Compassion, Education, Non-Bias Consultation are the words that define our story. It was 2008, when our Founder, Cambria Smith received the call from her grandmother that would change the course of her life forever.

 

When she answered the phone, she heard panic and fear on the other end. The words "your granddaddy and I are losing our health insurance that the plant always promised us, I don't know what to do."  At the time, Cambria was teaching High School and did not know anything about Medicare. What she did know, was her grandmother needed her and she was going to figure it out. She packed up and drove from Atlanta to Pensacola, FL to see what was going on. 

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Upon her arrival, she was notified of meeting that her grandparents had been invited to learn more about other options. They asked her to help them understand and make decisions. As she attended that meeting she realized it was a sales presentation not an opportunity to learn what was happening or what options they had. The people that had been tasked to figure out a plan, had reached out to a captive agent and asked for a plan. They were presented a Medicare Advantage Plan that included prescription drugs. The network was limited and it boasted a very high out of pocket maximum of $6700 annually. Being that both of her grandparents had limited incomes and health conditions, they would not be able to afford this selection. Cambria began learning Medicare from the ground up, understanding plan designs, networks, and formulary coverages. Between the many formulary guides and highlighters strewn across the kitchen table a plan was discovered. They had found a way to reduce their max out of pocket to $1500 each and their medication costs significantly, all while keeping the doctors they trusted.  

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Cambria reached out to the agent that was selected to represent planning for this group and shared her discovery in the hopes that he would share it with others in the same boat as her grandparents. His response back to her was disheartening, he simply stated that he had already made a deal with an insurance carrier and wasn't interested in any other options. 

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On that note, her grandparents enrolled in a plan directly with the better options for them. On her drive back to Atlanta, she shared her frustrations with her husband and let him know that they were starting a company to protect retirees from ever having this situation happen again. Transitions Benefit Group was officially born in 2011 and has been growing ever since.