Texas Siblings Create User-Friendly Medicare Service for Baby Boomers

FORT WORTH, Texas, June 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Doesn't matter what you call them – Boomers, silver panthers, gray cougars, the elderly, the mature…it all comes down to one three-letter word –"old." However, there has been a concerted effort in America to dispose of that depressing word.

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Two Texas siblings ban the word within their office at Boomer Benefits, an insurance company in Fort Worth specializing in Medicare insurance. They target American babies born from 1946 to 1964 and are quick to point out that Boomers are hip, Internet savvy, and are barreling ahead toward brighter futures than ever.

"The first wave of Boomers turned 65 in 2011, and the race was on!" according to Fort Worth business owner Danielle Kunkle, who together with her brother David is changing the landscape for many seniors. "Sixty-five is the new 45 in every sense."

Baby Boomers have been making history right from the beginning. During the period that American soldiers were coming home from World War II and happily conceiving a whole generation of Boomers, they also created the largest birth rate ever recorded in America. The secondary boom – the retail one – increased sales of diapers and baby paraphernalia and everything else they needed as they grew up.

What are they buying now?

Economists have been reporting for decades on social trends created by Boomers, what they are buying, and how and where they are buying. Social observer/author Ken Dychtwald referred to the huge flux of babies moving through the economy as "the pig in the python," a phrase still frequently used.

Now that Boomers are reaching Medicare-eligible age, guess what else is selling?

"It's a no-brainer," says Danielle. "They are buying Medicare insurance policies, long term care plans, and dozens of other insurance products and health-care products. They also are shopping for the future and buying places in extended living and assisted living centers. The irony is most of them shop for themselves and their elderly parents at the same time. There's a vast number of retiring Boomers caring for a family member."

What some businesses have been slow to realize is that Baby Boomers are buying insurance policies on the phone and on the Internet, and have been doing so for years. "There's a nagging perception that still exists that people age 65+ don't know how to use a computer, when in fact this generation, the Baby Boomers, have been using computers at work for nearly 20 years," said David Kunkle. "They can probably get around the Internet better than we can."

Just like the younger generations, Boomers often do their research online before making a purchase. Medicare is a huge hurdle for them because they've been insured by employers all their working lives, and now suddenly they are thrust into a national health insurance program which works differently than the type of coverage they are used. It can be overwhelming and confusing just to understand how their Medicare coverage itself works, let alone how a supplement can help them.

"That's where we come in," says Danielle. "We educate them on Medicare itself in plain language that's easy to understand. Once they understand how their Medicare coverage works, they are much more comfortable choosing the Medicare supplemental plan that best suits them."

The Kunkle team dives deeply into the basic benefits provided to beneficiaries by the various parts of Medicare, including the notoriously confusing Part D. Their team of licensed agents is thoroughly trained to answer common Medicare questions and situations – from how to enroll in Medicare itself to major concerns such as resolving unpaid claims.

Free Claims Support for Life

Boomer Benefits is one-of-a-kind in that it puts boots on the ground with a full-time Client Service Team to assist its thousands of policyholders – totally free of charge – with every detail after the purchase of a Medicare supplemental insurance product.

Why is a Client Service Team so important?  Danielle Kunkle says it's the company's single most important advantage. "People on Medicare don't want to call an 800 number at a huge insurance company and wait on hold for 20 minutes to find out why their application was declined or a claim was denied. They dread going through a staggering number of robotic questions and telephone prompts before they ever can reach a human on the other end of the line.

"Boomers lead active, busy lives," she states. "They don't want to chase down billing reps at doctors' offices and hospitals when it's necessary to have the healthcare provider resubmit a claim. They simply want to call their insurance agent on his or her direct line, reach a real person who cares about their problem and has experience in resolving these types of situations, and have that person walk them through resolution of the issue from start to finish. And that's what we give them."

The demand couldn't be greater. The market area for these Medicare-related insurance policies is 3,000 miles wide and more than 1,500 miles north to south. In just ten years Boomer Benefits has grown to offer policies in 40 states to meet increasing demand.

Even so, the biggest challenge is making such a large group, over 70 million people, aware of the help available. "Our new clients are constantly telling us that before they stumbled upon us, they had no idea that there are agents like us out there that can help people with Medicare-related insurance policies," says Danielle.

It's a new world for the Boomers, and the Kunkles are making it better. For more information on their innovative program, visit their Website (boomerbenefits.com) or find them on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or phone (817-249-8600).

Media Contact: Karen Taylor, Southwest Ink Public Relations, 325 514 7947, [email protected]

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SOURCE Boomer Benefits