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Club MED
August 2025
We All Come From Somewhere How DNA Testing Led to Headstone Hunting
A couple of decades ago ( how on earth am I old enough to write a sentence like that? ) I found myself at a French restaurant in Manhattan with a priest friend. The waiter, a culinary storyteller in an apron, began serenading us with the history of our entrées with a strong French accent — where the dish was born in France, who created it, and what famous celebrities ate it. The accent was odd.
accent, leaned in and said, “I was just waiting for you to ask for his papers . What’s with the Gestapo interrogation?” ANCESTRAL DETECTIVES AND DIGITAL DNA I’ve always been aware — perhaps too proudly so — of my Irish and German roots. Talking about one’s ethnicity in South Omaha was the ice breaker in many conversations. Holidays were filled with family ancestral tales told by adults in hushed voices over ham and highballs. And it turns out, most of the stories were true. A few years back, my wife Bev dove into Ancestry.com and the rabbit hole of heraldry, determined to map out her lineage and mine, too. Lucky me. While Bev discovered a patriot in my family tree (which made me eligible for the Sons of the American Revolution), she also stumbled upon an ancestor in the 1770s who cheated a Chesapeake Bay Native American tribe so badly that it incited a war. He paid the ultimate price, but his sons were spared, and for that ( I say this with full sincerity ), thank God! Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here writing this. THE GREAT WOOD RIVER GRAVE QUEST Then one day, my cousin Mark called out of the blue and said, “Want to go to Wood River?” We’d grown up hearing tales about Great- Grandpa Roche’s glory and downfall in Wood River, Nebraska. He was the Gatsby of grain — bought farms, lost it all when land prices tanked during the Great Depression, and ended his days managing a grain silo in Florence. A real- life Nebraska epic.
I asked him, “Where are your people from?”
With all the hauteur of a vintage wine, he sniffed, “ Marseille .”
I pressed gently, “No, originally?”
A pause. His voice softened. The French accent disappeared, and with a Brooklyn- ish sigh, he admitted, “Algiers.” Ah, yes, Algeria, the former French colony. Home of the French Foreign Legion, the 1939 Gary Cooper movie "Beau Geste."
Mark flew up from Tampa, and, armed with Egg McMuffins and Casey’s coffee (our modern pioneer provisions), we set off westward. Not by mule, mind you, but in a comfortable SUV with cupholders and GPS. Our first stop? A cemetery … full of Schmidts and Schultzes but no Roches. I said to Mark, “Think there’s a Catholic cemetery?” Different religions, not to mention ethic groups, were not too friendly back then. Google, bless its heart, led us to St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery — 4 miles away and on the original township site. And there it was. You could see it from the road: a marble monument that read ROCHE .
My priest friend, with a Southern drawl dripping in an aristocratic, Richmond
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 ...
Call 402-614-3389 to speak with a licensed insurance agent! • 1
Medicare Insurance Made Easy
(SPOILER: IT’S COMPLICATED) WHO’S WATCHING FOR MEDICARE FRAUD?
You may not think much about Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse. But behind the scenes, it’s a big deal and costs taxpayers billions annually. So, who’s keeping an eye on things? That depends on what kind of Medicare you have. Let’s take a look. MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS: BUILT- IN FRAUD WATCHDOGS If you have a Medicare Advantage plan , you're getting your Medicare through a private insurance company like Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, or Humana. These companies must keep fraud under control — it’s in their contract with Medicare. Because they’re managing your care and paying the bills, they have a strong reason to make sure: • Doctors aren’t overbilling • Services aren’t being faked • Your card isn’t being used by someone else They use technology, analytics, and even real humans to catch suspicious behavior. If they see a doctor billing for 100 patients daily or someone traveling 100 miles for weekly foot massages, red flags go up fast. They also work with law enforcement if someone breaks the rules.
fishy happened months later. And by then, the money is gone.
Peraton has already helped save $13 billion for taxpayers over the past 10 years — including $1.2 billion last year. There’s even a new version called Rapid Fraud Intelligence (Rapid FI) , which works even faster and smarter. WHO’S RUNNING THE SHOW? This new effort is part of an initiative from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — yes, that’s a real name, not a meme! Their job is to: • Cut down waste in federal programs • Cancel shady contracts • Pause suspicious payments • Make sure taxpayer money goes where it’s supposed to DOGE and CMS are working closely together, sharing systems, data, and new fraud-fighting strategies. SO, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU? Whether you’re on Medicare Advantage or Original Medicare with a Medigap plan, know this: • If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, your insurance company is already monitoring you for fraud every day. • If you’re on Original Medicare, the government is finally getting the tools to catch up — and crack down. This means your Medicare benefits are being better protected. And it means your tax dollars are being used more wisely.
It’s not that nobody is watching— but compared to private Medicare Advantage companies, the fraud
detection tools in Original Medicare have been slower, older, and less connected.
GOOD NEWS: BIG CHANGES ARE COMING Thanks to pressure from Congress, the public, and the Trump administration, the federal government is now making huge improvements in fighting fraud in Original Medicare. One of the most powerful new tools is the Fraud Detection Operations Center (FDOC) , which is run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) .
Here’s what it does:
• Uses artificial intelligence and machine learning (yep, robots!) to spot fraud faster • Flags suspicious billing behavior from doctors or clinics • Stops payments before the money is sent out • Removes providers who were convicted of crimes or who don’t meet standards
An example?
Bottom line? With Medicare Advantage, fraud detection is part of the deal.
The FDOC recently found Medicare was still sending payments to a doctor who died 20 years ago. Yep. 20. Years. Ago . THE TECH POWER BEHIND IT The government has partnered with Peraton, a technology company that built the Fraud Prevention System (FPS) .
2 • OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com ORIGINAL MEDICARE + MEDIGAP: NOT QUITE THE SAME Things work differently if you have Original Medicare (Parts A & B) plus a Medigap (supplement) plan. Here, Medicare is run directly by the federal government. And while Medigap plans help cover costs like deductibles and copays, they don’t manage your care or claims. Until recently, the government’s fraud system was mostly “pay and chase.” That means someone gets paid, and investigators might realize something
WHAT YOU CAN DO You can help, too! Keep an eye out for:
• Bills for services you didn’t receive • Duplicate charges • Providers who pressure you into services you don’t need If you see something that doesn’t look right, report it to your Medicare plan or to Medicare directly at 1-800-MEDICARE .
And what exactly does the FPS do? It:
• Scans billing records in real time • Flags doctors who look suspicious • Tracks patterns (like billing for services no one needs) • Compares one provider’s claims to others to spot outliers
Together, we can all fight fraud — one step at a time.
Testimonial
... CONTINUED FROM COVER
“Chris and his team have been very easy to work with through the whole Medicare process. He helped my husband and I find the Medicare supplement and medication plan that best met our needs. He was very good at explaining everything in the two individual meetings we had before signing up for our plans. The team members have been easy to reach by phone to answer any questions we have had and we have also received phone calls to check on us and make sure that everything is going well with the plans we chose. The process of working with Chris and his team was seamless and we highly recommend his services for your Medicare needs!” —Julie S.
John Thomas Roche. ( So, that’s where Dad’s name came from. ) The great-great-grandparents were Bridget, from County Clare, and Patrick, from County Cork. The legends were true. Bev had me do a 23andMe DNA test. I spit in a tube like a good husband. Sure enough, the results came back: Cork and Clare. Science, meet tombstone. THE PAST IS ALWAYS PRESENT Standing among the headstones, I realized I had never thought about Patrick and Bridget Roche. I couldn’t have told you their names a year ago. But without their grit through famine, ocean crossings, and Nebraska winters without Wi-Fi or furnace heat … I wouldn’t be here.
Inspired by ThePioneerWoman.com
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars
Ingredients • 1 pt strawberry ice cream • 1/4 cup strawberry preserves • 1 pt vanilla ice cream
• 1 5.25-oz package crispy sugar cookies • 1 0.8-oz package freeze- dried strawberries
Directions 1. Stir strawberry ice cream in a large bowl until spreadable. Fold in preserves until evenly streaked throughout. 2. Stir vanilla ice cream in a separate large bowl until spreadable. 3. Spoon 1 1/2 tbsp of the strawberry mixture into the bottom of 8 (1/3-cup) popsicle molds. Spoon 1 1/2 tbsp of the vanilla mixture on top of the strawberry mixture into the molds. Repeat, alternating the 2 mixtures, until each mold is full. 4. Place sticks into the popsicles and freeze until solid, 4–6 hours. 5. In a large zip-lock bag, crush sugar cookies with a rolling
They’ve been gone for over a century. Who’s visited their graves in all that time? Who will visit mine in a hundred years?
Maybe no one. But that’s not the point. We come, and we go.
BUT WE ALL COME FROM SOMEWHERE. Knowing where I come from has helped me understand who I am — and a little of why I do what I do. It grounds me. All of you have lived rich lives. I always enjoy hearing your stories when you come in for that initial appointment. The stories of where you came from matter and matter to your family.
pin until pieces are rice-size; pour into a shallow dish. 6. Repeat with freeze-dried strawberries and stir the pieces together. 7. Run the ice cream molds under warm water to release popsicles from molds. 8. Coat bars evenly with cookie mixture. 9. Eat immediately or place on a cookie sheet and freeze. Call 402-614-3389 to speak with a licensed insurance agent! • 3
Licensed Insurance Agent –Christopher J. Grimmond
11414 W. Center Rd., Suite 250 Omaha, NE 68144
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
402-614-3389 OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com Cjg@OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com
Code 86426_08122025_JL
INSIDE This Issue
The Story Behind My Wood River Road Trip 1
2 Medicare Fraud Is Being Tackled Head On (And With Robots)
Testimonial 3
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars 3
4 Stuck in the Middle: Managing Sandwich Generation Strain
Sandwich Generation Stress Smart Strategies to Survive the Caregiving Years
Caring for children and aging parents can be stressful for the generation in the middle, leading to heavy workloads and round-the-clock worries. Nearly 1 in 4 American adults are shouldering those duties as part of the sandwich generation — that is, they have at least one parent over 65 and are raising a child under 18 or supporting an adult child financially, according to Pew Research. These cross-generational responsibilities can easily leave a caregiver feeling swamped and stressed out. However, family-care experts have provided three strategies for navigating this challenging stage of life. SELF-CARE ESSENTIALS Neglecting your own physical and mental health is a mistake, not only for your
sake but for ensuring you have the inner resources you need for your family. One social worker told Care.com, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” If you simply can’t find time for a break to exercise, read, or chill with friends, ask a spouse, another family member, or a friend to take over caregiving duties so you can get away. If you need support or space to vent, look for a caregiver support group through a local aging agency, hospital, or senior-care facility. STREAMLINE TASKS Plan to delegate chores, such as driving the kids to sports practice or taking Mom to a doctor's appointment. To avoid constantly updating family members on a loved one’s status, set up a group text or shared Google Doc. Family-focused platforms such as Lotsa Helping Hands offer more
elaborate information-sharing functions and can be especially useful during crises.
NON-NEGOTIABLE NEEDS You may never attain a sense of balance during this life stage. As one caregiver says, sometimes it’s all about putting out fires, and that’s okay! But don’t surrender your own needs entirely! Identify the activities you simply cannot give up without sacrificing your mental health, such as regular exercise, time outdoors, or coffee with friends. Make time for these pursuits by enlisting others to help or paying for professional care. Remember that the difficult, unpredictable labor of family care you provide can make a huge and enduring difference in your loved ones’ quality of life. And that is a purpose well worth pursuing!
4 • OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com
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