National Public Radio
Updated Filing received by DOL
National Public Radio, an information & publishing employer in Washington, District of Columbia, reported 1,168 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2025. Its Form 5500 shows $1.3M in insurance premiums across 11 contracts and $191,320 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 16, 2026, before the deadline.
Who was paid on National Public Radio's plan
Schedule A, Part I lists each broker or agent paid on each insurance contract and the amount. Totals below add every contract National Public Radio filed for 2025.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Meltzer Group · Bethesda, MD | $88,444 | $9,396 | $97,840 | 2 |
| NFP · Beltsville, MD | $7,862 | $49,215 | $57,077 | 3 |
| The Meltzer Group (jemm Group · Bethesda, MD | $31,093 | $0 | $31,093 | 1 |
| Reuben Warner Associates, Inc · Staten Island, NY | $0 | $5,310 | $5,310 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company and Affiliateshealth, dental, prescription drug, HMO, indemnity | 1,495 | $1.1M | $9,396 | 0.9% |
| Vision Service Planvision | 807 | $214,659 | — | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Mid-Atlantichealth, prescription drug, HMO | 243 | — | $7,885 | — |
| Lincoln National Life Insurance Companylife, short-term disability, long-term disability | 1,067 | — | $80,285 | — |
| Cigna Health and Life Insurance Companyhealth, dental | 33 | — | — | — |
| Delaware American Life Insurance of Americalife | 33 | — | — | — |
| Trawick International GMBHlife | 7 | — | — | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inchealth | 43 | — | — | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.health | 29 | — | $88,444 | — |
| Trawick International GMBHlong-term disability | 7 | — | — | — |
| National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburg, PAcoverage not coded | — | — | $5,310 | — |
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 National Public Radio 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 | 1,057 | 1,168 | +10.5% |
| Premiums filed | $1,165,576 | $1,312,545 | not comparable |
| Broker commissions + fees | $103,749 | $191,320 | +84.4% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPR Welfare Benefit Plan#501 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2025 | June 16, 2026 | before deadline | 1,168 |
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 National Public Radio pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2025?
National Public Radio's 2025 Form 5500 reports $191,320 in broker commissions and fees across 11 insurance contracts ($127,399 in commissions, $63,921 in fees), with The Meltzer Group receiving the largest share.
Is National Public Radio'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, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Mid-Atlantic, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company.
How does National Public Radio's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
A commission-to-premium ratio cannot be computed for National Public Radio 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.