Navigating Health Insurance with Debra Salmans
Ever wonder why success doesn't always equal fulfillment? I'm Tim Salmons, and with 30 years experience as an actor and a career spanning work in the blue collar corporate medical field, as well as public service industries, I've seen and experienced the human condition at its best and worst. Here on powerful and unpolished, we will explore the everyday traps, draining our energy and hindering fulfillment. This isn't just another success podcast. It's about breaking free from patterns that hold you back and limit your potential.
Tim Salmans:Join me on this transformative journey as we explore and identify limiting traps, detach from draining patterns, and rediscover the power within, creating a life that is truly powerful and unpolished.
Tim Salmans:Good day, everyone. Welcome to Powerful and Unpolished. I'm Tim Salmons. I'm your host. We are breaking new ground today.
Tim Salmans:I have looped in one of my very special people to be a guest. This person is, an inspiration, Always has been. Always will be. I'm I'm getting brownie points right now. But, I am interviewing my wife, Deborah Salmons, today.
Tim Salmans:And just to give you a little bit of a background, she's, she's worked in a variety of different industries, but for the last 12 years, she's been an advisor around healthcare, both, utilizing and purchasing contracts to support you in and outside of the Affordable Care Act. She also deals with ancillary, what I know them to be as ancillary type, insurances of, like, vision and dental and stuff like that. So I thought it would be good to invite her in today because here in a month, this thing called open enrollment takes place. This this it means a lot in her world and in most everybody else's world. It's alright.
Tim Salmans:I just have to get signed up for something. So, but I thought that she would be great to have on and and get some interesting advice from her and learn about what she's doing and why she does it. And I just wanna thank you for being here, Deb.
Deb Salmans:Well, thank you. What a great introduction. I appreciate it.
Tim Salmans:Yeah. You'll yeah. You, she she takes care of me. So she she feeds me well and and, you know, takes care and makes sure that I'm I'm doing what I need to be doing. So, I just really appreciate this.
Tim Salmans:I did actually really wanna bring you on today though because, I mean, this open enrollment thing, this insurance that people have to make a decision is just around the corner.
Deb Salmans:November 1st.
Tim Salmans:Yeah. What's a lot of the stuff that you have to go through right now to get ready for that?
Deb Salmans:Well, I like to reach out to my customer's base that I have right now and remind them that they do not have to reenroll. That if they continue to pay their premiums, then they can continue to have their, plans. They don't have to change it unless they want to. And a lot of times, we want to. We wanna search and find out if we're paying the best rates still, things are still going the way they want them to go, if anything's changed in their family, if they've gone from a smoker to a nonsmoker, their health health has changed in any way.
Deb Salmans:I mean, it's a really good time to review their policies right now before open enrollment. But when open enrollment comes around, it is something that we look at on the exchange, which is a whole another conversation.
Tim Salmans:And what is the exchange?
Deb Salmans:It's the government's website. It is the Affordable Care Act, ACA, on the exchange, off the exchange. Private health care is not part of it. It's all public health care. It's one size fits all.
Deb Salmans:You get on, and don't ever go online. Contact an agent because if you go online, you're going to be called numerous times. Within the first half an hour, you'll be called probably 50 times. It's just what it is nowadays. AI is a very big part of this.
Deb Salmans:They'll grab your number and start calling. So we always say friends don't let friends call, get online. So call an agent and have them go through it with you because they have different options. Like myself, I have private insurance as well as public insurance. So I can look at all different options.
Deb Salmans:Anything that's on the ACA, I can look at. Anything that's on the, private market, I can look at.
Tim Salmans:So that's why you are considered more of an advisor because you you can look at the different options and the different needs between each individual person or family and what what better customize
Deb Salmans:small groups. Small group meaning anything under 50, employees. We can do small group insurance. What I like to do is customize a plan. Doesn't have to be one size fits all.
Deb Salmans:It's customized to meet your needs. Maybe you just need critical illness. Maybe you need the ancillaries. You want dental and vision, and you want all different kinds of ancillaries. We do whatever you'd like and do it to your budget.
Tim Salmans:So and and I wanna take us back, because as, hopefully, as the learners have gotten to know me a little bit here, you had said about, you know, friends don't let friends get on the Internet. I just wanna reiterate that because I have to say, some of these things that you go on to just do a quick search, once they grab your information, you go into a system, and it's like it's like you're you become a bingo ball, and you get tossed around, and you get thrown around, and you get called on all the time frequently. And some of these people, it's like, I've gotten 50 phone like Deb said. I mean, I've actually seen people do this. I've gotten 50 phone calls in the last 30 minutes or so, and it's like, yeah.
Tim Salmans:You will. You will once you put it out there, and that's why it's good to have a relationship with somebody to to get some questions answered. I mean, I think a lot of times people go online or, you know, correct me if I'm wrong, Deb, but a lot of people go online to avoid the human interaction, and then they get frustrated because the system, they get become part of the system. Would you agree?
Deb Salmans:Right. Yeah. They sell your number, and they get it out there, and they sell it to several people. It's exclusive when we buy it. It's exclusive to one person, and then the next 10 minutes exclusive to the next person, to the next person, to the next person.
Deb Salmans:50 people down the line, they're being called as an exclusive lead, which is selling for quite a bit to the individuals who are buying it. But then it becomes a penny lead, and it goes out to thousands of people. So it's just a never ending story. As they say, some people have even changed their numbers because they're so frustrated. But we like to say it like this.
Deb Salmans:It's like you want to have somebody that you can know, like, and trust. Somebody that you can feel you have confidence in that's gonna take care of your family. Somebody who knows the system, knows what to do, and knows how to take your number out of the system, which is really nice. You would not wanna talk to someone who really cares about your needs and not just making a sale.
Tim Salmans:Now what are the and we're gonna get into some personal stuff here in a little bit. But for right now, because we're on the topic of what you do, what are some of the pitfalls out of there out there? Because I've heard about, you know, some of these contracts. I mean, there's so many contracts or products as your industry calls it, where it's like, oh, we can do this and we could do that. And what you really find out is it's it's only fits a certain parameter, and it's it's almost like back in the day, and this was many, many, many, many years ago, I sold, insurance as well, not health insurance, but, I sold insurance and and it was a life insurance.
Tim Salmans:And one of the things is is they sell life insurance, accidental insurance, and accidental insurance pays well when it happens. But just for our listeners out there, the payout on accidental insurance is, like, 1 to 2%. Like, oh, he he crashed his car and died. No. Did he die before he crashed the car?
Tim Salmans:That's what they start asking questions on. They start they start kinda looking in these other realms to say, oh, no. It wasn't an accident. I'm sorry. The policy doesn't cover stuff like this.
Tim Salmans:So accident insurance, once I learned that, I no longer purchased accident insurance for myself. Right? So what are the what are the products or pitfalls that are out there in your realm where people are like, oh, this is great and this is wonderful. And, you know, they might be okay for a very sliver of society, but they may not be optimal for a larger group. What what products are out there?
Deb Salmans:Well, what you're talking about is accidental death, and the accident has to have happened. And they can't have to confirm that it wasn't a heart attack that caused that accident, and they would have to do an autopsy to do that and all these things that transpire because they're trying not to pay. The whole option is not to pay. But what most people, don't realize is that they can buy a short term plan that nowadays is only for 3 months. As of September, the law changed, and it's only 3 months.
Deb Salmans:And then you have to renew it every 3 months with a different insurance company. You cannot continue to renew it with the insurance company you have now. You have to go to a different insurance company, and you can't have any pre existing conditions. And if you happen to get cancer, heaven forbid, in the last month of those 3 months, going to another insurance company is gonna be considered a pre existing condition. So you cannot get other insurance.
Deb Salmans:Now short term is one type. There's also fixed indemnity policies that pay a certain amount for a certain product but don't have a stop loss. So you've got that as another concern. Stop loss meaning that there's a maximum amount that they can charge you that you can spend that's going to be out of your pocket. So you've got to know about that.
Deb Salmans:You've got to have somebody who's really going to educate you on what are the different options out there. There are, people like to call them Christian plans, faith based plans, plans that are set up by certain organizations that we like to say a wing and a prayer. But if something happens, you have to pay first and then they reimburse you if they have the money. And they say in their laws right there in their documentation that says we are not insurance. We do not guarantee a payment.
Deb Salmans:We do not have to pay this claim. So you have to realize that, know that, and some people love it. Some people say that's the best thing. I've never had to use it and it's covered me fine. Well, I've had cases where some will cover it and some won't, and I've heard the tragedy story.
Deb Salmans:So it's basically know what you're buying. If you know what you're buying and you feel comfortable doing it, great. But if you don't, talk to an advisor because it really does make a difference when you have knowledge is power, but the use of that knowledge makes all the difference.
Tim Salmans:Yeah. It's, and that's the key right there that I, I think I've seen over the years, which is when somebody buys one thing and either through assumptions or, you know, beliefs, they believe they have one type of product. And then when they need it, they don't actually have what they need. And it's all because, you know, even in insurance, you get what you pay for. Right?
Tim Salmans:Mhmm. I mean, in some respects, it's like, I don't I don't believe in absolute, so I I wouldn't say that that's, you know, totally across the board, but for the most part, it's like, if you're going cheap, don't expect that, you know, you're gonna get the best coverage. Now you can be wise and go through an advisor who can say you can utilize this and take this away and, you know, strategize how you, work with your products to build out for you. Now my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong, the ACA plan only goes up to 65 or something like that. Is that what I understand?
Deb Salmans:Portable Care Act. Right. Because 65, you're gonna go into Medicare.
Tim Salmans:Okay. And, when when people alright. Let's say someone is a little bit older and they go into Medicare, can they still purchase and participate in some of the ancillary type products or contracts, like dental insurance or or vision or anything like that?
Deb Salmans:No. Unfortunately, what's really, I I would say, saddening to me when I found this out over the years, but the older you become, the less insurance is available for dental and vision. It's very it's crazy. When do you need the dental the most? In your senior years because your teeth are starting to crumble, your crowns need to be replaced, or they're cracked, or this or that.
Deb Salmans:And when you're young, you've got all these benefits for very low cost because they know they're just getting your premiums and you're hardly using it. Maybe a cleaning here or there, but you're really not using the product. But as you get older, I I know, people who go on to Medicare have very limited amount of dental and they have to pay quite a bit. Most plans will stop at 65 that you have choices of. Yeah.
Tim Salmans:And I the reason why I asked that question is I'm not sure that a lot of people out there, I mean, I think they kind of may have heard about it or stuff like this, but never really thought about, wait a minute. Now, once I get to a place where I really need it, it's not there. That's frustrating.
Deb Salmans:Yeah. Very. Yeah. No kidding. And it costs a lot.
Deb Salmans:If you want more, you're gonna pay more, that type of thing. People always want something for nothing, though. That's true.
Tim Salmans:Yeah. So I guess my next question is more to change speed a little bit. So why health insurance? What was it what was it that that inspired you to to go this direction, to to be an adviser rather than just an insurance salesman or salesperson? Yeah.
Deb Salmans:There you go. Well, this company that I've worked for for 12 years now is US Health Advisors because we advise people on what they have, what they can have, what's available out in the marketplace, showing them the opposition, showing them the ACA, Affordable Care Act plans, looking at both and pointing them out what's the pros, what's the cons on each one, and having people make a choice. I think making a choice is the biggest key of all, that they get to make a choice, but but they don't know what they're choosing from unless they've got an advisor who's going to give them their options. Then they're going to look and see what it's going to cost them, what they can afford. Now some people think they can't afford that, but $20 a month for a plan that's going to ensure their ability to have $40,000 that say if they had a critical illness that's not the benefit, that's to insure their product.
Deb Salmans:So in other words, they'll get that to pay off their deductible, their coinsurance, their premiums, keep their policy afloat because if your policy isn't still in force when you're stuck in the hospital with cancer or something where you don't have it paid for, this product is a very good product. Well, I had a gentleman one time and he had that product available. And he said, I don't want it. I don't want it. I'm never going to have that.
Deb Salmans:I'm never going to have that issue. And what was so funny was I told him, I said, it comes with a plan. You might as well have I can lower it down to the one that comes with the plan, 20,000. Let's go with that one. It's $20 a month.
Deb Salmans:So he said, okay. It comes with the plan. I'll take it. And so he did. And what was it?
Deb Salmans:Last November, he called me up and he said, I have stage 4 nasal cancer. I'm like, oh my gosh. Bless your heart. But you've got this $20,000 to pay the premiums, to pay the deductibles, the coinsurance, that type of thing. That's what it's for.
Deb Salmans:He goes, well, I want it to pay my mortgage on my house. And I said, well, you can use it for whatever you want. It's your money. You can use it to pay whatever you'd like. The whole point of it is to use it for what you're gonna need most.
Deb Salmans:And so, he did. He used it for his house. He was thrilled. So happy that he called me and talked to me about it. And so we got him that $20,000 just with the pathology report.
Deb Salmans:That was great. Really made me feel good too that I was making a difference.
Tim Salmans:Okay. What was it that well, let's let's sort of go back. So growing up, what was it that inspired you to even do this kind of work?
Deb Salmans:This kind of work was to help other people, make a difference for other people. I think it really does make a difference when you're helping people, looking at who I can help, how I can help them. It really wasn't what I went to school for or what I was looking for, but it came as an opportunity. A friend called me up and said, we can retire here. This is the place we can, you know, really take it and retire.
Deb Salmans:And I said, oh my gosh. You're right. Once I heard what was going on and what we could offer people. So I made it my chore to get in there and learn it, get my license, and that kind of thing. And so here I am 12 years later doing the best I can for everybody and helping them, and it's inspiring.
Deb Salmans:Really makes a difference.
Tim Salmans:Okay. Good. So you for who you what you like to do, I mean, obviously, I know you. Yeah. What is it that, through your lifetime, though, of all the different kind of work that you've done, what is it that has always kind of, like, pulled you forward?
Deb Salmans:Well, thinking about that, like I said before, making a difference for other people, always trying to do my best to really come up with what how am I gonna help other people, reach out to other people, look at the best alternatives for other people, and what I can do and how I can help them.
Tim Salmans:Okay. So, so, obviously, you do like to help other people, and that's one thing that I was kinda going towards. Because as an adviser, there's a a term that you guys use frequently and have for years. And what's it called? Do you know what I'm talking about?
Deb Salmans:The term that helps other people,
Tim Salmans:term. Big poster on your wall.
Deb Salmans:Oh, are you talking about the the direction of hope and that this company, that's their motto, helping other people every day?
Tim Salmans:Yes.
Deb Salmans:Oh, okay. Yes. Hope. Hope is great because it really does stand for I think that's what made me choose this company over other companies was because it cared about people. It wasn't just about making a sale.
Deb Salmans:If you could help somebody if I could give you if I can't help you, I'm gonna give you a name and number of somebody who can, and hope really stuck with me as, how can I say this, being in within integrity? And sometimes I wonder about other agents and I go, how can they sleep at night? How can they really serve other people or think that they're serving other people when they're giving them false hopes of being covered or it's short term or it's not what's really gonna pay out in the long run. And I know we all have different angles that we're looking at things from, but what a difference it makes when you really believe in your products and you really know your products and you've looked at other alternatives and you can see the difference. But that was what was inspiring me in this company was hope.
Deb Salmans:Helping other people every day really does. It's not just a slogan. It's really what speaks to me. Gets me out of bed in the morning.
Tim Salmans:K. Yeah. Because I think that's a big part of your world, and I think it's a big part of not only why you chose to participate and be a leader in this this company that you work for, because you are a leader, right? You run a whole division.
Deb Salmans:No, I run the, I run the agency now. Mm-mm.
Tim Salmans:Yeah. So, you're not only guiding clients, but you're also guiding, agents, new agents with helping grow them and educate them and to be accountable, have integrity, things like that. That's what I understand. Now, just a little bit more about your background. For a number of years, you what was it?
Tim Salmans:Was it HR that you were part of for work?
Deb Salmans:I was the HR director for LifeSpring.
Tim Salmans:K. And what'd you do what what was it that got you involved in LifeSpring? Tell me a little bit more about how that was for you, who you you know, why that spoke to you.
Deb Salmans:My parents got me involved in the courses that they offered at the time, and we all did it as a family and continued on, learning and growing over the years always to self empowerment and what else I could do to better myself, family and friends, and that I was working in San Francisco at an insurance agency, but in the, individual risk department. And I got a phone call, and it was from an agency that was hiring for LifeSpring in the accounting department. So I went and interviewed for the position, got the position, and was involved in that, and looked around and said, wow. This place is going places and so am I. So moved myself around in that company for 20 years and loved the whole aspect of it and left there as the HR director.
Tim Salmans:Nice. Nice. So you were, part of this program that you moved yourself around. You actually capitalized and made made things happen for you as you created your life. That's what I'm hearing you say.
Tim Salmans:Right? Uh-huh. And I see that that's what you're still doing today. You're still,
Deb Salmans:Right. Making a difference.
Tim Salmans:Yes. So if there's any advice that you wanna give someone out there that is, on the fence or resistant to looking into insurance for themselves, what would you what would you encourage them to do?
Deb Salmans:Well, first thing would be to find out, who they can trust and have as an adviser, get a hold of someone they they feel comfortable with talking to and can count on to follow through. Follow through is a big deal. Make sure that they can trust them and find out what else is available out there. Look, shop, but do it with somebody who's gonna help you do it. Don't go out on your own.
Deb Salmans:Don't make don't go online like we talked about before. It is not wise. You're gonna get a 1,000,000 phone calls and get very frustrated. And look at options that are available and ask what else is available just so that you'll know. Maybe there's nothing else available.
Deb Salmans:Maybe they showed you everything you need to know. But the more you can get knowledge and information about what alternatives there are, Great. And then look at those and find out, you know, like, what are the reviews and that type of thing. Some people will only review a company like insurance on the bad issues. They never review somebody and say, oh, that was great.
Deb Salmans:Had such a good experience. Now maybe on the person, maybe the agent themselves, but not the all over company, the company overall, it's going to be about the individual as where you should look at.
Tim Salmans:Yeah. I mean, a lot of times people will, you know, they look for what's bad and wrong and, you know, unfortunately, as our culture and our society has gone that direction is it's so much easier to to bitch and complain and look for what's wrong than it is to say, well, you know what? There was a challenge in there, but look who helped me overcome. Who look who helped me work through it. That's what I'm hearing you say is it's like when you actually have a relationship with somebody who whether it's insurance, health insurance, property and casualty, life insurance, whatever, when you have that relationship with someone, you can always reach back out to them and help have them help you work with the company.
Deb Salmans:And most of my clients are from referrals. So it's referring. I help an individual and then they help, they call me up and say, hey, I've got my friend, you know, Joe over here and he needs some help. You know, give him my name and number and I'll help them out. We also give, if you've got a referral and, you've got a company or your individual self and they take a policy, the company that I work for right now gives a $100 as a referral bonus for giving that referral if they take a policy.
Deb Salmans:Because you think about it, we have to pay for those leads anyway. So that's really nice. But be over and above that is getting people who will call you back year after year and talk to you about their family, what's going on for them. They become family. They become friends.
Deb Salmans:And it's not just a job. It is the career that I chose because I'm staying with people, making a difference for people, moving them forward, having, their their best interest in mind. And like I said, if I can't help them, I'll find somebody who can, but it makes a difference. When I have people call me up and say, so and so told me about you and told me you could help them and I could help, you know, whoever I can help, what a difference it makes. I I appreciate that very, very much.
Tim Salmans:Well, and it's nice, you know, I've heard this occasional story that you shared where, some mother helped her adult child, you know, in their mid twenties or whatever, go through the process of doing this because they really didn't have a lot of experience doing it and to have somebody to work with and answer questions. The only pitfall is that is sometimes kids don't never doesn't matter when they grow up. They har have a hard time listening to their parents. It's like mom told me to give you a call and do this, and it's like you know? So I'm calling you.
Tim Salmans:Do you want insurance? No. I don't. You know?
Deb Salmans:So I don't need it. I'm invincible. One thing when I'm talking to, usually a mother, of a child, and I said, this is really insurance for you. And they're like, no. No.
Deb Salmans:No. It's really for my child. And I said, no. Ultimately, think about it. It's for you.
Deb Salmans:Here's why. Something happens to the child, usually it's an accident. 86% of the time, it's gonna be an accident over an illness. And when an accident happens and if they don't have insurance, who ultimately pays? You do.
Deb Salmans:It's gonna go back and fall on you, and you're gonna take the brunt. You're gonna handle it. You're gonna make sure it's all better again because that's what parents do. So I always tease them and say it's really for you.
Tim Salmans:Right. Right. It's like insurance, your precious possessions. Right? It happens to be I
Deb Salmans:mean, think about it. It's gonna happen. It is ultimately gonna come back to your bank account. I don't care how old they are. They're still your children.
Tim Salmans:Even when the kids, you know, 29, 39, 49. You know?
Deb Salmans:It's like,
Tim Salmans:come on, kids. Grow up. Start getting serious.
Deb Salmans:Some clients just it's interesting because they'll say, well, I just lost my job, and I had this great group insurance. I said, that's good. And here's what I want. And they're describing their group insurance that they just had at the price they had it at and kinda laughing because you're going, well, that doesn't exist unless you go out and get another job like that with that type of insurance. They go, well, that's what I need.
Deb Salmans:I go, well, is that even possible? Can you go get another job like this? Well, no. Now I'm running my own business, and I can't get that. Okay.
Deb Salmans:Well, let's talk about reality. Let's talk about what is available versus the fantasy of what you wish you coulda, woulda, shoulda had had you stayed with that company and not left it or started your own. I mean, there are pros and cons to everything, but there are also insurances for different types of people and situations.
Tim Salmans:Yeah. Well and it's it's it's you know, insurance has grown and changed like sort of like the, airline industry. You know? Before, it's like, oh, I you paid this set amount. It's a good price.
Tim Salmans:You know? Oh, I paid $50 for an airline ticket.
Deb Salmans:Okay.
Tim Salmans:Yeah. And you can check your bag, and they gave you this plush meal, and they did all this stuff for you. Now you're lucky if you get a a cracker, you know, between a 4 hour flight. It's it's kinda like, you know, you just like the airlines, it sounds like you're you pay, you know, if you want the better coverage, if you want the better experience, you're gonna invest in it. And a lot of times people forget that that this is an investment in themselves.
Deb Salmans:And the thing to think about with that, like you just said, it's an investment in yourself. With an investment in yourself, when's the best time to buy insurance? Yesterday. Because you were healthier. You were younger.
Deb Salmans:The situation is better. So the healthier you are, the better the rates in the private sector. Like, we sell health insurance for the private individual. And why can't everybody get it is what people say to me. They go, this is great insurance.
Deb Salmans:Why don't everybody because not everybody can get it. They can't qualify for it. They've gotta be healthy enough to get it. Now it's not exclusive because you can have controllable experiences of what you have. Maybe you have, asthma or blood pressure or something like that.
Deb Salmans:But if you've got certain diseases that you have maintained, you've got to get guaranteed coverage. You've gotta get coverage like that's where the ACA was invented. I don't talk down about the ACA Affordable Care Act because it is there for certain people who need it. But the only time you could get it unless you have a qualifying event is during open enrollment. November through January 15th, really, it's December 15th, but then there's another one that's a short window of time for here in Colorado, where it will open back up again until January 15th.
Deb Salmans:But try to get it done before December 15th. It doesn't start then. It actually starts January 1st, but you get it all set up ready to go in November, 1st part of December for that January 1st start date.
Tim Salmans:Okay. So it starts January 1st. Now you just you just said here in Colorado, but you sell around the country or you people you work with sell around the country. Is that what I understand?
Deb Salmans:33 states we're licensed in. We can give you a quote on any of those states available. I can always tell you what states I'm available in when you contact me. That's fine. Not a problem at all.
Deb Salmans:And we can go over what I like to do is give free estimates, free quotes. When you're gonna get any kind of work done, you wanna find out how much it's gonna cost you, find out what the variables are, how I can add things, take away things, what's my budget, what can I afford, what can't I afford, that type of thing?
Tim Salmans:Right. So with all of these 33 states, something to consider to the listeners out there, each one of these states has their own insurance commission that signs off on all of these contracts that are available in those states, in all states, actually. Yes. So it's just to realize it's like it's not only a federal oversight, it's also a state oversight is what I understand.
Deb Salmans:Yes.
Tim Salmans:And, that's one of the big reasons why I wanted to have you on. We we are going into Halloween season. It's a scary time of the year, and, you know, it will, for some people dealing with insurance companies or or purchasing insurance can feel like you're walking through a haunted house or a horror movie or something like that. And, it's better when you do it. Like you said earlier, Deb, it's when you make the choice, you've made you've gotten the information.
Tim Salmans:You've explored the options. You've made the choice. Now you can own your choice.
Deb Salmans:Right.
Tim Salmans:Now if you are independently wealthy, can invest in everything you want to invest in, then by all means, do that. I hardly know anybody who's that, well off. And so I would say
Deb Salmans:don't have insurance.
Tim Salmans:Yeah. Yeah. And but it but it's that aspect of don't think that just because you bought insurance, it covers anything and everything. You I encourage the listeners, do your due diligence. Put yourself out there and, you know, ask the questions.
Tim Salmans:There's nothing wrong with sitting down and exploring and asking the question and getting the information you need so that when you actually make the choice, you own the choice. And that's really why I wanted this conversation today is, you know, at Insights for Choice, we are really about ownership. Ownership so that when you make a choice, you own it. It's not this it's not playing the victim. It's not poor me.
Tim Salmans:It's not and a lot of times it can be that way. I mean, it's, the world we live in, a lot of times we get into patterns of looking for things. Here's the reason, here's the justification, here's the excuse I can rely on rather than shit happens and I need to do something different. And, you know, sorry to be so blunt, but that's why it's powerful and unpolished because I'm being unpolished here. Right?
Tim Salmans:But in that respect, I think having a little bit more awareness, having a little more wherewithal, ask the questions you need, explore. There's a lot of, I mean, the world's moving into even more independent type workers, employers, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs. You know, part of this is taking care of yourself while you're growing your business, while you're growing your families. Make sure that you are doing your due diligence to learn what you can. What else am I missing, Deb?
Tim Salmans:Is there anything else I'm missing?
Deb Salmans:Well, like I said before too, I think you need to make sure you do it while you're still healthy. Because the longer you wait, there may be something that happens, and then it's much more expensive than trying to do it when you're healthy. When you're out there, be realistic in what you're budgeting for your health care. It is not inexpensive. You need to be able to have the funds to be able to be covered.
Deb Salmans:Some people say, I don't have anything. Well, you can get on Medicaid, but Medicaid is the welfare of insurance. And you're gonna get doctors who won't take Medicaid because they don't get paid as well. And they know it. You know it.
Deb Salmans:They're not going to be as good of doctors. But just know that it is something that you should invest in yourself with. You should definitely take it on and go, okay. I need to have health insurance. What's my best side to do it with?
Deb Salmans:What's my best, knowledge out there? What plans are gonna be better than others? Let's make a good wise choice and then choose the best of what you've got available to you.
Tim Salmans:Yeah. And I to add on to that, also be real with yourself. You know, you can tell yourself how healthy and wonderful you are when it's like, oh, I've had this pain in my side for, you know, 3 years or 6 months or, you know, it's I I hear this often. And the reason why I I kind of explore this is I was an EMT for 15 years. I worked at a hospital for 4 years, in an urgent care clinic for almost another 4 years.
Tim Salmans:And, you know, when it comes to healthcare, it's always like, you need to think ahead because far too often, people will sit there and be like, well, I need this now. And it's like, yeah, you've already, it's like, you've already wrecked the car and now you want the insurance to fix the car back up. It doesn't work that way. It just doesn't work that way. And, there will always be a reason or an excuse.
Tim Salmans:Don't let that be yours. Don't let that be what gets in your way because, you know, you you're worth it. You're worth taking care of yourself. You're worth honoring yourself and you're worth knowing that it's all a moving target because it's never gonna be exactly perfect, maybe the way you hoped. And, I would just encourage you to be in gratitude for the opportunity of educating yourself and learning and growing in this process.
Tim Salmans:But that's enough about the insurance aspect in the world because it is it is part of the thing and, you know, I find it always interesting that it comes right after Halloween. We're we're gearing up for it, you know, so then we recover. But, but I just want to say thank you very much, Deb. Now what's the best way for someone to get ahold of you if they have questions or if, you know, you can direct them to someone who may be able to help them?
Deb Salmans:Well, I would say give me a call, and I will be able to give them advice and give them quotes, give them opportunities. I the best way to reach me is either text at 303-525-0494, or just call me. 303-525-0494. Either one of those will work great, and I'll be able to get a hold of you back. And we'll go over all the explanation of why, who, what, when, everything you would need to know about health insurance and more.
Tim Salmans:Yes. And, and just, you know, to to kind of do the awareness aspect is is our whole financial world, a big part of our financial world is our health and how we take care of ourselves and and how we invest in that. And, some people like to do it proactively, exercising, eating healthy, which is all great and wonderful. It's also, you know, I I I working at the hospital, it was a it was a crapshoot. It was interesting.
Tim Salmans:There were people that should have made it, who didn't, and there were people that you're, like, going, oh my gosh. These people aren't gonna make it. And then they're, as one charge nurse shared with me one time, oh, they're gonna outlive all of us. You know? And it was like so there's no rhyme or reason.
Tim Salmans:There there literally is no rhyme or reason in some respects. So, get informed, get educated, build a good relationship with someone who you can ask questions of and use it as a resource. I hope this serves you well, and and Deb is is a great resource for this. Yes. I know I'm promoting my my lovely wife here, but
Deb Salmans:Hey. I like to offer peace of mind. Yeah. Think about that. Yeah.
Deb Salmans:Peace of mind. You got it taken care of. You know, you can count on it and just get it out of the way. One more thing to get off your to do list.
Tim Salmans:Absolutely. And, get yourself set up and get the questions answered that you need. So we'll leave it at that. And, Deb, just one last little thing. So we talked about haunted houses and stuff like this.
Tim Salmans:Well, I just I just took my wife to Universal Studios and walked her through 10 haunted houses, and I find it very entertaining because, she jumps a lot Sure. And, you know, yells a lot.
Deb Salmans:So I scream.
Tim Salmans:Or scream. Yeah. So of the of the haunted houses we just got back from seeing at Universal Studios, which which were the ones you liked the most?
Deb Salmans:I liked I thought Insidious was very scary.
Tim Salmans:Yeah.
Deb Salmans:That was pretty scary.
Tim Salmans:That one was creepy. It was good. It was good. It was, every corner you turn, there was something coming out of a different corner somewhere else. So Right.
Tim Salmans:You did a good job. But so folks, I I I just wanna thank you. Thank you very much, Deb, for stepping up and and, you know, helping us out today. I think this will hopefully give some direction to some folks out there, maybe spur on some questions for them. And if you found this useful, please hit a like.
Tim Salmans:If you can, give Deb a call. If you have questions or want to talk with someone about your policy, her number is 303 525-0494. That's 303-525-0494. So we're gonna leave you with that. Until next time, we wish you all the best.
Tim Salmans:If you found this useful, please hit the like button, give us a review. And until next time, we wish you all the best. Much love to you out there in the world. Make good choices that honor you. Cheers.
Deb Salmans:Thank you, Tim. Bye.
Tim Salmans:Thanks for joining me today. If you've resonated with any of the stories or insights shared today, don't forget to hit that subscribe button. Your support means the world, so feel free to share your thoughts using hashtag powerful and unpolished podcast. Until next time, stay powerful, stay unpolished.
