Book 1 · Paul H. Flowers Jr.
How Brokers Are Paid
Follow the money behind broker compensation and discover the questions worth asking.
Purchase on Amazon ↗Employer advisory note
Carrier incentives change the health-plan conversation.
Employers should know when broker compensation includes commissions, points, rewards, retention programs, new-sale bonuses, or carrier-paid incentives.
The Conflicted Broker Playbook
Read the books behind the questions.
Explore the public records and health-plan economics with Paul H. Flowers Jr. Read both books online in Superior’s Reading Room, or purchase a copy on Amazon.
Book 2 · Paul H. Flowers Jr.
Breaking Open the Black Box
See what is inside your company’s health plan, who gets paid, and how to rebuild it.
Read Breaking Open the Black Box now
Purchase on Amazon ↗The issue is disclosure.
Carrier-paid compensation is not always illegal and not always hidden. The problem starts when executives make renewal decisions without a written view of every compensation stream that could influence the advice they receive.
Superior's position is simple: every employer should ask for written compensation disclosure before the renewal decision, not after the increase arrives.
Public examples employers can review
- Aetna CVS Health disclosure page references broker commission schedules and broker bonus schedules.
- Blue Shield of California broker bonus calculator describes points and cash bonuses through broker programs.
- Blue Shield of California Renewal Rewards Program PDF describes bonus points tied to renewal activity and specialty upsell.
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska broker bonus PDF describes per-member bonuses for qualifying group medical and pharmacy policies.
- UnitedHealthcare producer guide PDF describes a 2025 medical broker bonus program for fully insured, level funded, and self-funded plans.
What leadership should ask in writing
- What commissions, bonuses, overrides, points, trips, awards, or retention incentives apply to this recommendation?
- Does any carrier, PBM, TPA, stop-loss carrier, or vendor pay the adviser directly or indirectly?
- Will all indirect compensation be credited back to the employer or disclosed before the decision?
- Was any alternative rejected because it reduced adviser compensation?
- Who signs the written renewal rationale and where is it stored?