Peace of Mind

When I go into work, I know I am doing more than just getting a paycheck. My job has meaning and purpose to a lot of people. I answer calls as a Consumer Advisor Expert for one of the most well-known medical insurance companies in the country. I only work Saturday, Sunday and Mondays, but I work 12- hour shifts. I have been with the company nine and half years. This company has not just given me a job, it’s given me a career.

The mission statement of this insurance company is “Bringing Peace of Mind.” Every department of it’s 6000 employees look back to this statement to determine how we are bringing “Peace of Mind” to those insured by us and those companies who purchase from us.

For me, I work in employer group insurance. A lot of people don’t realize, when one gets their insurance through their employer, it is actually their employer that decides what policies will be eligible to it’s employees. This can cause great upset when someone calls wanting bariatric surgery, an abortion, or fertilization treatment, all of which are not likely to be included in an employer group policy.

Another issue that I commonly commandeer is explaining how two insurance coordinate benefits with one another. With my job, I am a teacher. I might have an elderly woman who is 80 years old call in because she doesn’t understand how her Medicare works and how my insurance company coordinates those benefits with Medicare. Insurance coordination can be confusing, but it is a nightmare for some who doesn’t understand benefits at all. Knowledge and understanding of your benefits provide “Peace of Mind” so you know when you get a statement or you check your benefits online, that both of your insurances have processed your claims and processed them correctly. Hearing that light go off when someone gets how the benefits coordinate is great, because for future claims they can clarify and understand for themselves. This is a great feeling.

With my job, I am a counselor and friend. I take the heart-breaking calls as well. The calls where a husband, wife, or a child have passed away. The calls where someone who has been given 6 months to live. The calls where a motorcycle accident leaves someone paralyzed for life. All of these calls I have taken. My job encompasses being there for people in their greatest time of need. Listening to their stories, crying with them, and taking the time to be more than a customer service representative, but be a friend. These calls are the toughest of all of them. I have cried with members while they give their stories. People just want to be heard and through that hearing, they want to be understood. Being an empath, I take this part of my job very seriously and make sure that every member who needs me to just listen or empathize with their circumstances, I am there for however long they may need.

With my job, I am a Volunteer. The medical insurance company I work for also helps those within the community. I personally have helped to build two playgrounds in our surrounding area for children whose schools did not have, or they had but due to safety concerns were unusable.

“Bringing Communities Together” is just another foundation that is operated through my employer. With the covid pandemic keeping us all distanced from one another, “Bringing Communities Together” is a park that is built and tailored to the needs of that specific community. It is supposed to be a safe place for people to come together as we emerge out of this pandemic and try to find a sense of normalcy again. Within these parks are hopscotch, jungle gyms, water fountains that sprout up out of the ground, and a covered picnic area for friends to gather to eat. While “Brining Communities Together is not my specific job, we as employees are very much engaged in building up our community and this is just one of the Volunteer programs offered by my company.

My job requires patience, active listening, and giving people real options to solve real issues. I volunteer my time through my employer to give back into our community as well. I have listened to our members, I have played with the children in our neighborhoods, I have been the one who was told devastating news, and I have cried with those who just needed a shoulder.

With my job, I wear many hats. I am a teacher, friend, construction worker, adjuster, and I help to bring friends and family back together. I love my job and all the people I work with and speak to on the phones. I loves the people I get to engage with in our communities. I love the work, because I know I am making a difference. Not just one day, but Everyday!