| Broker | Address | Carrier | Commissions | Fees | Total comp | % of premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE RICHARDS GROUP3 | PO BOX 820 BRATTLEBORO, VT 05302 | CIGNA HEALTH AND LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | $29K | $0 | $29K | 4.11% |
| THE RICHARDS GROUP3 | PO BOX 820 BRATTLEBORO, VT 05302 | UNITED OF OMAHA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | $14K | $4K | $18K | 13.55% |
| THE RICHARDS GROUP3 | PO BOX 820 BRATTLEBORO, VT 05302 | VISION SERVICE PLAN | $858 | $0 | $858 | 5.26% |
No Schedule C service providers reported on this filing.
Benefits declared on the Form 5500 main form (✓ = also has a Schedule A insurance contract; otherwise the benefit is funded out of plan assets or via a Schedule C TPA).
The plan reports several different headcounts depending on which form you read. Each one measures a different slice of the population.
| Active participants | 158 | Currently employed and enrolled or eligible. |
| Retired/separated still receiving benefits | 1 | Continuation coverage (COBRA, retiree health). |
| Retired/separated still eligible | 0 | Vested but not currently using benefits. |
| Total participants (= "Plan participants" tile) | 159 | Active + retired/separated + beneficiaries. No dependents. |
| Coverage | Top carrier | Persons covered EOY | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health (medical) | CIGNA HEALTH AND LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | 194 | $695K |
| Vision | VISION SERVICE PLAN | 96 | $16K |
| Life insurance | UNITED OF OMAHA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | 157 | $130K |
| Short-term disability | UNITED OF OMAHA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | 157 | $130K |
| Long-term disability | UNITED OF OMAHA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | 157 | $130K |
| Prescription drug | CIGNA HEALTH AND LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | 194 | $695K |
| Other | UNITED OF OMAHA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | 157 | $130K |
| Persons covered (= "Persons covered" tile) | Max across the rows above | 194 | — |
Why the numbers differ. Form 5500 line 6 counts employees + retirees + beneficiaries; no dependents. Schedule A persons-covered counts everyone enrolled, including spouses and children, so it usually exceeds line 6 by 30-60% on a working-age workforce. The medical row is normally the broadest single line because it has the highest take-up; dental/vision/life often dip below it. Stop-loss / reinsurance contracts sometimes report the carrier's full underwriting pool rather than this filer's headcount; the row is shown for transparency but shouldn't be read as "people in this plan."
Total premium grew more than 20% over prior year. Renewal pain — prime candidate for re-shopping the carriers.
Broker compensation exceeds 5% of premium. Either a small-plan minimum-fee dynamic or an inefficient broker structure ripe for a counter-bid.
Premium per covered life exceeds 2× the peer median for this NAICS + size cohort. Either richly-funded plan or struggling with a bad rate.