Southern Marketing Affiliates, Inc.
Updated Filing received by DOL
Southern Marketing Affiliates, Inc., a wholesale trade employer in Jonesboro, Arkansas, reported 161 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2024. Its Form 5500 shows $61,248 in insurance premiums across 8 contracts and $43,603 in broker commissions and fees. The plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. The Department of Labor received the filing on November 3, 2025, 19 days after the extended deadline.
Who was paid on Southern Marketing Affiliates, 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 Southern Marketing Affiliates, Inc. filed for 2024.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadence Insurance Inc · Little Rock, AR | $11,052 | $19,753 | $30,805 | 6 |
| Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield · Little Rock, AR | $0 | $7,723 | $7,723 | 1 |
| Gallagher · Little Rock, AR | $2,713 | $170 | $2,883 | 1 |
| Martin McCall · Jonesboro, AR | $1,820 | $0 | $1,820 | 4 |
| Maria Vandyke · Maumelle, AR | $204 | $0 | $204 | 4 |
| Jerry Duncan C/O Arkansas BCBS · Fayetteville, AR | $168 | $0 | $168 | 4 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shielddental | 162 | $61,248 | $10,606 | 17.3% |
| Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shieldvision | 150 | — | — | — |
| Usable Lifelife | 147 | — | $1,384 | — |
| Usable Lifelong-term disability | 7 | — | $282 | — |
| Usable Lifelife | 61 | — | $3,816 | — |
| Usable Lifelong-term disability | 48 | — | $5,143 | — |
| The Guardian Life Insurance Co of Americashort-term disability | 42 | — | $2,883 | — |
| Cigna Health and Life Insurance Companyhealth | 131 | — | $19,489 | — |
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 Southern Marketing Affiliates, 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.
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
| 2023 | 2024 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 111 | 161 | +45.0% |
| Premiums filed | $616,867 | $61,248 | not comparable |
| Broker commissions + fees | $103,752 | $43,603 | −58.0% |
| Commission rate | 14.1% | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Marketing Affiliates, Inc. Insurance Plan#501 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2024 | November 3, 2025 | 19 days late | 161 |
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 Southern Marketing Affiliates, Inc. pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2024?
Southern Marketing Affiliates, Inc.'s 2024 Form 5500 reports $43,603 in broker commissions and fees across 8 insurance contracts ($15,957 in commissions, $27,646 in fees), with Cadence Insurance Inc receiving the largest share.
Is Southern Marketing Affiliates, 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 Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company.
How does Southern Marketing Affiliates, Inc.'s broker compensation compare with similar employers?
A commission-to-premium ratio cannot be computed for Southern Marketing Affiliates, Inc. because the filing does not report medical premium on Schedule A (usual for self-funded plans). In dollars, employers with 100-199 participants that disclosed broker pay reported a median of $53,852.
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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.