Shaun Fagan has been a licensed insurance agent since 1986, growing his business in the Kansas City area, and specializing in helping people ages 65 and older navigate the ins and outs of Medicare.
In 2022, after Shaun’s wife Mary retired from Verizon following a 37-year career, the couple moved to Wesley Chapel.
Shaun says that at one point in his career, he had 500 agents working under him. But, these days, he’s looking for a simpler way of life.
Now it’s just Shaun and Mary, but he still helps people navigate the complexities of government-provided health insurance through Medicare.
“There is a lot of confusion about Medicare,” Shaun says. “I give people clarity to make their choices easier.”
This is especially needed for people who are turning 65, which is typically when they become eligible for Medicare. Shawn can make all of the choices available to you simpler to understand.
“The government doesn’t make it easy, that’s for sure,” he says.
Many people in their early 60s wonder if they should retire or keep working to stay on their company’s heath insurance plan, or stay on their spouse’s health insurance plan.
“When people get to that crossroads, sometimes they kind of hang in at work because they think it’s the cheaper way to go,” Shaun explains. “But they can often get better care at a better price, or equal coverage at a lower cost and have that opportunity to retire.”
He says if you’re nearing age 65, the time to talk with him is about three to four months before your birthday so you have time to learn about your options, decide what you want to do and start the enrollment process.
He adds that he also helps many people who are in a transition period, like if they have retired before age 65.
That’s how Sheri Stephens met Shaun.
“When I retired, I found it very overwhelming,” Sheri says. “I retired at 61, so I have a few years I have to bridge before Medicare.”
Sheri says Shaun had already helped her sister and her husband find a better plan than what they already had, and they referred her to him. “He is so knowledgeable,” she says. “In just educating me and walking me through the different carriers and different benefits, he was able to break it down to a third-grade level, which is where I needed it to be, because there are so many conditions and rules.”
Sheri liked that all of her conversations with Shaun were over the phone or via Zoom if he needed to show her something.
“He was very professional, very knowledgeable and very easy to deal with.”
Help For Businesses, Too
Shaun also has decades of experience helping small businesses looking for health insurance for their entire company.
“My niche is helping businesses with 20 to 50 employees, where they usually don’t have a human resources person,” he says. “They typically have an office manager but that person isn’t an insurance specialist. That’s where I can really help a business.”
He explains that Insurance Opportunities also can provide medical, dental and vision insurance, but his specialty is Medicare.
Shaun also says that when his business was based in Kansas City, he served clients in many states. Now, he continues to serve some of those clients, while also bringing his expertise to locals in Florida.
“We had a large operation before,” he says, “but we whittled it down to make it more simple when we moved here. Now, it’s just my wife — who helps me with customer service and organizing my monthly Medicare educational events — and me, which is the way we want it. As we get older, simpler is better.”
He says that since Covid, the workplace has changed so that he can work from anywhere, so he and Mary decided they didn’t want to spend another cold winter in Kansas City, which helped them decide to move to Wesley Chapel two years ago.
“The pandemic was the prompter,” he explains. “You can work from anywhere now, so you might as well work from someplace warm.”
They moved into the 55-and-older community of Esplanade in Wesley Chapel.
Shaun is an avid cycler and loves that he never has to check the weather before he heads out to ride his bicycle. Although he says lately, he’s sure to head out around 6:30 a.m. before it gets too hot outside.
He says that because he is a similar age to his clients now, he definitely can relate to the decisions they are facing.
“I’m of that age now,” he says, “so I understand the dilemma and what people are trying to achieve. ‘Will I have enough money to do what I want to do?’ Not only do I have experience from clients. I’m also in it, too.”
And, while he is reaching that age where some people think about retiring, he says he plans to continue working for 12 more years, so clients don’t need to worry that he won’t be available to them if they have questions in the future.
“Medicare is confusing,” he says, “But it doesn’t have to be. In 30 minutes or an hour I’ve helped a lot of people to give them clarity, so they can make a decision about whether or not to enroll in Medicare, as well as which plan to choose.”
Understanding The Differences
There are four types of Medicare insurance, known as “Parts,” that include Part A through Part D. Part A provides hospital insurance; Part B provides medical insurance; Part C comprises Medicare Advantage Plans; and Part D provides prescription drug coverage.
“Original Medicare” is managed by the federal government, while “Medicare Advantage” plans are managed through private insurance carriers and may offer additional benefits, such as coverage for prescription drugs, dental, vision and wellness.
Shaun can help you determine whether you should enroll in Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan, and he works with many large insurance carriers — such as Simply Blue, Aetna, Humana, United Health Care and others — all of which offer a variety of options when it comes to out-of-pocket costs, including deductibles, copayments and coinsurance.
Shaun is certified through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. He says that some Medicare plans vary based on the state you live in, but the plans all basically offer the same benefits and he can walk you through the specifics of all of the plans available to you.
“We start with a no-cost, no-obligation meeting, which can be in person or a phone call,” Shaun says.
He’s quick to point out that even if you sign up with him, there’s still no cost to you for his services. Insurance Opportunities doesn’t charge service, consultation or advisor fees — the carrier you sign up with is who pays Shaun.
“There’s no cost to you except the 30 minutes to an hour you spend with me — so just the time,” he says.
Shaun says for clients who want to meet face to face, he’ll come to you. He takes phone calls at all hours and typically meets with clients Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
To schedule a free consultation with Shaun Fagan of Insurance Opportunities, call him at (816) 305-3337 or visit Calendly.com/shaun-185 to set a time. You also can get more information on the website at InsOppty.com.
