The Franklin Institute
Updated Filing received by DOL
The Franklin Institute, an arts & entertainment employer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reported 110 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2025. Its Form 5500 shows $1.5M in insurance premiums across 9 contracts and $60,320 in broker commissions and fees, 2.9% 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 July 17, 2026, before the deadline.
Who was paid on The Franklin Institute's plan
Schedule A, Part I lists each broker or agent paid on each insurance contract and the amount. Totals below add every contract The Franklin Institute filed for 2025.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marsh McLennan Agency · Conshohocken, PA | $45,290 | $3 | $45,293 | 4 |
| Michael J Lagowy · Center Valley, PA | $6,037 | $1,521 | $7,558 | 3 |
| Kathleen M Keenan · MT Laurel, NJ | $4,025 | $1,013 | $5,038 | 3 |
| TRS Agency LLC · Philadelphia, PA | $805 | $96 | $901 | 3 |
| Jason Espenshade · Center Valley, PA | $604 | $217 | $821 | 3 |
| Guinan FNCL GRP LLC · King of Prussia, PA | $604 | $73 | $677 | 3 |
| USI Insurance Services · Blue Bell, PA | $0 | $32 | $32 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keystone Health Plan Easthealth, prescription drug, HMO | 88 | $1.4M | $41,369 | 2.9% |
| Northwestern Mutuallife | 110 | $35,156 | $7,827 | 22.3% |
| Northwestern Mutuallong-term disability | 66 | $27,426 | $6,126 | 22.3% |
| Northwestern Mutualshort-term disability | 110 | $4,645 | $1,042 | — |
| United Concordia Insurance Companydental | 76 | — | $2,855 | — |
| United Concordia Dental Plans of Pennsylvania, Inc.dental | 17 | — | $433 | — |
| National Vision Administrators, LLCvision | 63 | — | $636 | — |
| Keystone Health Plan East - Keystone 65health, prescription drug, HMO | — | — | — | — |
| Federal Insurance Company (chubb)coverage not coded | 110 | — | $32 | — |
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 The Franklin Institute 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: $16,440 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 | 2025 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 100 | 110 | +10.0% |
| Premiums filed | $1,215,940 | $1,513,951 | +24.5% |
| Broker commissions + fees | $13,823 | $60,320 | +336.4% |
| Commission rate | 0.0% | 2.9% | +2.9 pts |
Source: DOL Form 5500 filings for plan years 2023 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Franklin Institute Group Welfare Plan#501 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2025 | July 17, 2026 | before deadline | 110 |
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 The Franklin Institute pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2025?
The Franklin Institute's 2025 Form 5500 reports $60,320 in broker commissions and fees across 9 insurance contracts ($57,365 in commissions, $2,955 in fees), with Marsh McLennan Agency receiving the largest share.
Is The Franklin Institute'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 Keystone Health Plan East, Keystone Health Plan East - Keystone 65.
How does The Franklin Institute's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
The Franklin Institute paid 2.9% of medical premium in commissions and fees. The median for employers with 100-199 participants is 4.2%, 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.