Independent Benefit Advisors

What Independent Benefit Advisors does

Independent Benefit Advisors (IBA) is a family-owned independent insurance brokerage and consulting firm headquartered in Apex, North Carolina, operating since approximately 2004. The firm represents 8 insurance carriers offering 117 Medicare plans in North Carolina and serves both employer groups (small, medium, and large) and individuals, with a particular focus on Medicare-eligible seniors. Its core products span group health, dental, vision, life, disability, HSA/FSA, and long-term care insurance for employers, plus Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, Medicare Supplement (Medigap), individual short-term health, and individual dental and vision plans for consumers; a Public & Nonprofit vertical is also explicitly addressed.

The company's revenue model is a commission-based affiliate/referral structure: IBA is an authorized agent of its carrier partners — including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, United Healthcare, Humana, Delta Dental, and Superior Vision — and is paid by the carriers rather than charging client fees ("there is never a fee for our services"). Distribution runs through consultative direct sales (phone-based and on-site meetings), website-driven quote requests (including a BCBSNC Medicare quote flow), and location-specific organic SEO pages targeting cities across North Carolina, supplemented by social media presence and email/retargeting marketing. Operationally, IBA is a small, family-operated firm (1-10 employees, ownership held by Will Gasiorowski with Ashley Gasiorowski as an insurance agent) with no disclosed institutional investment, no subsidiaries, and no M&A activity, and its competitive positioning rests on multi-carrier access, personalized advisory service, and nearly two decades of local brand equity rather than on proprietary technology or scale.

Name

Independent Benefit Advisors

Legal name

Independent Benefit Advisors

Website

https://thebenefitadvisors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Independent Benefit Advisors is a family-owned independent insurance brokerage in Apex, NC, representing 8 carriers and 117 Medicare plans to advise North Carolina employers and Medicare-eligible individuals on group health, Medicare, and supplemental coverage on a commission basis with no client fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Other Insurance Related Activities (52429)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Accident & Health Insurance (6321)

akta.pro primary industry

Flexible Benefits Administration (FSA/HSA/HRA) (HLAEALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Individual Supplemental Health (Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness, Accident) (FSAIAEAD), Voluntary/Worksite Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity (Employee-Paid) (FSAIAKAF), Group Disability Income Insurance (Employer-Sponsored) (FSAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Health insurance brokerage
• Employee benefits consulting
• Medicare advisory services
• Group health insurance
• Independent insurance agent

Headquarters

HQ city

Apex

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Insurance commissions: The company operates as an independent insurance broker/agent earning commissions from insurance carriers. They represent 8 carriers offering 117 plans in North Carolina. Services to clients are free - 'There is never a fee for our services.' Commissions are paid by the insurance companies, not the clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Independent Benefit Advisors is an independent insurance brokerage that helps North Carolina employers and individuals select health insurance and employee benefits. The firm represents 8 carriers offering 117 plans, providing group health, dental, vision, life, disability, HSA/FSA, long-term care, and Medicare Advantage/Part D/Supplement plans, as well as individual short-term health and ancillary coverage. Services are provided free of charge to clients, with the firm compensated by carrier commissions.

Product overview

Independent Benefit Advisors is an independent insurance brokerage/consulting firm providing health insurance and employee benefits services across North Carolina. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products including group health insurance plans (small, medium, and large employer groups), Medicare coverage options (Medicare Advantage, Part D prescription plans, and Medicare Supplement/Medigap insurance), individual health insurance (short-term health, dental, and vision plans), and ancillary benefits (dental, vision, life, disability, long-term care, HSAs, and FSAs). The company operates primarily as a service-based brokerage, helping individuals and businesses navigate and select appropriate health insurance coverage from partnered insurance carriers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Group Health Insurance Brokerage

Quantifiable outcome

• There is never a fee for our services - clients pay nothing for consultations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Independent Benefit Advisors are an independent authorized agent/agency licensed to sell and promote products from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. BCBSNC is described as an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. This is a primary carrier partnership for Medicare and group health insurance products.
• United Health CarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company for individual supplemental health insurance including short-term health care plans and ancillary products for clients between employment or without employer coverage.
• HumanacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company for short-term individual health care plans, dental coverage, and other ancillary health supplements.
• Delta DentalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for dental coverage including both group and individual dental plans, with Delta Health also referenced in some locations.
• Superior VisionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for vision benefit plans offering Essential, Classic, and Premier Vision Plan options for individuals at different price points starting at $12.71/month.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• USI Insurance Services: Top-10 U.S. insurance brokerage with deep benefits consulting practice serving mid-market and large employer groups; substantially larger scale than IBA but competes for the same group benefits RFPs in NC.
• HUB International: Large North American insurance brokerage with employee benefits practice including Medicare and individual supplemental advisory — competes with IBA for both employer and individual clients, especially in the Southeast.
• Brown & Brown: Public insurance brokerage with growing employee benefits segment; competes for mid-market employer group business and represents many of the same carriers as IBA.

Direct peers

• HealthMarkets: Independent agency/brokerage helping individuals, families, and small businesses shop for health, Medicare, and supplemental insurance across multiple carriers — same multi-carrier brokerage model as IBA but with a much larger national agent network.
• OneDigital: Large national employee benefits brokerage and consulting firm offering group health, ancillary, and retirement advisory services to employers — directly comparable business model to IBA but at much broader geographic scale.
• NFP: National insurance brokerage and benefits consultancy providing group benefits, Medicare advisory, and individual coverage placement — directly comparable to IBA's mix of employer-group and individual/Medicare services.
• GoHealth: Medicare-focused health insurance brokerage using a hybrid agent-and-tech model; directly comparable to IBA's Medicare Advantage and Supplement business.

Emerging players

• SelectQuote: Direct-to-consumer insurance brokerage with significant Medicare focus; competes with IBA for the same Medicare Advantage and Supplement buyers via a tech-enabled agent model.
• eHealth: Online Medicare and individual health insurance marketplace; sells similar individual/Medicare products as IBA but via a digital self-serve platform rather than human advisors.
• Benefy: Tech-enabled benefits administration and brokerage platform serving small and mid-sized employers — overlaps with IBA's group benefits practice but emphasizes software-led delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/independentbenefitadvisors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/independent-benefit-advisors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Independent Benefit Advisors