??Why Medicare Agents Matter

Good Morning LinkedIn!

We officially have 135 days until the end of the year and 57 days left until the Medicare industry’s busiest time--AEP also known as the Annual Enrollment Period. Considering that, and all of my new connections, I thought it would be great to tell my story of how I decided that helping seniors with Medicare was my calling.

One hot late summer day in Durham, North Carolina, I received a lead for life insurance for a sweet lady named Mrs. Parrish.? I will never forget sitting on her black microfiber couch and her two barking dogs.

One in her lap and the other rattling his small crate.

While we made small talk I answered her most important question of why I wasn't married yet.

I noticed that she never took her hand from in front of her mouth; a gesture that seemed so familiar to me.

She informed me that she did not have any teeth, and she couldn’t afford any new ones.

Then I had an aha moment about why Mrs. Parrish, gesture was so familiar.

My grandmother did the same thing out of embarrassment when she was alive.

From that moment I was committed to helping Mrs. Parrish gain her confidence and smile back!

How I had no idea, I was very new to the Medicare industry and had only a few clients.

However, although Mrs. Parrish wasn’t quite 65, I asked her if she was on Medicare. She informed me that she was since she had been disabled for a while due to her health conditions.

However, she knew little about her benefits.

The first thing I did was call the dentist with whom she had a previous consultation. They told me the most affordable option for her would be to get all her teeth removed and get a new pair of dentures on the same day.

The thought of that seemed cruel and made my stomach hurt.

The next option we explored was to let her state Medicaid benefits pay, however, that still left her with a $2,000 balance that she could not afford.

After much research, I found her a Medicare Advantage plan that would pay in full for her new smile!

We were both ecstatic! ?I helped her arrange her appointment and transportation using her plan benefits

Time was of the essence since it was close to the end of the year and dentists' offices were extremely busy.

To my pleasure dentist's office was clean, the staff was compassionate, and tried to make the process as pain-free as possible for Mrs. Parrish.

All the things I would have wanted for my grandmother.

A few months later I went by to visit Mrs. Parrish she greeted me with the biggest smile and a pair of pearly white teeth!

I had to take a picture of my girl and her beautiful smile.

She thanked me for my help but seeing that smile was all the thanks I needed. To be able to see my work make a daily difference in someone’s life was enough.

A few months later I got a call early in the morning from Mrs. Parrish's husband that she was in rehab after she fell and broke her hip.

?A few days later they informed me she had passed away.

I was devastated! I know I work with seniors however my clients dying never becomes “routine” for me.

When I looked at the memorial photos I noticed all of her pictures had her mouth closed. All her smiles were cheeks only.

Then I remembered the picture we took in her living room the day I saw her new smile and I gave it to her family.

What a powerful gift. The ability to give a smile. From that moment my purpose was made clear and I became CoveredbyMel. Informing seniors how to achieve their best quality of life through their Medicare benefits is what I do best.

With Love,

Melissa D. Hall

Chief Medicare Storyteller

Aetna, a CVS Health Company

Humana Cigna Healthcare UnitedHealth Group Wellcare Medicare Alignment Health Medica Medicare Market Insights #medicare #medicareagents #medicareaep