The NASFA Group Health Plan
Is Priced and Ready

A group health plan sponsored by the National Association of State Farm Agents, built so independent State Farm agency owners and their teams can buy coverage together as one large group. Coverage starts January 1, 2027.

Brown & Brown is the broker that built and filed it, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois is the carrier that insures it. There are two medical plans, a PPO and an HSA-eligible high-deductible plan, both on Blue Cross's broad PPO network. Optional dental, vision and supplemental coverage are available alongside them.

Here is the paper trail:

This is no longer a proposal. It is an approved, priced plan heading into enrollment, put together in about five months.

• NASFA — the association that sponsors the plan and communicates with member agents. Its long standing as a bona fide association is what makes the arrangement legally possible. You cannot build a MEWA/AHP without one.
• Brown & Brown — our broker. Built and filed the MEWA, negotiated the rates with the carrier, and will keep negotiating for better pricing in future years.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois — the carrier that insures the plan and pays the claims. It also insures the dental, vision and supplemental coverage.
• 4myBenefits (powered by bswift) — the online enrollment system and call center you'll use during open enrollment and throughout the year.
• Agency Network — Due to a legal requirement of the MEWA, the co-branding of this health plan must be removed in order to keep the plan in good legal standing. It does not change Agency Network's commitment to this initiative or the shared goal of helping agents gain access to affordable coverage. AN will continue to work with NASFA to build awareness, encourage participation, and support the continued growth of this plan.

It's a legal structure that lets many separate small employers — independent agency owners in the same profession — buy health coverage as one large group instead of as thousands of tiny ones.

Large groups get large-group pricing, large-group underwriting rules, and plan designs that no single agency could access alone. That's the entire thesis: scale buys leverage.

The "E" in MEWA stands for employer. That one word explains several of the eligibility rules below, including why retired agents can't join.

These are the full monthly premiums for 2027 medical and prescription coverage:

"Employee" means whoever is enrolling, whether that's you as the agent or a team member. Employee + family covers the employee, their spouse and their children. Dental, vision and supplemental coverage are optional and priced separately (see below).

The medical rates are the same regardless of age and regardless of state. A team member enrolling in employee-only coverage on the HDHP pays $846.94 a month whether they're 25 or 60, in Texas or Michigan.

The number of children doesn't change the price either. "Employee + child(ren)" and "Employee + family" cover all of your children.

The one exception on this page is critical illness insurance, an optional add-on whose rates are based on age.

Because in this case the HDHP is the richer plan. It has the lower deductible ($5,000 vs. $7,000 per person), the lower out-of-pocket maximum, and pays 80% after the deductible instead of 70%. A richer benefit means a higher premium.

The names are confusing. Both plans use the same broad PPO network. "HDHP" here just means the plan is built to qualify for a Health Savings Account (HSA). The plan labeled "PPO" is the one that does not qualify for an HSA.

Because the State Farm plan was subsidized and this one isn't. On the corporate plan, State Farm paid a large share of every premium. For a family, that was roughly $2,000 of a roughly $3,000 monthly cost. The paycheck deduction you saw was only your share.

That subsidy ends January 1. The rates above are the full cost of the coverage. If you've ever been on COBRA, you've seen the same jump: it's what the coverage actually costs once no one else is paying part of it.

Normally, if enrollment differs from the census by more than about 10%, the carrier can re-rate the plan. Brown & Brown got that provision removed. Whether 1,000 or 10,000 people enroll, these are the 2027 rates. There will be no mid-year increase.

Brown & Brown also got Blue Cross to waive its usual rule that employers pay at least 50% of each employee's premium. That's why you get to choose your own contribution, from 0% to 100%.

For most agents, the NASFA plan comes in below the individual market, and the gap widens with age. Brown & Brown compared the NASFA HDHP against HSA-eligible plans in several states, using sample households:

Two things to keep in mind as you shop. Most 2027 individual-market prices come out November 1, and many will be higher than the 2026 numbers above. And many states no longer offer PPO plans in the individual market at all, only narrower HMO networks that keep you in-state.

If you or a team member qualifies for income-based marketplace subsidies, the comparison is different. See the marketplace question under Who Is Eligible.

That's the goal, and here's why it's realistic. The plan was built in about five months, which left no time to get competing carrier bids or explore alternative funding. Blue Cross also priced in a cushion because it had no claims history for this group, and because it couldn't predict how many younger team members would join.

After a year, everyone will have real data. That opens the door to competitive bids, better pricing, and possibly more plan options, such as a lower-deductible plan.

That's your call, but Brown & Brown's recommendation for most agents is the HDHP. For about $50 to $144 more a month, depending on the tier, you get:

• a $2,000 lower deductible per person ($5,000 vs. $7,000)
• a lower out-of-pocket maximum ($8,700 vs. $12,000 per person)
• the plan paying 80% after the deductible instead of 70%
• the ability to keep contributing to a Health Savings Account, which many agents already use

The PPO exists to give a lower-premium option. For most households, the premium savings don't make up for the higher deductible and the loss of the HSA.

Both plans use Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois's broad, nationwide PPO network. The current State Farm plan is also insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. Brown & Brown confirmed it is the same network agents are using today.

What changes is the cost structure (deductibles, coinsurance and premiums), not where you can go for care.

The plan uses the same drug list (formulary) as the current Blue Cross plan, so drugs covered today are covered on this plan. What you pay for them will be different:

• PPO: 30% after the deductible
• HDHP: 20% after the deductible
• This applies to every tier: generic, preferred brand, non-preferred brand and specialty.
• Mail order: 3× the retail cost share.

Because prescriptions are subject to the deductible, generics matter more than they used to. If you take an expensive medication, use the enrollment call center to talk through your situation before you choose a plan (see Open Enrollment).

The plan is fully insured — it is not self-funded. Because of that, the carrier carries the claims risk — not NASFA, and not you as an individual agency owner.

The plan is ACA compliant. There are no medical questions and no pre-existing condition exclusions. Your health history, or a team member's, does not affect eligibility or price.

Four programs come with both medical plans at $0:

• Teladoc — talk to a U.S.-licensed doctor by phone or video, 24/7, for non-emergency issues like flu, rashes and sinus infections. $0 copay, even before the deductible.
• Hinge Health — a digital program for back, neck and joint pain, with a free tablet and motion sensors, guided exercise therapy, and 1-on-1 access to a physical therapist.
• Wondr Health — a clinically proven weight management program with weekly lessons, coaching and a member community.
• Healthee — your benefits navigator. "Zoe," an AI assistant available 24/7, answers coverage questions, finds in-network providers, and shows what procedures will cost before you go. A dedicated NASFA phone line connects you to real benefit advocates when you need a person. It works much like the Accolade service on the current plan.

Both dental plans use Blue Cross's PPO dental network. The buy-up plan doubles the annual maximum and adds orthodontia.

Preventive services don't count toward the annual maximum. Out-of-network dentists can bill you more.

• Eye exam every 12 months: $10 copay
• Lenses every 12 months: $25 copay
• Frames every 24 months: $130 allowance, 20% off any overage
• Contacts (instead of glasses): $130 allowance; covered in full when medically necessary
• LASIK: 15% off retail, 5% off promotional pricing

Three optional plans help cover the gaps a higher deductible can leave. Agents and team members can each choose them:

Accident insurance

Pays you cash for covered injuries and their treatment, on or off the job: ER and urgent care visits, fractures, burns, ambulance, hospital admission and more. Guaranteed coverage, no health questions, and you can keep it if you change jobs or retire. Monthly: $8.48 employee · $14.18 + spouse · $17.35 + child(ren) · $26.94 family.

Critical illness insurance

Pays a lump sum when you're first diagnosed with a covered illness, such as heart attack, stroke, major organ failure, end-stage renal failure or invasive cancer (non-invasive cancer pays 25%). Choose $10,000 or $20,000 for yourself. A spouse or children are covered at 50% of your amount. Includes a $50 per person yearly wellness benefit. Rates are based on age (see the rate slide below).

Hospital indemnity

Pays cash directly to you when you're admitted to the hospital, for any covered reason: $1,000 for an admission, $100 a day up to 30 days, $1,000 for ICU admission, plus a newborn care benefit. Guaranteed issue, no medical questions. Maternity has a 9-month waiting period. Monthly: $17.13 employee · $37.05 + spouse · $32.25 + child(ren) · $56.06 family.

You can buy the dental, vision, accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity coverage even if you don't enroll in the medical plan. The same goes for your team members.

1. You must be a NASFA member. Regular membership is $350 a year. Join here.
2. You must be an active agent, or a W-2 employee of an active agent who is offering the plan.
3. Your agency must have at least one W-2 employee. Sole proprietors with no employees can't join.
4. You must offer it to your team. Every employee who works 20 or more hours a week must be offered the plan. Offering it does not mean you have to pay for it (see the next question).

Once an employee (or you) enrolls, these family members can be covered:

• A legal spouse or domestic partner
• Children under 26, regardless of student, dependency or marital status
• Unmarried children over 26 who can't support themselves because of a mental or physical disability

Offering the plan and paying for it are two different things. You have to make the plan available to every employee who works 20 or more hours a week. You do not have to pay any part of their premium.

Blue Cross normally requires employers to pay at least 50%. That requirement was waived for this plan, so the choice is yours:

• Nothing. You offer the plan, and team members who enroll pay their own premium through payroll.
• A flat dollar amount, such as a set amount each month toward each enrolled team member's premium.
• A percentage of the premium, anywhere up to 100%.

Whatever you choose, apply it the same way across your team. You can't pick and choose which team members get a contribution.

Every employee working 20 or more hours a week must be offered the plan. That threshold is lower than the 30 hours many agents are used to, so check your roster.

Offering is the requirement. Not enrolling, and not paying. If a team member has coverage through a spouse, or simply doesn't want it, they can decline. If no one on your team enrolls, that's fine.

Your team members can enroll even if you don't take the coverage yourself. For example, you might be on Medicare or on a spouse's plan. And you can enroll even if no one on your team does.

Not in most cases. It comes down to the ACA's affordability rules. If the plan isn't "affordable" for a team member under those rules (based on what they would pay for it compared with their household income), they can keep buying marketplace coverage and may still qualify for a subsidy based on their income.

The more you contribute, the more likely the plan counts as affordable. Once it does, that team member may no longer qualify for a marketplace subsidy. If this applies to your team, have them check their own numbers before you set your contribution.

A sole proprietor with no employees can't join the plan. Your agency needs at least one W-2 employee, because that's what makes it an "employer group" under the MEWA.

We know this affects agents who are between hires or intentionally running lean. If you're actively hiring, fill the position and you can join.

Any active agent can join, at any age, whether 65, 70 or 80. You don't have to go on Medicare if you don't want to.

Because this counts as active employer coverage, you won't be penalized for delaying Medicare. When you're ready to switch, there are a couple of forms to complete. One is normally filled out by the employer, and since you're the business owner, you'll complete it yourself. That keeps you clear of Part B late-enrollment penalties.

Medicare timing is personal. If you're weighing Part B against this plan, talk it through with the enrollment call center or a Medicare advisor before you decide.

If you're an active agent on Medicare, your spouse can join the plan even if they don't work in your agency.

Your spouse enrolls as a single, at the employee-only rate: $796.80 a month on the PPO or $846.94 on the HDHP.

You must be an active agent, or an employee of one, to be on the plan. This isn't a choice NASFA, Brown & Brown or Blue Cross made. It's a federal legal requirement. A MEWA is a multiple employer arrangement, and once you retire, you're no longer an employer, so you can't be part of the group.

The one path we know of: a retired agent who becomes a W-2 employee of an active agent, working 20+ hours a week, is eligible as that agency's employee.

You can enroll for 2027 as long as you're an active agent during open enrollment. Your coverage on the plan ends when you retire.

Whether continuation coverage (such as COBRA) will be available after that is being confirmed. Note that the optional accident insurance is portable: you can keep it after you retire.

NASFA membership is required to enroll. Regular membership is currently $350 a year, paid annually by credit card.

Don't wait for the enrollment window. Thousands of agents joining at once has overwhelmed the sign-up site before. Joining now means one less thing to do between November 16 and 27.

Membership matters structurally: the plan exists because NASFA is a long-standing bona fide association. That status is the legal foundation of the whole arrangement. Membership is held by the agent; team members and spouses enrolling under your agency don't need memberships of their own.

Monday, November 16 through Friday, November 27, 2026. Coverage starts January 1, 2027.

The census was used to build and price the plan. It is not a requirement to enroll. Anyone eligible can enroll between November 16 and 27, whether or not they completed it. There's no need to fill it out now.

As long as you still have an active agency and you're a NASFA member, you can join the plan during the next open enrollment.

Enrollment is online through 4myBenefits, powered by the bswift platform, from a computer or phone.

• Your agency is already being set up in the system. When you log in, you'll look up your agency and enroll under it. Your team members will do the same.
• Enrollment links will go out by email to the addresses collected through the census. Links will also be shared for anyone we don't have an email for.
• You'll get an open enrollment guide with full details on every plan before the window opens.
• A dedicated phone line for State Farm agents, answered by the Brown & Brown enrollment team, is coming soon. Call before you decide to talk through your own situation: your prescriptions, your family, your team. The number will be posted on this page as soon as it's available.

1. Join NASFA at nasfa.com/Join-us.
2. Review the rates and plans on this page and decide which plan fits your household.
3. Decide your contribution for your team, if any.
4. Hold a team meeting. Tell everyone who works 20+ hours a week what's coming, when the window is, and what you'll contribute.
5. Make sure you can be reached at a personal email address (see below).
6. Block November 16–27 on your calendar, and your team's.

Your agency gets one monthly bill for everyone enrolled under it, through a third-party billing administrator. You pay that bill. If team members pay part of their premium, you collect their share through your own payroll, just as you would with any employer plan.

The administrator collects from every agency and sends a single payment to Blue Cross each month. Payment setup details will come with enrollment.

New hires and qualifying life events (marriage, a new baby, losing other coverage and so on) are handled in the same online system. Report changes to your agency within 30 days.

Whether new hires have a waiting period before coverage starts is being confirmed.

Updates are coming from two places between now and the end of open enrollment: NASFA and Agency Network. Make sure you're getting both.

NASFA

Join NASFA (you need to anyway to enroll) and make sure NASFA has a personal email address for you. Questions go to membership@nasfa.com.

Because emails sent to @statefarm.com addresses, and any redirected emails, are frequently blocked or never delivered. This is a known, documented problem, not a theory.

Enrollment links go out by email. If the only address on file for you is your State Farm email, there's a real chance you won't receive your enrollment link or deadline reminders. That's how someone misses open enrollment entirely.

Make sure NASFA has a personal email for you. If you're not sure, email membership@nasfa.com.

Same goes for Agency Network: put your personal email in your Agency Network member profile so its updates reach you too.

This FAQ is updated as answers are confirmed, including the hundreds of questions asked during the October 20 presentation. NASFA and Brown & Brown will share it through their websites and member email. Bookmark it and check back before November 16.

Agency Network is sharing every update as well, through agcynetwork.com, its member emails and the Agency Network Facebook group, and it plans more free update calls before enrollment closes.

Email membership@nasfa.com or call NASFA at 800.789.8609, Monday through Friday, 8 am – 5 pm Central.