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Club MED
May 2023
Massive Success
FROM AN INAUSPICIOUS BEGINNING
LinkedIn is a social media platform for businesses. One day, I scrolled through my feed, and a company had a celebratory post: “10 Years in Business.” I thought that was an outstanding achievement. Good for them. As I kept scrolling, I thought to myself, “How long has it been for me?” I looked at my LinkedIn account. I started in January 2013 — 10 years! It doesn’t feel like 10 years. It seemed like yesterday when this all started.
was trying to find one. To my surprise, she actually followed me to Topeka. I picked the right woman. She probably didn’t feel the same way. We settled in a college town, Lawrence, and became Jayhawks. All things considered, I was happy to have a job in financial services. Kansas was excellent, but my new boss, Pat, had issues. If you remember the Humphrey Bogart movie, “The Caine Mutiny,” my boss was a Captain Queeg type without the ball bears rolling around in his hand. I re-watched a short clip on YouTube. Yep, Captain Queeg. I would recognize that paranoiac anywhere. I had never been around someone paranoid to the degree he was. I was older than Pat and more comfortable in my skin, so seeing me ruined his day. After a few years, I learned much about sales and the insurance industry from a new angle. The U.S. economy was recovering slowly, so I put out feelers. Our immediate competition was across the street. A group of employees from my firm mutinied when Pat first arrived. They started the same business a few blocks away and were enormously successful. Their existence was a constant thorn in my boss’s side. When any of our employees left and went across the street, it was a bad week in the office. Eventually, a friend of mine and a coworker moved to the competition. She emailed me that it was great on the other side, so I applied. They weren’t hiring for my type of job, but positions were always opening up because they were growing so much. I sent my friend a thank-you email for recommending me and introducing me to the hiring manager.
I had a bad feeling when I didn’t hear back from her. I looked at the email I sent. The email had auto-filled with her old email address at my company. I stared at my mistake for a long time. That night, I told Bev what I had done. She asked what might happen. I told her I would be fired in 3–7 days. My boss eventually would get the email, and with his paranoia and animus toward the competition, I was a dead man walking. I knew I had a few days because he couldn’t fire me without permission from corporate, and he couldn’t do it for the real reason. He had to manufacture something that would pass the sniff test. I had been planning for months to go out on my own. I never wanted to work for anyone again or be subject to the whims of an economy. The plan got moved forward on the schedule. A friend of mine, Ivan, was doing well offering Medicare plans. Many agents I worked with sold Medicare insurance, annuities, and other financial products. I got a lot of encouragement and insights from them. The problem was that my car had lots of miles, and Kansas City was 50 minutes away. With the clock ticking, I decided to buy a car while I still had a job. The next day I went to the local Toyota dealership. Bev came along. It was a surreal experience. She was nervous. I was scared but acted like I was picking up some tennis shoes at Scheels. Good credit score, 50 years old, solid work record. No problem. I drove away in a new Prius.
My start was a little inauspicious, but it’s a great story.
I left the priesthood on June 22, 2002. I had no idea what I was going to do. I fell into financial services. It was a steep learning curve — the school of hard knocks. Eventually, I cobbled together a career and was on the road to great success by 2007. I broke six figures. Then the Great Recession of 2008 struck, and the financial service industry was not the place to be, especially for someone in their late 40s, with little time in service, few connections, and no formal education in the field. Like hundreds of thousands, I was out on my butt with little hope of getting back in the game. I didn’t have the “portfolio” necessary to get or keep a job at the level I had risen. I was broke and out of work, so I had to start over again from zero. As it happened, I did find a low-level job with a major insurance company. I was happy to find it. The drawback was that the position was in Topeka, Kansas. I had to move from California to Kansas, not even Omaha. Bev had just gotten out of graduate school with her doctorate in physical therapy from UNMC. She was starting her career. I
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Medicare Insurance Made Easy
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IT CAN BE HEALTHY! FAT IS NOT EVIL Everyone wants to be fit and trim, and many avoid all fats because of this. However, healthy fats are vital for aging bodies. Fat keeps your brain functioning optimally, provides energy, and helps your body absorb minerals and vitamins to maintain your health. When making dietary choices, it’s important to remember and maintaining a healthy weight. To trim down, eliminate unhealthy saturated and trans fats from your diet instead. Trans fats are those that are partially hydrogenated and are common in processed foods. 2. They reduce inflammation.
that healthy fats are your friend and, when consumed in the recommended amounts, will not lead to weight complications.
Omega-3s, a polyunsaturated fat, have anti-inflammatory properties that can help your body heal faster. No matter how much exercise you do, combating inflammation with your diet is beneficial. Omega-3s can even be taken as fish oil supplements if you can’t work it into your diet. However, just be careful not to consume too much, as omega-3s can become fattening when consumed in excess. 3. They boost brain function. Healthy fats play an essential role in our brain function and development. Your brain is roughly 60% fat, and it’s important to note that your brain cells rely on a steady supply of good fats to operate correctly. 4. They provide energy. Healthy fats combat fatigue and provide your body with energy. When we consume omega-3s, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats, our body absorbs them and converts each calorie into energy for our cells to function.
WHAT ARE HEALTHY FATS? Monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fats help our bodies feel full and work to slow down the digestion of carbohydrates. These fats improve blood glucose and insulin levels, lower LDL cholesterol, and keep our heart healthy. Also, eating healthy fats is easy — they’re in tuna, salmon, flaxseed, chia seeds, eggs, avocados, nuts, olive oil, yogurt, and tofu.
WHY ARE HEALTHY FATS VITAL AS WE AGE?
1. They aren’t fattening fats. When you think of fats, your mind likely immediately turns to weight gain. However, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, when consumed in proper amounts, help with fat loss
So, remember when you’re planning your meals for the week: Good fats keep you healthy!
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I started Omaha Insurance Solutions on Jan. 1, 2013. The first year was rough. No income or very little. Lots of expenses. Nonstop work. I ran back and forth between Lawrence, Kansas City, and Omaha. My parents were dying during that first year, which motivated me to find clients in the Omaha area. Thank God the Prius got almost 50 miles to the gallon. I put 55,000 miles on my car that first year. Second year was also only a little income. The same amount of work. By the third year, I took half of Sunday off. I don’t think the constant sense of panic and dread subsided until the seventh year. At the end of that year, I bought my first house at 57. I’m a late bloomer. In August 2021, Angie Armstrong came on board, and life and work improved exponentially. She has made my work and life infinitely better. After 10 incredible years, I’m the largest single Medicare agent in terms of clients in Nebraska and Iowa. I’m affiliated with a marketing group, as most insurance agents are. Applied General Agency is one of the largest field
marketing organizations in the country, with thousands of agents nationwide. I just got the award for the highest production in the organization for 2022. My buddy Pat was fired a year after I left. The corporate office eventually figured out he was not treating their assets well and replaced him. The damage was done, however. Corporate shuttered the office two years later.
Two days later, on schedule, I was fired on Dec. 16, 2012.
I was curious to find out the reason. When we signed the termination paperwork, I was told I had not met my quota for recruiting new agents for that quarter. My goal was 13 new insurance agents, and I had only recruited 11. I was off that quarter. I usually hit and/or exceeded my goal. I thought it would be something like that. In my two years there, I was the only person who ever hit his goals. As a matter of fact, the assistant manager who carried out the deed had yet to recruit that many agents in his entire year in that role. The disappointing part was that Pat didn’t do the firing. He had an underling do it. I don’t think he could take the stare down. He probably would have wet himself.
You refer more and more of your family and friends to us each year. Thank you!
Your confidence and trust assure your family and friends to listen, learn, and make informed decisions about their Medicare coverage with us. Your support has made my work and life amazing and our office the strongest in the area. Thank you for what you have helped us build.
As Frank Sinatra said, “ The best revenge is Massive Success.”
–Christopher J. Grimmond
2 • OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com
FBI Medicare Protection Program
Testimonial
When I meet with prospective clients for the first time, the conversation inevitably moves to how many phone calls they get because they’re turning 65. Some bring along stacks of flyers and brochures that fill their mailboxes. They want the barrage to stop. The Witness Protection Program saves people from the mob. Maybe the FBI can hide 65-year-olds from the insurance agent mob. It is hard to believe, but insurance agents must follow a large body of rules. The rules are designed to protect the consumer from being harassed and taken advantage of. The most significant rule is that insurance agents can only call you if you give them permission to call. To call someone out of the blue about Medicare plans is a serious violation of the rules.
health insurance. The sole purpose is to get your personal information and written permission to call. Once they have your contact information and know your demographics, your information will be sold and resold to agents and call centers. CMS (Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services) determines the rules with which agents must comply. One of the new rules is that agents must be able to produce the source of their lead upon request and how the lead was generated. Did the marketing organization comply with CMS regulations? If not, the agent will be in violation for using illicit marketing techniques, even if they did not do the actual marketing. They still utilized the information and made the call, so they are just as guilty. Call centers off the shores of the U.S. can no longer hammer Medicare beneficiaries with endless phone calls because these leads are noncompliant without permission to call. Agents will not buy those leads. These call centers even call people on the DO NOT CALL LIST because there are no consequences for foreign entities off U.S. shores. Going forward, agents must show how the lead was generated and if it was done in a compliant manner.
“Chris and his team were very helpful. I now understand Medicare with all its ins and outs.” –Jackie C.
call centers in the U.S. to scrutiny. CMS will be able to pull the call center’s phone logs. Some agents who are not following the rules, being honest, and playing fair will be quickly discovered and turned out. I record my calls. Phone recording systems are not cheap, but it is good for us because I can check what was discussed. It is better than taking notes. The big rule change in 2024 is that companies, agencies, and agents can no longer use “Medicare” in their name, including the URL for their website. This is huge! How many people have been fooled by confusing misrepresentations? For the internet, words matter. Using “Medicare” in your URL and company name guarantees people will find you online because it is a key search term. Instead of being on the bottom of Page 94 of Google with “Medicare” in your URL, you end up at the top of Page 1.
You can give permission in several ways.
FILL OUT A BRC (BUSINESS REPLAY CARD).
BRCs are postcards you complete with your phone number. The card should say — usually in very small print — an insurance agent may contact you. I guarantee you will be contacted many, many times. FILL OUT A REQUEST ONLINE. You will probably get 3–4 phone calls within 30–45 seconds of filling out an online source. This is not an exaggeration. The moment you push the button to submit, your phone will light up for the next hour. The bad part about the online forms is that the websites disguise themselves as impartial third parties or pseudo-U.S. government, Social Security, or Medicare sites. Some of the sites have nothing to do with Medicare
Following the rules all these years may finally pay off. Some of these bad actors will be eliminated, caught, or at least exposed.
One of the marketing organizations with which I partner is Applied General Agency Medicare Options (AGA MO) . They have an excellent compliance department. Margie is the young lady that reads the material I
produce, like the newsletter, to make sure it is within the parameters of CMS regulations. She keeps me out of Medicare jail. You can trust that the information I put in our newsletter and on our website is accurate, truthful, and compliant.
The next new regulation is that agents record sales and marketing phone calls. This is big because this
rule opens up the big
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11414 W. Center Rd., Suite 250 Omaha, NE 68144 402-614-3389 OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
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INSIDE This Issue
An Inauspicious Beginning
1
2
Healthy Fats Exist Too
3
FBI Medicare Protection Program
3
Testimonial
4
Can Dentists Treat Sleep Apnea?
How Can Dentists Help With Sleep Apnea?
May Is Better Sleep Month!
Unless your partner tells you that you snore, toss, and turn or have breathing issues when you sleep, you’ll probably never know. One of the most well-known sleep disorders is sleep apnea. According to the National Sleep Foundation, around 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea. But what exactly is it? Sleep apnea is a health problem that affects your breathing when you’re asleep — your breathing will stop and restart when and can worsen if untreated. HOW CAN HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS TEST FOR SLEEP APNEA? If you’re concerned about your sleeping patterns or believe you have sleep apnea, a specialized sleep disorder dentist can conduct a sleep study. During the study, you will have to sleep with surface electrodes on your face and scalp. These electrodes monitor your brain and muscle
activity and record your patterns. A special belt around your chest and abdomen will also help measure your breathing. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE SLEEP STUDY? Once your data is collected and analyzed, your dentist will conduct a detailed assessment of your mouth if you show signs of sleep apnea. They will look to see if your tongue is too large, if the muscles in the back of your throat are flabby, if your jaw is too small, or if another health condition is causing breathing problems. WHAT ARE THE TREATMENT OPTIONS? The most-common treatment dentists suggest is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine that you can wear while asleep.
recommend wearing oral appliances such as mandibular advancement devices (MADs), which are similar to athletic mouthguards. The device will fit over your upper and lower sets of teeth to hold the lower jaw and tongue in a forward position at night. It will help keep the tissues in your throat from blocking your airways when you sleep. Additionally, health care professionals may recommend a tongue-retaining mouthpiece that will keep your tongue from falling back into your breathing airway. While most dental offices do not treat sleep apnea, some offices specialize in the disorder. If your primary dental provider doesn’t provide treatments for sleep apnea, don’t worry; they will direct you to a specialized office that can help.
However, if you cannot wear the device, your health care provider might
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