| Broker | Address | Carrier | Commissions | Fees | Total comp | % of premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MATTHEW A ESTRELA3 Filed as: MATTHEW L MERLETTI | 2501 BLUE RIDGE ROAD #250 RALEIGH, NC 27607 | BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA | $42K | — | $42K | 7.23% |
| JAMES A SCOTT & SON INC3 Filed as: JAMES A SCOTT AND SON INC | 1301 OLD GRAVES MILL ROAD LYNCHBURG, VA 24502 | THE GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | $26K | — | $26K | 116.98% |
| JAMES A SCOTT & SON INC3 Filed as: JAMES A SCOTT AND SON INC | — | THE GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | — | $19K | $19K | 84.63% |
| WATCHTOWER BENEFITS, LLC3 Filed as: WATCHTOWER BENEFITS LLC | 2734 NORTH MILDRED AVENUE #3 CHICAGO, IL 60618 | THE GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | $3K | — | $3K | 14.33% |
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 | 161 | 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) | 161 | Active + retired/separated + beneficiaries. No dependents. |
| Coverage | Top carrier | Persons covered EOY | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dental | THE GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | 176 | $22K |
| Vision | THE GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | 176 | $22K |
| Life insurance | THE GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | 176 | $22K |
| Long-term disability | THE GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | 176 | $22K |
| Stop-loss / reinsurancereinsurance | BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA | 135 | $574K |
| Other | THE GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY | 176 | $22K |
| Persons covered (= "Persons covered" tile) | Max across the rows above | 176 | — |
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.