I’ve owned this URL domain for a little over ten years now.
I purchased it soon after launching my career as a licensed health insurance broker thinking I should probably start writing about the subject that I made my profession.
Procrastination got the best of me and… well here we are ten years later. I don’t want another ten years to go by without doing anything with this blog… so here I am! Better late than never!
Besides after ten years, I just might have learned a thing or two about navigating the health insurance marketplace; whether that’s just helping someone better understand their group health benefits at work, or helping them find the right individual health insurance, including Medicare plans.
A lot of changes have taken place since (and a little before) I began my career. Although the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in March of 2010, the first Obamacare plans didn’t start until January 1, 2014. The first Open Enrollment for ACA plans began October 1st, 2013, with the Healthcare.gov website launch that had a rocky start. Despite the hiccups, approximately 8 million people signed up the first year.
I was mainly focused on helping seniors save money on their Medicare (Medigap) supplement and Part D Prescription drug plans during that time, (and still am) but occasionally would help a younger spouse or their adult children with Obamacare plans, mostly pro-bono because a lot the early plans weren’t paying agent commissions yet. That has since changed thankfully!
Medicare has had its fair share of changes the last ten years as well. When I started, supplementing Traditional (Original) Medicare with a Medigap plan and a standalone Prescription Drug Plan was the most common path for Medicare beneficiaries.
Since 2013 however Medicare Advantage, which is another way to get your Medicare through private health insurance plans, has grown by 60% to a record 33 million members currently enrolled.
The rural Midwestern states, like Nebraska where I live, are still hold outs where Traditional Medicare enrollment is still prominent, but Advantage plans are gaining ground with market share, despite the network limitations in rural areas.
U.S. Health Insurance including Indvidual and Group Health, as well as Medicare will the main topics discussed on this blog.
I may touch on the current state of the property and casualty insurance underwriting and inflationary crisis we are all experiencing, but there already seems to be a lot of doom and gloom content focused on that hot mess. I wouldn’t really have anything more to contribute to the misery. Or much in the way of solutions at the moment.
But when it comes to Health Insurance, I just feel there’s more of an opportunity today to educate and help people find affordable health coverage options. So that will be my focus on this blog.
If you have an interest learning about health insurance and navigating your health plan options throughout all life stages, wherever you are in the U.S., follow along by bookmarking my page. I’ll add a subscribe button soon!
About Me: I’m Tom Matthews, a health focused insurance broker based in Omaha, Nebraska. Although I primarily help Nebraskans with their health insurance needs, I offer consulting services nationwide, and if needed, can refer you a licensed professional in your state. You can learn more about me at ThomasAMatthews.com