Illinois employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
2,831 Illinois employers filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 4,108,856 participants. They reported $3.1B in insurance premiums and $361M in broker commissions and fees. The median broker rate on commission-paying, fully insured medical plans was 1.5% of premium, 2.3 points below the national median of 3.8%.
Largest brokers
Reported commissions and fees, with the number of employer plans naming each.
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written.
Cities in Illinois
Every Illinois city where 15 or more employers filed a health plan, by the sponsor's mailing address. Each page lists the city's largest plans, brokers and carriers.
| City | Employer plans | Premiums |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 902 | $1.4B |
| Schaumburg | 69 | $22M |
| Oak Brook | 55 | $145M |
| Downers Grove | 46 | $22M |
| Itasca | 42 | $2.1M |
| Rockford | 41 | $12M |
| Naperville | 38 | $14M |
| Northbrook | 36 | $38M |
| Elgin | 32 | $9,925 |
| Springfield | 31 | $51M |
| Aurora | 30 | $9.3M |
| Elk Grove Village | 30 | $3.9M |
| Peoria | 30 | $38M |
| Rosemont | 25 | $6.6M |
| Skokie | 25 | $0 |
| Lisle | 24 | $3.2M |
| Champaign | 23 | $2.2M |
| Des Plaines | 23 | $3.2M |
| Buffalo Grove | 22 | $6.3M |
| Deerfield | 21 | $25M |
| Addison | 19 | $2.5M |
| Oakbrook Terrace | 19 | $129M |
| St. Charles | 19 | $100,557 |
| Decatur | 18 | $7.3M |
| Lincolnshire | 18 | $0 |
| Carol Stream | 17 | $8.1M |
| Hoffman Estates | 17 | $24M |
| Moline | 17 | $3.7M |
| Quincy | 17 | $39M |
| Bloomington | 16 | $106M |
| Burr Ridge | 16 | $123M |
| Evanston | 16 | $149M |
| Vernon Hills | 16 | $1.3M |
| Wood Dale | 16 | $39M |
| Bolingbrook | 15 | $142,211 |
| Lake Forest | 15 | $139M |
| Lincolnwood | 15 | $3.3M |
| Wheeling | 15 | $8.1M |
| Woodridge | 15 | $0 |
Largest employer plans
By health plan participants.
| Employer | City | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| Walgreen Co. | Deerfield | 250,154 |
| Central States, Se and SW Areas Health and Pension Funds | Chicago | 228,415 |
| United Airlines, Inc. | Chicago | 126,338 |
| Trustees of UNITE Here Health | Oak Brook | 112,978 |
| State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company | Bloomington | 101,313 |
| Accenture LLP | Chicago | 73,440 |
| Board of Trustees of Line Construction Benefit Fund | Lombard | 64,488 |
| McDonald's Corporation | Chicago | 45,388 |
| GE Healthcare Technologies Inc. | Chicago | 42,814 |
| Northwestern Memorial Healthcare | Chicago | 38,306 |
| Abbott Laboratories | Abbott Park | 35,535 |
| Jones Lang Lasalle Americas, Inc. | Chicago | 33,219 |
| Aldi Inc. | Batavia | 32,034 |
| Baxter International Inc | Deerfield | 31,689 |
| Cushman & Wakefield | Chicago | 31,369 |
| Cleveland-Cliffs Steel LLC | Chicago | 30,075 |
| Hyatt Corporation | Chicago | 27,705 |
| The University of Chicago | Chicago | 27,612 |
| Abbvie Inc. | North Chicago | 26,956 |
| US Foods, Inc. | Rosemont | 26,527 |
| Endeavor Health | Evanston | 25,583 |
| Kraft Heinz Foods Company | Chicago | 25,555 |
| OSF Healthcare System | Peoria | 24,992 |
| Transdev Services, Inc. | Lombard | 24,653 |
| Reyes Holdings, LLC | Rosemont | 24,510 |
Highest broker pay
Employers reporting the most broker commissions and fees.
Highest commission rates
Fully insured medical plans with at least $500,000 in premium, ranked by broker compensation as a share of premium.
Source: DOL Form 5500 and Schedule A, plan year 2024; built October 24, 2026. Methodology.
What do Illinois employers pay health insurance brokers?
Across 95 fully insured medical plans in plan year 2024, among commission-paying fully insured medical plans, the median broker compensation for Illinois employers was 1.5% of premium (middle half 0.4% to 3.1%), against a national median of 3.8%. In dollars, the median employer that disclosed broker pay reported $85,899.
Which Illinois employers paid the most in broker commissions?
Heartland Dental, LLC reported the most in 2024, $2,930,103, followed by Hub Group, Inc. ($2.9M) and Hub International Limited ($2.6M).
Which brokers and carriers dominate Illinois?
By reported compensation, the largest brokers are Marsh McLennan Agency, HUB International, Lockton. By medical premium, the largest carriers are Bluecross Blueshield of Illinois, Health Care Service Corporation, Ace Insurance Company.
Which Illinois cities have the most employer health plans?
Chicago (902 employer plans, $1.4B in premiums); Schaumburg (69 employer plans, $22M in premiums); Oak Brook (55 employer plans, $145M in premiums); Downers Grove (46 employer plans, $22M in premiums); Itasca (42 employer plans, $2.1M in premiums). 39 Illinois cities with 15 or more employer plans have their own page listing the largest plans, brokers and carriers.
Is your company on this page? Get its Form 5500 read next to the Illinois medians.
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