Humans of Gravie: Jim
“We’ve loved every minute of it down here,” said Jim, a past Gravie member, when asked about his move from the Midwest to the South. Jim moved to Naples, Florida with his wife, Peggy, after living most of their lives in Indiana. Jim is retired now, and you can usually find him on the tennis court or golf course. He’s living what most would call ‘the dream.’
But it hasn’t been all sunny skies for Jim.
In December 2014, Jim entered early retirement. The health insurance he had through his employer ended in early 2015. He needed new health insurance coverage since he wasn’t eligible yet for Medicare. A friend recommended Gravie, and Gravie advisors helped Jim get set up on his own health insurance plan.
Jim wasn’t a Gravie member for very long. He became Medicare eligible in November 2015, less than a year after signing up. Once enrolled in Medicare, he no longer needed his plan with Gravie, so he cancelled it and figured it would be the end of his relationship with the company.
Unexpected Insurance Turmoil
But then he got a call from the collections department at his previous insurance company. They said he never cancelled his plan with them, and demanded he pay overdue premiums. Jim couldn’t believe it. He knew he had cancelled his plan. What he didn’t know was what to do next.
Jim turned to Gravie for support. He connected with Megan, a Gravie advisor, who immediately dove in to resolve the issue.
“Megan went to bat for me. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t a Gravie member anymore. We would spend hours on the phone between the health insurance marketplace and the insurance company. We would have these lengthy conversations quarterly. Like a great caregiver, Megan embraced the whole episode,” Jim explained.
When the phone calls weren’t enough to absolve the premium balance, Megan turned to Gravie’s compliance department. Together, Megan worked with Gravie’s head of compliance to write letters to Jim’s insurance company. Compliance researched laws and regulations, and Megan compiled everything and sent it off.
Resolution at Long Last
“Within two weeks, I had a phone call from the consumer affairs department at the health insurance company,” Jim said. “The representative said ‘we are forgiving all of your premium dollars, and your account will now be $0.'”
After months of phone calls and letter writing, Jim was free of collections. He doesn’t know what he would have done without Megan’s help.
“The situation was extremely confusing for me. Megan was so helpful in talking to individuals at the insurance company and at the health insurance marketplace. Every time we had a conversation with someone, she had names, numbers, dates, times, everything, from our previous conversations. I was so impressed.”
Jim would never want to go through a situation like this again, but he recognizes that he did get something positive out of it.
“It was frustrating, but I also got to know Megan. I got to know a wonderful young woman who I respect immensely. She has to be one of the best and hardest working people I know,” Jim reflected. “She would even call me and remind me of appointments we had scheduled. She’d say ‘I just want to make sure you’re not on the golf course or tennis court during our appointment!’ I don’t think I’ve ever experienced help quite like this.”
Are you a Gravie member who wants more personalized help dealing with your benefits? You’re in luck! Each member who signs up with Gravie also gets Gravie Care. Gravie Care gives you free, year-round access to the Gravie advisors who can help you with any question, big or small. Call the advisors at 800.501.2920 or email help@gravie.com to start taking advantage of your Gravie Care benefits.