Prairie Lakes Healthcare System
Updated Filing received by DOL
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System, a healthcare & social assistance employer in Watertown, South Dakota, reported 497 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2025. Its Form 5500 shows $7.0M in insurance premiums across 1 contract and $30,760 in broker commissions and fees, 0.4% 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 15, 2026, before the deadline.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakotahealth, prescription drug | 516 | $7.0M | $30,760 | 0.4% |
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 Prairie Lakes Healthcare System 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: $13,538 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 | 430 | 497 | +15.6% |
| Premiums filed | $6,199,435 | $6,985,655 | +12.7% |
| Broker commissions + fees | $29,875 | $30,760 | +3.0% |
| Commission rate | 0.5% | 0.4% | −0.0 pts |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Lakes Healthcare System Medical and Prescription Plan#502 · insurance | December 31, 2025 | July 15, 2026 | before deadline | 497 |
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 Prairie Lakes Healthcare System pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2025?
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System's 2025 Form 5500 reports $30,760 in broker commissions and fees across 1 insurance contracts ($30,760 in commissions, $0 in fees).
Is Prairie Lakes Healthcare System'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 Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota.
How does Prairie Lakes Healthcare System's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System paid 0.4% of medical premium in commissions and fees. The median for employers with 200-499 participants is 3.6%, and the median in South Dakota is 1.6%. 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.