| Broker | Address | Carrier | Commissions | Fees | Total comp | % of premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DALE ERNST3 Filed as: DALE A ERNST | 1661 INTERNATIONAL DRIVE SUITE 300 MEMPHIS, TN 38120 | BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD OF TENNESSEE, INC. | $84K | — | $84K | 5.36% |
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 | 257 | Currently employed and enrolled or eligible. |
| Retired/separated still receiving benefits | 0 | Continuation coverage (COBRA, retiree health). |
| Retired/separated still eligible | 0 | Vested but not currently using benefits. |
| Total participants (= "Plan participants" tile) | 257 | Active + retired/separated + beneficiaries. No dependents. |
No Schedule A insurance contracts on this filing — typical of fully self-funded plans, where the only headcount is the Form 5500 number above.
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."
Broker compensation exceeds 5% of premium. Either a small-plan minimum-fee dynamic or an inefficient broker structure ripe for a counter-bid.
Top carrier holds >85% of premium. If that carrier hits a rate increase, the entire plan moves.
Premium per covered life exceeds 2× the peer median for this NAICS + size cohort. Either richly-funded plan or struggling with a bad rate.
Schedule A presence shifted between filings (insured ↔ self-funded, or new contracts added/removed). Capture the transition window.