The Mars Agency
Updated Filing received by DOL
The Mars Agency, a professional & technical services employer in Southfield, Michigan, reported 711 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2024. Its Form 5500 shows $1.9M in insurance premiums across 6 contracts and $37,415 in broker commissions and fees. The plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. The Department of Labor received the filing on September 3, 2025, within the extension window.
Who was paid on The Mars Agency'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 Mars Agency filed for 2024.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patricia Sullivan Forletta · Bloomfield Hills, MI | $22,620 | $0 | $22,620 | 2 |
| Jordan Wertheimer · Birmingham, MI | $8,694 | $0 | $8,694 | 2 |
| Gallagher · Rolling Meadows, IL | $6,101 | $0 | $6,101 | 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 Cross Blue Shield of Michiganhealth, prescription drug, PPO | 1,111 | $1.6M | $21,823 | 1.4% |
| Blue Care Network of Michiganhealth, prescription drug, HMO | 64 | $158,019 | $797 | 0.5% |
| Delta Dental of Michigandental | 1,112 | $121,198 | $6,101 | 5.0% |
| Eyemed Vision Care on Behalf of Fidelity Security Life Insurance Co.vision | 991 | — | — | — |
| Unum Life Insurance Company of Americalife, short-term disability, long-term disability | 703 | — | $7,354 | — |
| Unum Insurance Companycoverage not coded | 107 | — | $1,340 | — |
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 Mars Agency 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 | 601 | 711 | +18.3% |
| Premiums filed | $6,083,307 | $1,867,218 | −69.3% |
| Broker commissions + fees | $161,437 | $37,415 | −76.8% |
| Commission rate | 1.6% | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mars Advertising, Inc. Employee Benefits Plan#502 · final filing · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2024 | September 3, 2025 | within extension | 711 |
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 Mars Agency pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2024?
The Mars Agency's 2024 Form 5500 reports $37,415 in broker commissions and fees across 6 insurance contracts ($37,415 in commissions, $0 in fees), with Patricia Sullivan Forletta receiving the largest share.
Is The Mars Agency'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 Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network of Michigan.
How does The Mars Agency's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
A commission-to-premium ratio cannot be computed for The Mars Agency because the filing does not report medical premium on Schedule A (usual for self-funded plans). In dollars, employers with 500-999 participants that disclosed broker pay reported a median of $104,902.
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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.