Physician practices in Iowa
PlanOptica tracks 48 health and welfare plans sponsored by 24 physician practices in Iowa, covering 19,956 participants and $43M in reported insurance premiums (plan year 2024 to 2025 filings). The median plan has 296 participants, and the most common size is 100 to 249 participants (33% of plans). The funding mix is split: 35% of plans are self-funded or mixed and the rest are mainly fully insured.
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa dominates premium with a 69% share, followed by Healthpartners Unitypoint Health at 9%. Dodge Partners Insurance is the broker of record on 7 plans, more than any other firm, ahead of Holmes Murphy & Associates (6). 83% of plans report broker compensation on Schedule A; the median brokered plan pays $22K a year, about 8.6% of premium. West Des Moines, Bettendorf and Mason City have the most plans.
Funding mix
- Fully insured29 · 60%
- Mixed12 · 25%
- Self-funded5 · 10%
- MEWA2 · 4%
Plan size (participants)
- Under 1004 · 8%
- 100 to 24916 · 33%
- 250 to 49916 · 33%
- 500 to 9999 · 19%
- 1,000 or more3 · 6%
Median plan: 296 participants. Median broker comp: 8.6% of premium across 40 brokered plans.
Top carriers, physicians, Iowa
- 1Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa$30M14 plans · 69.1%
- 2Healthpartners Unitypoint Health$3.7M1 plans · 8.6%
- 3Hartford Life and Accident$2.4M6 plans · 5.7%
- 4Delta Dental of Iowa$1.1M12 plans · 2.6%
- 5Standard Insurance Company$968K6 plans · 2.3%
- 6The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company$878K6 plans · 2.1%
- 7Life Insurance Company of North America$780K2 plans · 1.8%
- 8Reliastar Life Insurance Company$774K3 plans · 1.8%
- 9Symetra Life Insurance Company$447K1 plans · 1.0%
- 10Unum Life Insurance Company of America$444K6 plans · 1.0%
Top brokers, physicians, Iowa
- 1Dodge Partners Insurance7 plans$106K comp · 17.5%
- 2Holmes Murphy & Associates6 plans$158K comp · 15.0%
- 3Assuredpartners Great Plains6 plans$121K comp · 15.0%
- 4Gallagher Benefit Services - DSM6 plans$95K comp · 15.0%
- 5Cottingham & Butler Ins Services4 plans$98K comp · 10.0%
- 6Avant Specialty Benefits LLC4 plans$43K comp · 10.0%
- 7Lockton Insurance Brokers LLC3 plans$194K comp · 7.5%
- 8Truenorth Companies3 plans$109K comp · 7.5%
- 9North Risk Partners LLC3 plans$44K comp · 7.5%
- 10Bherd3 plans$25K comp · 7.5%
Largest physician practices in Iowa
| Employer / plan | City | Funding | Participants | Premium | Primary carrier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland Clinic PC McFarland Clinic PC Welfare BenefitAll plans | Ames | Mixed | 1,828 | $3.1M | Blue Cross of California |
| The Iowa Clinic, P.C The Iowa Clinic 401(k) Profit Sharing PlanAll plans | West Des Moines | Fully insured | 1,817 | - | Athene Annuity and Life Company |
| Medical Associates Clinic, PC Group Life Insurance and Disability PlanAll plans | Dubuque | Fully insured | 971 | $583K | Hartford Life and Accident |
| Cedar Valley Medical Specialists, P.C Cedar Valley Medical Specialists, P.C. Profit Sharing & Employee Savings PlanAll plans | Waterloo | Self-funded | 666 | - | - |
| Ora Orthopedics, P.C Ora Orthopedics, PC Disability PlanAll plans | Bettendorf | Fully insured | 507 | $447K | Symetra Life Insurance Company |
| Wolfe Clinic, P.C Wolfe Clinic Invest Flexible Benefit PlanAll plans | Marhalltown | Mixed | 460 | $5.1M | Blue Cross of California |
| Physicians Clinic of Iowa, P.C Physicians Clinic of Iowa, P.C. Health PlanAll plans | Cedar Rapids | Mixed | 454 | $309K | Northwestern Mutual |
| Mercycare Management, Inc Mercycare Management, Inc. Welfare Benefit PlanAll plans | Cedar Rapids | Mixed | 371 | $446K | The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company |
| Community Health Care, Inc Community Health Care, Inc. Short-Term & Long-Term Disability PlanAll plans | Davenport | Fully insured | 353 | $351K | Standard Insurance Company |
| Primary Health Care, Inc Primary Health Care, Inc. Employee Benefits PlanAll plans | Des Moines | Mixed | 348 | $4.0M | Healthpartners Insurance Company |
| Mission Cancer + Blood Mission Cancer + Blood Employee Benefits PlanAll plans | Des Moines | Mixed | 297 | $125K | Unum Life Insurance Company of America |
| Cardiovascular Medicine, PLLC Cardiovascular Medicine, PLLC Employee Benefit PlanAll plans | Davenport | Mixed | 295 | $1.9M | Blue Cross of California |
| Des Moines Orthopaedic Surgeons PC Des Moines Orthopaedic Surgeons PC Welfare Benefit PlanAll plans | West Des Moines | Fully insured | 294 | $588K | Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada |
| Mason City Clinic Mason City Clinic -Long Term CareAll plans | Mason City | Fully insured | 255 | $62K | Unum Life Insurance Company of America |
| Iowa Orthopaedic Center, P.C Iowa Ortho Employee Benefits PlanAll plans | Des Moines | Fully insured | 239 | $2.7M | Blue Cross of California |
Showing 15 of 24 employers. Filter the full list by size, funding, carrier and broker.
Plans by city in Iowa
- West Des Moines10 plans · 7,120 participants
- Bettendorf7 plans · 2,062 participants
- Mason City7 plans · 1,102 participants
- Davenport5 plans · 1,287 participants
- Dubuque4 plans · 2,275 participants
- Waterloo4 plans · 1,554 participants
- Des Moines4 plans · 1,096 participants
- Cedar Rapids3 plans · 933 participants
- Ames1 plans · 1,828 participants
- Marhalltown1 plans · 460 participants
- West Burlington1 plans · 140 participants
- Iowa City1 plans · 99 participants
Frequently asked questions
How many physician practices in Iowa offer an ERISA health plan?
48 health and welfare plans from 24 physician practices in Iowa appear in plan year 2024 to 2025 filings on Form 5500, covering 19,956 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 physician practices in Iowa?
By Schedule A premium: Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa (69% of premium, 14 plans), Healthpartners Unitypoint Health (9% of premium, 1 plan) and Hartford Life and Accident (6% of premium, 6 plans).
Which benefits brokers work with physician practices in Iowa?
By number of client plans: Dodge Partners Insurance (7 plans), Holmes Murphy & Associates (6 plans) and Assuredpartners Great Plains (6 plans). 83% of plans report a broker.
How much do brokers earn on physician practices health plans in Iowa?
The median brokered plan reports $22K a year in broker commissions and fees, or 8.6% of premium. Figures come from Schedule A, Part I.
Are physician practices health plans in Iowa self-funded or fully insured?
Fully insured 60%, mixed 25% and self-funded 10%. Self-funded and mixed plans together make up 35%.
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 physicians (NAICS 621111) and of mental health physicians (621112).
Prospect physician practices in Iowa
Open the welfare search with Iowa and this sector prefilled. Narrow by participants, funding type, carrier, broker and broker compensation, then save the view or export it.
Physicians in nearby states
Other healthcare specialties in Iowa
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 and Schedule A, latest filing per plan (plan years 2024-2025). Offices of physicians (NAICS 621111) and of mental health physicians (621112). Location is the sponsor's filing address in Iowa.