Medicare snuck up on me just as it does with most Americans.
As a long-time health insurance professional, I was expected by my friends and clients to be ahead of the curve. Turns out I needed to educate myself on this complex subject to be able to offer solid advice.
Upon graduation from the University of Arizona, I joined my family’s John Hancock insurance agency in Chicago’s Loop. Even though life insurance sales with the Hancock was a 3-generation family calling, I found more satisfaction in helping clients with their medical insurance needs. When the company stopped offering those products I left to pursue my mission with other A+ level companies.
Years later I found myself at a social gathering during which I was asked by several people for a short version of my Medicare recommendations. They assumed that, since we were all rapidly approaching age 65, I would have become an expert on this subject.
That was the catalyst that convinced me to learn what Medicare was all about. During that period of study, I formed some conclusions that are directly at odds with other Medicare advisors.
One evening a couple, longtime friends, came over to act as my Guinea pigs. The wife, ever the serious student, was lugging all the printed material they had been sent and expected me to educate them on every one of the Medicare options available in our area.
The husband was mostly interested in the beer I offered. His attitude was that this whole Medicare decision process was an unpleasant inconvenience that should end quickly.
Within seconds, this couple had a complete grasp of my best Medicare advice and the reasons behind it. They were stunned that the whole thing could be boiled down to such a simple conclusion. As they discovered, the most time-consuming part of the process was completing the insurance paperwork.
That evening set the pattern for virtually all my subsequent encounters with Medicare eligible citizens. Only recently did it occur to me that the same process could be offered to everyone in the country who was staring down the barrel of Medicare.
Thus, was born Medicare For The Lazy Man!
Douglas B. Jones, CLU, RHU
