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Club MED
August 2024
My Own Lithuanian Torte My Wife’s Proud Heritage and Our Scandinavian Cruise
When I first met my wife, Bev, she dropped a fun fact about her Lithuanian heritage on our second or third date. Her grandfather had come over before the war, and it turned out the Russians weren’t too pleased — they shot his first wife when they found out he’d emigrated to the U.S. Talk about a conversation starter! Bev gave me the lowdown on famous Lithuanian Americans by our fourth date. Apparently, Charles Bronson, William Shatner (yes, Captain Kirk!), Pink, Harrison Ford, and Sean Penn all have Lithuanian roots. And the list keeps growing. Whenever Bev discovers another Lithuanian celebrity, I get a text and a photo. It’s like my own personal Lithuanian Hall of Fame. I can’t remember exactly when I first tasted a Lithuanian Torte from the South Omaha Lithuanian Bakery, but by then, I was getting the picture — Bev is super proud of her heritage. Bev’s mom, Irene, was born in the U.S., but her roots trace back to Cheboygan, Michigan. Irene’s dad, Bev’s grandfather, came over at 14 and settled in a tight-knit Lithuanian community. He married an American, and everything seemed fine until cancer took him. Things took a dark turn when his wife, stricken by grief or maybe just overwhelmed, abandoned seven of their ten kids in a hayloft. Irene was only 4. The oldest boy, showing a mix of bravery and desperation, jumped from the hayloft to get help, breaking his leg in the process. Eventually, the state intervened, placing the kids in an orphanage run by German Catholic nuns. The nuns, unable to understand the kids’ language, thought they’d developed a secret code and kept
The oldest brother eventually escaped the orphanage, moved to California, and found work. Years later, he reunited the siblings and tracked down their grandparents in Michigan. The grandparents had long given up hope, thinking the children were lost forever. So, it was no surprise that traveling to Lithuania was in our future. Though Lithuania wasn’t exactly on my bucket list, or any list for that matter, I knew Bev’s desire to visit her ancestral homeland was strong.
When I was planning a Scandinavian cruise, I found one that made a stop in Lithuania. When we disembarked, we joined a tour of a famous park by the Baltic Sea, filled with monument-sized oak carvings of witches and demons. The park boasted 80 30-foot statues set in a beautiful, dense forest, all inspired by Lithuanian-Baltic mythology.
Our guide, a Swede married to a Lithuanian, had a flair for storytelling that captivated us, even if I can’t recall the exact details. The tales, full of witches cooking and eating children, seemed like the perfect stories to entertain our grandkids. Lithuanian culture, it turns out, has its priorities straight. The Baltic coast was stunning. Even in June, the water was too chilly for me, but the waves, sky, and beach were incredible. Creating a human being is a complex process, an unbroken chain of DNA stretching back hundreds of years. Each of us is the product of countless ancestors, most of whom we’ll never know. One small change and none of us would be here. All those people and their unique DNA make us who we are.
them isolated. It wasn’t until a Lithuanian gardener working at the convent overheard and understood them
My Bev is one of a kind.
that the nuns realized their mistake. From
So, there you have it. My life might seem boring as a licensed insurance agent, but it’s woven with tales of love, history, and a dash of Lithuanian spice. –Christopher J. Grimmond
that moment on, the children were only allowed to speak English.
Medicare Insurance Made Easy
402-614-3389 • 1
THE STORY OF PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGERS THE MYSTERY OF THE RISING DRUG PRICES
Once upon a time, in a land filled with pharmacies and people needing medicine, there was a big problem with “Pharmacy Benefit Managers” or PBMs. These PBMs were supposed to help people get their medicine at fair prices, but things didn’t work out that way.
Pharmacies, especially the small ones, felt they had no choice but to sign contracts with the big PBMs, even if the deals were bad. They complained about getting paid less and having money taken back by PBMs for no apparent reason. Many small pharmacies had to close because they couldn’t keep up.
One day, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which makes sure big businesses play fairly,
For example, Rite Aid, a big pharmacy chain,
announced it was closing hundreds of stores because it couldn’t compete. This was especially bad for people in small towns without many other places to get medicine.
noticed something strange. They saw that a few big companies were taking over many parts of the healthcare world. These companies owned pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and insurance companies. This made it hard for smaller pharmacies to compete and keep prices low. The FTC decided to investigate these PBMs and discovered that three giant PBMs — CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx — controlled almost 80% of all medicine transactions in the country! They decided which medicines were allowed, which
The FTC found out that the big PBMs were paying more money to their own pharmacies than they were paying to other pharmacies. This was unfair and helped the big companies make a lot of extra money.
Because of these unfair practices, the Attorney General of Ohio, Dave Yost, decided to sue Express Scripts to try and stop them from breaking the rules. The PBMs’ group, PCMA, said the FTC’s report was not accurate and didn’t show
pharmacies could be part of their network, and how much they would pay pharmacies for giving out medicine. This system was very confusing and unfair.
all the good PBMs do.
The FTC also discovered that PBMs were making deals with drug companies to keep cheaper, generic drugs off the list of approved medicines. This meant people had to pay more for brand-name drugs when they could have saved money with generics. The FTC’s leader, Lina Khan, said some PBMs were not cooperating with the investigation. They were slow to respond and made it hard for the FTC to do their job. The FTC warned that they would take them to court if the PBMs didn’t cooperate. In the end, the FTC’s report shows that the big PBMs were making it harder for people to get affordable medicine and were hurting small pharmacies. They had too much power and were not using it fairly. The FTC promised to keep investigating and make sure everyone could get their medicine at a fair price.
The FTC shared what they found in a report. They said that because these PBMs were so big and controlled so much, they might be making drug prices higher and hurting small pharmacies. Many people found it hard to afford their medicines. Almost three out of 10 people said they sometimes skipped their medicine because it cost too much. The PBMs said they were doing a good job and saving people money. JC Scott, the president of a group that supports PBMs, said the FTC wasn’t being fair and had already made up their minds before looking at all the facts. Many small pharmacies didn’t agree with the PBMs. They felt like the PBMs were making it hard for them to stay in business. Rep. Buddy Carter, who used to be a pharmacist, was happy the FTC was looking into the PBMs. He said it was time to break up these big companies to help small pharmacies and their communities.
And so, the story continues, with the hope that one day, everyone will have the medicine they need without breaking the bank.
2 • OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com
“Chris and his team are absolutely amazing. He is so knowledgeable of the Medicare sign up process that we were totally impressed and would Testimonial
People of all ages crave human connection, and book clubs are an increasingly popular path to that common ground. Book clubs bring together people with common interests and offer opportunities to build friendships through discussion. If you want to be in a book club, one of the best ways is to start one yourself. Setting guidelines for how your club will work can take time and discussion with prospective members. Some groups focus on the month’s bestseller, while others select from lists published by groups, like PBS Books Readers Club or the Seattle Public Library’s “Staff Picks for Adults 50+.” Others focus on a specific author, such as Jane Austen, and some clubs focus on a genre, such as mysteries or memoirs. If starting your own isn’t realistic, many public libraries host book clubs for seniors, and you can join at little to no cost (outside of finding a copy of the book, obviously). Check with your community library for groups in your area. Also, the AARP retiree organization sponsors a virtual book club called Senior Planet. The potential rewards are worth the effort. Reading opens the mind to new ideas and improves memory. Staying connected and socially active can enrich your life in numerous ways, from improving your cognitive health to easing the negative effects of loneliness. Many book clubs take on a character all their own, such as a monthly wine-and-cheese party with a little casual reading on the side. Social media influencer Katie Iwanski illustrated this option in a hilarious TikTok video. Among the 11 guidelines she posted for her book club, she included the following: Everybody brings a bottle of wine; guests choose a food theme, such as “crostini night”; and discussion devolves from discussing the book and making cast picks for the movie version to opening more wine and letting the night end in chaos. And a good time was had by all! THE KEYS TO A THRIVING BOOK CLUB TAKE A LITERARY ADVENTURE
highly recommend Chris and his team to anyone. I promise you will not be disappointed.” –Ron & Terri T.
Inspired by PureWow.com
Lime Chicken With Corn and Poblano Salad
There’s still time to enjoy sweet summer corn with this lime chicken dish.
Ingredients Chicken • 3 tbsp olive oil
Corn and poblano salad • 2 tbsp olive oil • 2 poblano peppers, diced • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 1 14-oz can of corn • 4 scallions, minced • Juice of 2 limes • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro • Salt and pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour • 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper • 1 1/2 tsp salt • 3/4 tsp black pepper • Zest of 1 lime • 8 chicken thighs
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400 F. 2. In a large oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. 3. In a bowl, whisk flour, spices, and lime zest. Dredge chicken in the mix to coat. 4. Add chicken, skin-side down, to skillet, then place skillet in the oven for 30–35 minutes. 5. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil and add poblanos. Sauté 4–5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. 6. In a bowl, add poblano mix, corn, scallions, lime juice, and cilantro, toss and serve with the chicken.
402-614-3389 • 3
11414 W. Center Rd., Suite 250 Omaha, NE 68144
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
402-614-3389 OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com Chris@OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com
Code 81351_072924_AY
INSIDE This Issue
Celebrating My Wife’s Story
1
How PBMs Are Keeping Medicine Expensive 2
3
Launch a Successful Book Club
3
Testimonial
Lime Chicken With Corn and Poblano Salad 3
Aspiring Necromancer Sought to Revive George Washington
4
Manic Medic How a Doctor Planned to Resurrect George Washington
Fans of deathbed dramas can hardly ask for a more harrowing tale than the story of an overconfident doctor who tried to resurrect George Washington. As the former president lay dying in December of 1799, Dr. William Thornton raced to Washington’s Mount Vernon home in hopes of reaching him
revive him. Thornton had studied numerous cases of people who were revived after appearing to be dead. He was an early advocate of the medical technique of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to revive victims of near-drownings. Before Washington died, he had suffered a series of tortuous medical treatments for a bad throat infection, including numerous bloodlettings, throat poultices, enemas, and purgatives. Thornton recalled cases he had read about fish being revived after freezing and proposed to thaw Washington’s corpse in cold water, restore air to his body by performing a tracheotomy, and replace the blood drained by the doctors with lamb’s blood. If a lack of air and loss of blood had killed the president, then restoring them and warming the body should revive him, Thornton reasoned. None of Washington’s grieving family and friends supported Thornton’s idea. They recalled the former president’s deathbed instructions to the doctors attending him at the time, “I pray you to take no more trouble about me; let me go off quietly.” Ultimately, the president’s instructions were honored. Despite Thornton’s effort to have his body transported to the Capitol for burial, they granted Washington’s final wish: He was permanently interred at his Mount Vernon home.
before he passed away, according to “Washington’s End,” a 2020 book by historian and White House speechwriter Jonathan Horn.
Washington had been both a friend and benefactor to Thornton. A classic product of the Enlightenment, Thornton was a brilliant polymath considered a genius in his time. He was born in the British West Indies and attended medical school in Scotland before gaining American citizenship. Washington selected Thornton’s design for the U.S. Capitol. Upon arriving at Mount Vernon, Thornton was shocked to see the president’s corpse, frozen solid from the frigid winter temperatures and surrounded by grieving family and friends. The situation did not stop the doctor from hatching a bold plan to
4 • OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com
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