 Higherechelon, Inc. filed for 2025.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keel Point Insurance Advisors LLC · Huntsville, AL | $90,535 | $5,000 | $95,535 | 1 |
| Gis Benefits · Morris, IL | $0 | $32,213 | $32,213 | 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 | 373 | $2.9M | — | — |
| Principal Life Insurance Companydental, vision, life, short-term disability, long-term disability, PPO | 547 | — | $127,748 | — |
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 Higherechelon, 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: $7,863 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 | 284 | 320 | +12.7% |
| Premiums filed | $0 | $2,932,952 | — |
| Broker commissions + fees | $77,073 | $127,748 | +65.7% |
| Commission rate | — | 0.0% | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higherechelon Wrap Plan#501 · insurance | December 31, 2025 | July 29, 2026 | before deadline | 320 |
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 Higherechelon, Inc. pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2025?
Higherechelon, Inc.'s 2025 Form 5500 reports $127,748 in broker commissions and fees across 2 insurance contracts ($90,535 in commissions, $37,213 in fees), with Keel Point Insurance Advisors LLC receiving the largest share.
Is Higherechelon, Inc.'s health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2025 filing indicates the plan is fully insured (an insurance carrier pays claims). Medical coverage is written by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.
How does Higherechelon, Inc.'s broker compensation compare with similar employers?
Higherechelon, Inc. paid 0.0% of medical premium in commissions and fees. The median for employers with 200-499 participants is 3.6%, 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.