You see the deduction on your paycheck. You deserve to understand the decisions behind it.
Look up your employer. See the carriers and brokers reported in its filings. Follow the sources, then ask better questions.
Search by employer, broker, carrier or EIN. Open a record to see reported coverage, broker payments, sources and related reading.
50 states + D.C.
Dated filings, visible sources.
Regional groups follow the U.S. Census regions and divisions. Alaska and Hawaii are in Pacific; D.C. is in South Atlantic. Size defaults to reported active plan participants, using the largest count across the latest medical-feature plans. Counts are not added across plans and are not employee headcount or unique medical enrollment. Sponsor location may differ from employee locations. Small filers in the available 2024/2025 form-year files are included. Zero-participant filings have a separate size filter. The default focus is 1–5,000 reported active participants. Many smaller plans are exempt from filing. How to read these records ↗
Official filing records identify the legal sponsor exactly as reported to DOL. “Form 5500 checked” profiles also have an independently corroborated employer identity. Carrier and broker names describe the dated reporting periods; current providers and successor relationships are not established by these filings.
A useful question for every benefits conversation. A good answer can explain the options, the trade-offs, and the reasons for the decision.
Build your question list ↗Start with the people and organizations involved in your plan, then ask how each is paid.
Your premium contribution is one part of the picture. Deductibles, copays and coinsurance can also affect what you spend.
What is my annual premium contribution? What spending counts toward my deductible and out-of-pocket maximum? Which services are excluded?
Ask who funds claims, who administers the plan, and how the network and prescription benefits work.
Is our plan fully insured or self-funded? Who administers claims? What changed in the network, coverage and employee contributions?
Compensation can include fees or commissions. Understanding who pays—and for what—helps frame the conversation.
How is our advisor paid, directly and indirectly? What services do we receive? How does the employer evaluate compensation and potential conflicts?
Learn more: DOL plan information ↗ · DOL broker compensation guidance ↗
Try a 22% reduction, or choose your own percentage. See how a lower benefits deduction could change your paycheck.
22% lower benefits deduction · 26 paychecks a year
Assumes deductions are taken before taxes, with a 30% combined marginal tax rate.
The spending totals add your payroll contributions and the other annual spending you enter, before any payroll tax adjustment.
Out-of-pocket spending stays the same in this scenario.
This calculator explores a change in your contributions. It does not predict savings from switching plans. Compare coverage, networks, deductibles, risk and access alongside the premium.
Tax treatment depends on your plan and payroll. Your actual take-home pay can differ. Read the IRS explanation of cafeteria plans ↗
Follow reported compensation into the documents. Explore the practical guide, public case files and carrier pay schedules in one open library.
Open access. Read online, search the text, or open the formatted PDFs. No signup required.
Questions to ask about commissions, fees and incentives.
11 pages · Read the Playbook ↗02 / THE CASE FILESRead the case.Find the named parties, court records, allegations, rulings and source links.
123 pages · Search the Case File ↗03 / THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTSWhere the compensation details live.Carrier pay schedules and bonus documents, collected with their source index.
1,357 pages · Explore the originals ↗A complaint is an allegation. A dismissal, settlement and liability finding mean different things. This v4.1 source edition reflects its stated dates; check the underlying record before relying on a case’s current status.
Read how the Case File works ↗
Share the library.You don’t need to become an insurance expert to start a useful conversation.
Download it and bring it to your next benefits conversation. No email required.
Use the records to ask clear questions about coverage, employee costs and compensation. Start with the current plan documents and ask for written answers.
Questions or a record correction? Email admin@benefitswatcher.com ↗
Benefits Watcher is an educational benefits-transparency resource. It is not a regulator. The register presents sourced historical records and invites corrections.
An “Official filed sponsor” record comes from the DOL bulk files, with schedules joined by filing and form identifiers; it is not an independently corroborated employer-brand match. For “Form 5500 checked” profiles, we match the sponsor name to the employer’s public business address or phone and check the EIN, plan number, reporting period and Schedule A details against official DOL data. Each profile links to the identity source and the filing dataset. Each record identifies its reporting period and source snapshot. The register summary shows the directory’s current DOL snapshot; an import date is separate from the reporting period. “Checked” describes this source review; it is not a certification of the plan or an agency finding. Unresolved brand matches stay out of the identity-checked profiles. The national filing directory covers all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is a directory of available filings, not a complete list of employers. Some 50–99 participant welfare plans are exempt; neither this directory nor a missing record establishes complete market coverage.
Filings can support questions about reported plan information. They need the correct employer and plan match, reporting year and schedules. A filing alone does not establish plan quality, reasonable alternatives, avoidable employee costs or misconduct. The linked records show reported information; they do not establish whether a different plan would be better.
We check both reported carriers and brokers. UnitedHealthcare and UnitedHealth Group name variations open the UnitedHealth family directory. Blue Cross and Blue Shield names open the broader Blue-plan directory, including other independent Blue companies. We also identify reported names found in the supplied Case File. These collection leads are separate from cases checked against primary records. Each link shows its scope; no match establishes a problem with this employer’s plan, and a missing lead is not a clearance.
We review sources and employer responses before updating a record. Corrections include the date and the reason for the change. Use the response guide below to organize a correction, update or employer statement.
The calculators keep your entries on your device. Please do not email medical records, claims details or private personnel information. You can ask general questions without sharing those details.