Dental practices by state
PlanOptica tracks 981 health and welfare plans sponsored by 925 dental practices in the United States, covering 194,261 participants and $636M in reported insurance premiums (plan year 2024 to 2025 filings). The median plan has 5 participants, and the most common size is under 100 participants (74% of plans). Most of these plans are self-funded or mixed (79%), so stop-loss and TPA relationships matter as much as the medical carrier.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois leads by premium with a 34% share, followed by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company at 22%. Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc is the broker of record on 28 plans, more than any other firm, ahead of Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC (27). 28% of plans report broker compensation on Schedule A; the median brokered plan pays $51K a year, about 6.4% of premium. OH, MO and KY have the most plans of any state.
Funding mix
- Self-funded701 · 71%
- Fully insured178 · 18%
- Mixed75 · 8%
- MEWA24 · 2%
- Unknown3 · 0%
Plan size (participants)
- Under 100730 · 74%
- 100 to 249108 · 11%
- 250 to 49966 · 7%
- 500 to 99936 · 4%
- 1,000 or more41 · 4%
Median plan: 5 participants. Median broker comp: 6.4% of premium across 270 brokered plans.
Top carriers, dental, the U.S.
- 1Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois$214M64 plans · 33.7%
- 2Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company$141M48 plans · 22.2%
- 3Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company$59M36 plans · 9.3%
- 4The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company$22M28 plans · 3.5%
- 5Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc$22M17 plans · 3.5%
- 6Anthem Health Plans of Virginia$19M8 plans · 2.9%
- 7Metropolitan Life Insurance Company$13M29 plans · 2.0%
- 8Life Insurance Company of North America$13M23 plans · 2.0%
- 9United Healthcare Insurance Company$12M7 plans · 1.9%
- 10Aetna Life Insurance Company$12M8 plans · 1.8%
Top brokers, dental, the U.S.
- 1Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc28 plans$2.2M comp · 10.4%
- 2Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC27 plans$2.8M comp · 10.0%
- 3Usi Insurance Services LLC22 plans$1.6M comp · 8.1%
- 4Lockton Companies, LLC20 plans$3.0M comp · 7.4%
- 5Hub International Midwest Limited19 plans$837K comp · 7.0%
- 6Emerson Rogers, LLC19 plans$419K comp · 7.0%
- 7Alliant Insurance Services, Inc16 plans$1.4M comp · 5.9%
- 8Gis Benefits, Inc13 plans$137K comp · 4.8%
- 9Centro Benefits Research LLC11 plans$106K comp · 4.1%
- 10Brown & Brown Insurance Services in10 plans$583K comp · 3.7%
Largest dental practices nationally
| Employer / plan | Location | Funding | Participants | Premium | Primary carrier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heartland Dental, LLC Heartland Dental Comprehensive Health & Welfare Benefits PlanAll plans | Effingham, IL | Mixed | 20,468 | $15M | The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company |
| The Aspen Group (Tag) Tag Providers Education and Development Association LLCAll plans | Chicago, IL | Fully insured | 15,200 | $85M | Blue Cross of California |
| MB2 Dental, PLLC MB2 Dental, PLLC Health & Welfare Benefit PlanAll plans | Carrollton, TX | Mixed | 8,074 | $3.0M | Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada |
| Onesmile, LLC Onesmile Welfare Benefits PlanAll plans | Irvine, CA | Mixed | 6,423 | $6.7M | Life Insurance Company of North America |
| Western Dental Services, Inc Western Dental Services, Inc. Welfare Benefits PlanAll plans | Orange, CA | Fully insured | 5,353 | $5.0M | Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc |
| Board of Trustees MA State Health Care Professionals' Dental Fund Massachusetts State Health Care Professionals' Dental FundAll plans | White Plains, NY | Mixed | 4,353 | $147K | HM Life Insurance Company |
| Affordable Care, LLC Affordable Care, LLC Life and Disability PlanAll plans | Morrisville, NC | MEWA | 3,613 | $3.1M | Unum Life Insurance Company of America |
| Smile Doctors LLC Smile Doctors LLC Employee Benefits PlanAll plans | Dallas, TX | Mixed | 3,424 | $3.9M | Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company |
| James R. Glidewell Dental Ceramics, Inc James R. Glidewell Dental Ceramics, Inc. Employee Benefit PlanAll plans | Newport Beach, CA | Mixed | 3,360 | $3.4M | Anthem Life Insurance Company |
| Team Tag Services, LLC Team Tag Services, LLCAll plans | Chicago, IL | Fully insured | 3,329 | $16M | Prudential Insurance Company of America |
| North American Dental Management, LLC North American Dental Management, LLC Health and Welfare Benefits PlanAll plans | New Castle, PA | Mixed | 2,638 | $1.3M | Reliastar Life Insurance Company |
| Dental Care Alliance, LLC Dental Care Alliance, LLC Welfare Benefit PlanAll plans | Sarasota, FL | Fully insured | 2,372 | $2.3M | United of Omaha Life Insurance Company |
| Mortenson Family Dental Holdings, Inc Mortenson Dental Partners Employee Stock Ownership PlanAll plans | Louisville, KY | Self-funded | 2,220 | - | - |
| Vardiman Black Holdings, LLC Specialty Dental Brands Welfare Benefit PlanAll plans | Nashville, TN | Mixed | 2,217 | $1.6M | Prudential Insurance Company of America |
| U.S. Oral Surgery Management, LLC U.S. Oral Surgery Management, LLC Welfare Benefit PlanAll plans | Irving, TX | MEWA | 2,151 | $18M | Blue Cross of California |
Showing 15 of 925 employers. Filter the full list by size, funding, carrier and broker.
Plans by state
- Ohio219 plans
- Missouri173 plans
- Kentucky107 plans
- Georgia75 plans
- Florida36 plans
- California33 plans
- New York29 plans
- Texas28 plans
- Illinois24 plans
- Indiana20 plans
- North Carolina19 plans
- Minnesota16 plans
- Pennsylvania14 plans
- Michigan13 plans
- Tennessee13 plans
- Virginia13 plans
- New Jersey12 plans
- Wisconsin12 plans
- Colorado11 plans
- West Virginia11 plans
- Oklahoma10 plans
- Arizona9 plans
- Nebraska9 plans
- Maryland8 plans
- Massachusetts7 plans
- Oregon7 plans
- Arkansas6 plans
- South Carolina6 plans
- Washington6 plans
- Nevada5 plans
- Hawaii4 plans
- Alabama3 plans
- Connecticut3 plans
- Louisiana3 plans
- Delaware2 plans
- Idaho2 plans
- Kansas2 plans
- South Dakota2 plans
- Utah2 plans
- Wyoming2 plans
- Montana1 plans
- Rhode Island1 plans
- Vermont1 plans
Frequently asked questions
How many dental practices offer an ERISA health plan?
981 health and welfare plans from 925 dental practices appear in plan year 2024 to 2025 filings on Form 5500, covering 194,261 participants. Plans with fewer than 100 participants that are fully insured do not have to file, so small practices are under-counted.
Which insurance carriers cover the most dental practices?
By Schedule A premium: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (34% of premium, 64 plans), Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (22% of premium, 48 plans) and Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company (9% of premium, 36 plans).
Which benefits brokers work with dental practices?
By number of client plans: Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc (28 plans), Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC (27 plans) and Usi Insurance Services LLC (22 plans). 28% of plans report a broker.
How much do brokers earn on dental practices health plans?
The median brokered plan reports $51K a year in broker commissions and fees, or 6.4% of premium. Figures come from Schedule A, Part I.
Are dental practices health plans self-funded or fully insured?
Self-funded 71%, fully insured 18% and mixed 8%. Self-funded and mixed plans together make up 79%.
Where does this data come from?
U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 filings and their Schedule A insurance attachments, latest filing per plan. Offices of dentists (NAICS 621210), plus healthcare employers whose name says dental, dentistry, orthodontics, periodontics, endodontics or oral surgery.
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Other healthcare specialties
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 and Schedule A, latest filing per plan (plan years 2024-2025). Offices of dentists (NAICS 621210), plus healthcare employers whose name says dental, dentistry, orthodontics, periodontics, endodontics or oral surgery.