Independence Blue Cross, LLC
Updated Filing received by DOL
Independence Blue Cross, LLC, a finance & insurance employer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reported 4,182 participants in its health and welfare plans for plan year 2024. Its Form 5500 shows $77M in insurance premiums across 23 contracts and $487,785 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 October 10, 2025, 71 days after the base deadline with no extension indicated on the form.
Who was paid on Independence Blue Cross, 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 Independence Blue Cross, LLC filed for 2024.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Nelligan & Associates · Albany, NY | $244,050 | $0 | $244,050 | 1 |
| Bgrand Benefits LLC · Newtown Square, PA | $109,748 | $0 | $109,748 | 1 |
| Sagewell Partners Inc. · Pittsburgh, PA | $93,460 | $0 | $93,460 | 1 |
| Mercer · New York, NY | $3,143 | $0 | $3,143 | 1 |
| Sterling Benefits LLC · Wayne, PA | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, Part I (broker commissions and fees), plan year 2024, as published in EBSA's 2024 "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ibc Personal Choicehealth, PPO | 5,046 | $33M | — | — |
| Keystone Health Plan Easthealth, HMO | 2,354 | $17M | — | — |
| Ibc RX GRPShealth, prescription drug | 6,137 | $15M | — | — |
| Independence Blue Cross Retiree RXhealth, prescription drug | 173 | $4.2M | — | — |
| Personal Choice Pre 65health, PPO | 129 | $1.7M | — | — |
| Ah HMO, Inc. - PAhealth, HMO | 99 | $1.2M | — | — |
| Independence Blue Cross Early Retiree Drughealth, prescription drug | 247 | $977,582 | — | — |
| Highmark Blue Shieldhealth | 696 | $884,048 | — | — |
| Independence Blue Cross Retiree Medicalhealth, vision, prescription drug, indemnity | 698 | $744,772 | — | — |
| Keystone Health Plan East Keystone 65health, HMO | 90 | $740,706 | — | — |
| Personal Choice 65health, PPO | 71 | $712,336 | — | — |
| Keystone Health Plan East Early Retireehealth, HMO | 118 | $663,250 | — | — |
| Ibc Visionvision | 7,556 | $390,213 | — | — |
| Ah HMO, Inc., PA Early Rethealth, HMO | 26 | $53,249 | — | — |
| Independence Blue Cross Early Ret Visionhealth, vision, indemnity | 247 | $13,638 | — | — |
| Independence Blue Cross Retiree Visionhealth, vision | 173 | $7,313 | — | — |
| National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh, PAcoverage not coded | 4,500 | — | $3,143 | — |
| Magellan Eap Programhealth | 4,247 | — | — | — |
| Guardiancoverage not coded | 973 | — | $244,050 | — |
| Dearborn National Life Insurance Co.life | 4,217 | — | $109,748 | — |
| Unum Life Insurance Company of Americalong-term disability | 4,107 | — | $130,844 | — |
| Dearborn National Life Insurance Co.life | 2,221 | — | — | — |
| Triple-S Salud, Inc.health, dental, vision, prescription drug, PPO | 148 | — | — | — |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, plan year 2024. Self-funded medical coverage has no premium; amounts shown for it are stop-loss or administrative contracts.
How Independence Blue Cross, 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.
Premium per covered person on medical contracts: $4,699 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
| 2023 | 2024 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 4,162 | 4,182 | +0.5% |
| Premiums filed | $73,077,316 | $77,010,751 | +5.4% |
| Broker commissions + fees | $0 | $487,785 | — |
| Commission rate | 0.0% | 0.0% | +0.0 pts |
Source: DOL Form 5500 filings for plan years 2023 and 2024.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Blue Cross Welfare and Flexible Benefits Plan#501 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2024 | October 10, 2025 | 71 days after deadline, no extension indicated | 4,182 |
| Independence Blue Cross Retiree Health and Welfare Plan#510 · insurance | December 31, 2024 | October 10, 2025 | 71 days after deadline, no extension indicated | 1,866 |
| Puerto Rico Health Plan, Inc. Medical Plan#502 · insurance | December 31, 2024 | October 10, 2025 | 71 days after deadline, no extension indicated | 148 |
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 Independence Blue Cross, LLC pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2024?
Independence Blue Cross, LLC's 2024 Form 5500 reports $487,785 in broker commissions and fees across 23 insurance contracts ($487,785 in commissions, $0 in fees), with James Nelligan & Associates receiving the largest share.
Is Independence Blue Cross, LLC's health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2024 filing indicates the plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. Medical coverage is written by Ibc Personal Choice, Keystone Health Plan East, Ibc RX GRPS.
How does Independence Blue Cross, LLC's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
Independence Blue Cross, LLC paid 0.0% of medical premium in commissions and fees. The median for employers with 1,000-4,999 participants is 2.0%, and the median in Pennsylvania is 4.4%. 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.