Lay and Williams Health Insurance

What Lay and Williams Health Insurance does

Lay and Williams Health Insurance (legal name: Lay and Williams Insurance Services) is a privately held, independent health insurance brokerage founded in 1983 and headquartered in North Richland Hills, Texas, with a mailing address in Fort Worth. The firm represents multiple national and regional insurance carriers — including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana, New York Life, Texas Life, and Benefitmall — and distributes individual, small-group (2-50 employees), large-group (50+ employees), and Medicare health plans, along with dental, short-term/non-ACA, HSA administration, travel, accident, critical illness, and life insurance products. Its geographic focus is Texas, with active client relationships across Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlington, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin.

The firm operates on a traditional consultative brokerage model: it does not develop proprietary technology, has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and earns revenue primarily through carrier commissions on policies placed and serviced. Go-to-market is sales-led, with quote generation delivered via phone (1-800-281-8783, 817-451-8783), a self-service website (layandwilliams.com), and in-person or phone consultations. Marketing relies on SEO-optimized educational content, Facebook and Twitter presence, email outreach, and word-of-mouth referrals rather than paid acquisition.

The business is owner-operated, with founder Robert M. Lay (MBA, Columbia; BS Economics, Wharton; 40+ years in North Texas employee benefits) running the firm since inception and Ashley Myles joining as Partner in 2017 to begin generational transition. The firm holds leadership positions across NAHU, TAHU, and FWAHU, and has earned top-producer recognition with multiple carriers — collectively indicating a stable, relationship-driven SMB and individual brokerage rather than a technology-enabled or scaled enterprise.

Name

Lay and Williams Health Insurance

Legal name

Lay and Williams Insurance Services

Website

https://layandwilliams.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lay and Williams Health Insurance is a privately held, Texas-based independent health insurance brokerage founded in 1983, representing multiple carriers to serve individuals, families, small businesses (2-50 employees), large groups, and Medicare beneficiaries across Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and surrounding Texas markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Group Health Insurance (2–50/100) (FSAIAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Worksite Cancer / Specified Disease Insurance (FSAIAMAI)

Keywords

• Health insurance brokerage
• Group health insurance
• Medicare supplement plans
• Individual health plans
• Employee benefits consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: Lay and Williams earns commissions from insurance carriers for policies sold and serviced. They represent multiple carriers including Aetna, Blue Cross, Humana, New York Life, Texas Life, and others. The company serves both individual/family clients and business clients, earning commissions on all policy placements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lay and Williams is an independent health insurance brokerage that sells and services health, Medicare, dental, and supplemental insurance products for individuals, families, and businesses across Texas. The firm represents multiple carriers (Aetna, Blue Cross, Humana, New York Life, Texas Life, Benefitmall) and earns commissions on policies placed. It also provides advisory services, plan selection guidance, and ongoing policy management for clients.

Product overview

Lay and Williams Health Insurance is a health insurance brokerage/agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products and services primarily serving individuals, families, and businesses throughout Texas. The company operates as a multi-product agency featuring Individual/Family Insurance, Group Plans (2-50 employees), Large Group Plans, Medicare Plans (including Supplements, Medicare Advantage, and Part D), Dental Insurance, Short Term/Non-ACA Health Insurance, Health Savings Accounts (HSA), and Travel Insurance. Additional offerings include supplemental products such as Accident Plans, Critical Illness Plans, and Life Insurance. The company also provides specialized enrollment services including a Special Open Enrollment period for small groups. As an independent insurance agency, they work with multiple carrier partners to offer tailored coverage options to meet diverse healthcare needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual/Family Insurance Health insurance plans for individuals and families, available through annual open enrollment or qualifying life events, including marketplace plans with potential premium assistance.
• Group Plans (2 to 50 Employees) Small group health insurance for Texas employers with 2-50 employees, featuring multiple carrier options, network choices, and compliance with Texas small employer regulations.
• Large Group Plans Customized health insurance plans for large employers with 50+ employees, including fully insured and self-funded options with medical underwriting based on claims experience.
• Medicare Plans Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage Plans, and Medicare Drug Plans for active older adults navigating Medicare options.
• Dental Insurance Family dental insurance coverage protecting against unexpected dental expenses, offered through multiple carriers with varying benefit levels.
• Short Term/Non-ACA Health Insurance Temporary health coverage for gaps between permanent insurance, including bridge coverage when changing employment or waiting for new plan effective dates.
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA) Tax-advantaged savings accounts paired with high deductible health plans, allowing pre-tax contributions for qualified medical expenses.
• Travel Insurance International medical and travel insurance products through IMG, including major medical, life, dental, and disability coverage for travelers.
• Supplemental Individual and Family Benefits (Accident, Critical Illness, and Life Insurance) Supplemental offerings including accident plans providing benefits for unexpected accident-related medical expenses, critical illness plans providing lump-sum benefits upon diagnosis of specified illnesses, and life insurance for financial protection of families and dependents.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving clients since 1983 with consistent customer satisfaction

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AetnacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAetna insurance carrier partnership. Robert Lay served on the Aetna Broker Advisory Group and received Key Producer recognition.
• Blue Cross Blue ShieldcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBlue Cross insurance carrier partnership. Company is Top 100 producer and Robert Lay served on the Blue Cross Small Group Producers' Council.
• HumanacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHumana insurance carrier partnership. Company received Leaders' Club recognition.
• New York LifecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew York Life insurance carrier partnership with multiple recognition levels including Executive, President's, Chairman's Councils.
• Texas LifeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTexas Life insurance carrier partnership with All Star Conference recognition.
• BenefitmallminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBenefitmall partnership with Million Dollar Club recognition.
• National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association membership with involvement in Bylaws, Legislation & Delegate roles. Robert Lay is a member and has held positions of responsibility in education, communications, legislation, and management.
• Texas Association of Health Underwriters (TAHU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level professional association. Robert Lay served as Trustee, President, Treasurer, and held Legislative & Convention roles. Currently on Honoree Corp Board of Directors.
• Fort Worth Association of Health Underwriters (FWAHU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal professional association. Robert Lay served as Trustee, President, Legislation & Communications.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• HealthMarkets: HealthMarkets is a national health insurance agency distributing individual, family, Medicare, and small-group plans via a large agent network. It overlaps with Lay and Williams in product focus and customer segments but relies on distributed agents rather than a single regional office.
• SelectQuote: SelectQuote is a direct-to-consumer insurance distributor focused primarily on life and Medicare products through a digital and call-center model. It overlaps with Lay and Williams on Medicare and life insurance lines but competes on a fundamentally different cost structure.
• GoHealth: GoHealth is a health insurance marketplace specializing in Medicare plans and operating a large telesales agent network. It competes with Lay and Williams' Medicare practice via a digital-first, high-velocity model targeting the same Medicare-eligible population.
• eHealth: eHealth is an online health insurance marketplace selling individual, family, Medicare, and small-group plans across multiple states. It is comparable to Lay and Williams in selling the same core health insurance product set, but through a digital-first platform rather than consultative sales.

Broad incumbents

• USI Insurance Services: USI is a large insurance brokerage and consulting firm with a substantial employee benefits practice serving middle-market and large employers. Comparable to Lay and Williams in core benefits brokerage activity but at materially greater scale and with proprietary risk and benefits consulting capabilities.
• Aon: Aon is a global professional services firm with one of the largest employee benefits brokerage and consulting practices worldwide. It competes with Lay and Williams at the large-group and consulting end of the market rather than the small-employer niche Lay and Williams focuses on.
• Brown & Brown Insurance: Brown & Brown is a large national insurance brokerage with deep employee benefits and commercial lines capabilities. It is comparable as an incumbent broker offering similar multi-carrier placement and advisory services, but operates at far greater scale and geographic breadth than Lay and Williams.
• Marsh McLennan Agency: Marsh McLennan Agency is the middle-market arm of global insurance giant Marsh, providing employee benefits and commercial brokerage to U.S. businesses. It is comparable in offering the same multi-carrier benefits advisory Lay and Williams provides, but competes predominantly at larger case sizes.

Direct peers

• Higginbotham: Higginbotham is a Texas-headquartered independent insurance brokerage offering commercial, personal, and employee benefits lines across multiple states. It is directly comparable to Lay and Williams as a Texas-rooted, multi-product brokerage serving SMB and mid-market clients, though it operates at meaningfully larger scale.

Others

• BenefitMall: BenefitMall is a national broker services platform providing quoting, enrollment, and back-office technology to small-group benefits brokers. It is comparable as a partner/carrier-adjacent intermediary to Lay and Williams' small group practice rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/layandwilliams
• Facebookfacebook.com/LayAndWilliamsIns
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lay-and-williams-insurance-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lay and Williams Health Insurance