Natural Choice Foods, Inc.
Updated Filing received by DOL
Natural Choice Foods, Inc., a wholesale trade employer in Marne, Michigan, reported 232 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2024. Its Form 5500 shows $3.4M in insurance premiums across 5 contracts and $81,573 in broker commissions and fees, 1.7% 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 February 12, 2026, before the deadline.
Who was paid on Natural Choice Foods, 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 Natural Choice Foods, Inc. filed for 2024.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert L. Hughes · Grand Rapids, MI | $55,906 | $0 | $55,906 | 1 |
| Advantage Benefits Group, Inc. · Grand Rapids, MI | $21,413 | $4,215 | $25,628 | 4 |
| Employee Navigator, LLC · Bethesda, MD | $39 | $0 | $39 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Care Network of Michiganhealth, prescription drug, HMO | 287 | $1.7M | $57,723 | 3.5% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michiganhealth, prescription drug, PPO | 211 | $1.7M | — | — |
| Delta Dental of Michigandental | 292 | $102,866 | $6,448 | 6.3% |
| Vision Service Planvision | 119 | — | $1,221 | — |
| Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company of Americalife, short-term disability, long-term disability | 197 | — | $16,181 | — |
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 Natural Choice Foods, 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: $6,650 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 | 219 | 232 | +5.9% |
| Premiums filed | $1,557,044 | $3,414,632 | +119.3% |
| Broker commissions + fees | $86,341 | $81,573 | −5.5% |
| Commission rate | 4.0% | 1.7% | −2.3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Choice Foods Health and Welfare Plan#501 · insurance, general assets | August 31, 2025 | February 12, 2026 | before deadline | 232 |
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 Natural Choice Foods, Inc. pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2024?
Natural Choice Foods, Inc.'s 2024 Form 5500 reports $81,573 in broker commissions and fees across 5 insurance contracts ($77,358 in commissions, $4,215 in fees), with Robert L. Hughes receiving the largest share.
Is Natural Choice Foods, Inc.'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 Blue Care Network of Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
How does Natural Choice Foods, Inc.'s broker compensation compare with similar employers?
Natural Choice Foods, Inc. paid 1.7% of medical premium in commissions and fees. The median for employers with 200-499 participants is 3.6%, and the median in Michigan is 3.2%. 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.