The Hearst Corporation
Updated Filing received by DOL
The Hearst Corporation, an information & publishing employer in Charlotte, North Carolina, reported 8,030 participants in its health and welfare plans for plan year 2024. Its Form 5500 shows 16 insurance contracts with no premium reported and $189,299 in broker commissions and fees. The plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. The Department of Labor received the filing on October 6, 2025, within the extension window.
Who was paid on The Hearst Corporation'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 Hearst Corporation filed for 2024.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer · Chicago, IL | $15,471 | $129,294 | $144,765 | 7 |
| Gallagher · Latham, NY | $44,465 | $69 | $44,534 | 5 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.health, HMO | 32 | — | — | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.health, HMO | 488 | — | — | — |
| Metropolitan Life Insurance Companydental, HMO | 14,724 | — | $111,370 | — |
| Safeguard Health Plans, Inc., a California Corporationdental, HMO | 46 | — | $124 | — |
| Safeguard Health Plans, Inc. a Florida Corporationdental, HMO | 41 | — | $102 | — |
| Safeguard Health Plans, Inc., a Texas Corporationdental, HMO | 84 | — | $197 | — |
| Metropolitan Life Insurance Companyvision | 12,961 | — | $9,277 | — |
| Metropolitan Life Insurance Companydental, vision, life, HMO | 52 | — | $867 | — |
| Unitedhealthcare Insurance Companyhealth · amount flagged as implausible, excluded | 95 | — | — | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washingtonhealth, HMO | 87 | — | — | — |
| Aetna Life Insurance Companyhealth | 798 | — | — | — |
| Metropolitan Life Insurance Companylife | 621 | — | $22,828 | — |
| Delta Dental of New Yorkdental | 109 | — | $6,630 | — |
| MVP Health Carehealth | 83 | — | $28,843 | — |
| MVP Health Carehealth | 26 | — | $8,118 | — |
| Unum Life Insurance Companylife, long-term disability | 99 | — | $943 | — |
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 The Hearst Corporation 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 | 7,664 | 8,030 | +4.8% |
| Premiums filed | $4,355,009 | $0 | not comparable |
| Broker commissions + fees | $88,158 | $189,299 | +114.7% |
| Commission rate | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hearst Corporation Health Care Program#503 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2024 | October 6, 2025 | within extension | 8,030 |
| MCG Health, LLC Health & Welfare Plans#510 · insurance | December 31, 2024 | October 6, 2025 | within extension | 442 |
| Capital Newspapers Employee Welfare, Pension, Alternate Benefit and Death Benefit Plan#542 · insurance | December 31, 2024 | October 13, 2025 | within extension | 128 |
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 Hearst Corporation pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2024?
The Hearst Corporation's 2024 Form 5500 reports $189,299 in broker commissions and fees across 16 insurance contracts ($59,936 in commissions, $129,363 in fees), with Mercer receiving the largest share.
Is The Hearst Corporation'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 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington.
How does The Hearst Corporation's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
A commission-to-premium ratio cannot be computed for The Hearst Corporation because the filing does not report medical premium on Schedule A (usual for self-funded plans). In dollars, employers with 5,000+ participants that disclosed broker pay reported a median of $458,262.
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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.