Tri State Enterprises Inc
Updated Filing received by DOL
Tri State Enterprises Inc, a retail — stores, food, auto, clothing employer in Fort Smith, Arkansas, reported 607 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2024. Its Form 5500 shows $2.5M in insurance premiums across 10 contracts and $62,980 in broker commissions and fees, 0.0% 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 28, 2025, before the deadline.
Who was paid on Tri State Enterprises 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 Tri State Enterprises Inc filed for 2024.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BHC Next, LLC · Fort Smith, AR | $27,130 | $1,926 | $29,056 | 7 |
| Brown-Hiller Inc · Fort Smith, AR | $14,318 | $2,824 | $17,142 | 7 |
| AssuredPartners · White Plains, NY | $13,109 | $3,166 | $16,275 | 7 |
| Jerry Duncan · Fayetteville, AR | $252 | $0 | $252 | 2 |
| David Needham · Van Buren, AR | $202 | $0 | $202 | 1 |
| Maria Vandyke · Maumelle, AR | $53 | $0 | $53 | 2 |
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 Shieldhealth, prescription drug, PPO | 502 | $2.3M | — | — |
| Blue Cross, Blue Shielddental | 523 | $146,491 | — | — |
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldvision | 473 | — | — | — |
| United of Omaha Life Insurance Companyshort-term disability | 172 | — | $15,459 | — |
| United of Omaha Life Insurance Companyshort-term disability | 87 | — | $4,591 | — |
| United of Omaha Life Insurance Companyshort-term disability | 119 | — | $7,292 | — |
| United of Omaha Life Insurance Companylong-term disability | 165 | — | $13,485 | — |
| United of Omaha Life Insurance Companylife | 231 | — | $18,134 | — |
| Usable Lifelife | 325 | — | $742 | — |
| Usable Lifelife | 307 | — | $3,277 | — |
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 Tri State Enterprises 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.
Premium per covered person on medical contracts: $4,631 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 | 2024 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 539 | 607 | +12.6% |
| Premiums filed | $1,603,291 | $2,471,452 | +54.1% |
| Broker commissions + fees | $49,536 | $62,980 | +27.1% |
| Commission rate | 0.0% | 0.0% | +0.0 pts |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tri State Enterprises Inc#501 · insurance | December 31, 2024 | July 28, 2025 | before deadline | 607 |
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 Tri State Enterprises Inc pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2024?
Tri State Enterprises Inc's 2024 Form 5500 reports $62,980 in broker commissions and fees across 10 insurance contracts ($55,064 in commissions, $7,916 in fees), with BHC Next, LLC receiving the largest share.
Is Tri State Enterprises Inc's health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2024 filing indicates the plan is fully insured (an insurance carrier pays claims). Medical coverage is written by Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield.
How does Tri State Enterprises Inc's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
Tri State Enterprises Inc paid 0.0% of medical premium in commissions and fees. The median for employers with 500-999 participants is 2.7%, and the median in Arkansas is 3.7%. 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.