Meet Jeremy Donnell

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jeremy Donnell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeremy, really appreciate you joining us to talk about a really relevant, albeit unfortunate topic – layoffs and getting fired. Can you talk to us about your experience and how you overcame being let go?

I initially got my foot in the door for Medicare insurance while I was working two jobs. One was working for a company processing hospital claims and the other was working as a pharmacy technician at a local pharmacy. One day one of my co-workers mentioned that I should apply for a job with a Medicare carrier helping seniors with Medicare insurance. Curious, I looked into it before making the switch.

It was fun and interesting learning about Medicare and all the benefits it can offer people. Better yet, my many years working within a pharmacy & with hospital billing proved useful as I was already familiar with medications and how medical billing worked. This allowed me to better answer people’s questions & help resolve their issues quickly.

Being able to work with people 65 years and up also proved to be highly rewarding! Turns out, while I was able to walk people through plan benefits to help them to find the right Medicare plan to fit their needs, I was lucky enough to listen to many wonderful stories. Everyone I’ve talked with has had such a fascinating life!

So, when a few years ago, the company decided to lay-off all their agents within my area of Oklahoma I knew I wanted to continue to work as a Medicare agent. The layoff was sudden, it was scary, and the sudden loss of salary & benefits was unbalancing. However, I am extremely blessed to be able to share my life with my wife. Together we immediately took action and were able to start our own insurance agency called JD Insurances. It was a blessing in disguise!

Being able to run our own agency has allowed us to offer all the different carriers (instead of just the one) allowing us to better serve our community. Our goal at JD Insurances is to offer our clients honest, supportive, and informed assistance to help them navigate Medicare and Medicare Advantage. So if you have any questions grab your cell and call Donnell 918-772-0962.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

JD Insurances is a local, family owned, insurance agency. Our passion is helping, and
we accomplish that by acting as a guidelight to shine a clear path through the
sometimes-confusing world of Medicare. As you might know, Medicare carriers
frequently make yearly changes to their policies. Our job is to keep up with these
changes and help educate our members about them so they can know they are on a
plan that fits their needs.

AEP, which runs from October 15 through December 7, is Medicare’s annual enrollment
period where members can change their plans. Additionally, Medicare Advantage Open
Enrollment Period, which runs from January 1 through March 31, is a time where
current Medicare Advantage enrollees can make an additional change if needed. Of
course, we’re here all year around to help answer any questions so don’t hesitate to
reach out. Or, if you prefer, come see us at one of the many educational seminars we
host in local libraries around Northeastern Oklahoma.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I would say the number one helpful quality I’ve used in my career has been showing kindness. It doesn’t take much to treat everyone with kindness, and it goes far in helping build relationships.
The second thing that has proven to be incredibly useful in my career has been my previous 15 years working in pharmacy and medical claims and billing. The knowledge I learned in these fields have frequently come into play while helping my clients with Medicare seeing as how most Medicare Advantage plans cover both medical and prescription drugs.

The third skill that has proven very useful has been note taking. It might sound silly, but keeping notes has helped to keep me organized and able to remember important details which in turn saves me time in the long run.

As far as advice, I would tell new agents to focus on gratitude and positive thinking. Often times, especially in the beginning of your career, things can seem daunting and sometimes impossible when you’re not making very much, but with time & persistence your career will grow. Making sure to create a routine of positivity and gratefulness (even for the smallest of things) will help you push through the rough times and into the good. For example, my wife created a routine for us where every day before bed we list off three things we’re grateful for. Highlighting the positives & wins from the day has helped foster a sense of wellbeing for better sleep and a better morning.

How would you describe your ideal client?

As an insurance agency we handle different types of insurance, and mostly we specialize in Medicare. Medicare is well known for people turning 65 or are older, but what you might not have known is a person can also be eligible for Medicare if they are on disability, so we help people of all ages sign up when eligible. Signing up for Medicare can sometimes be confusing as there are many different types of Medicare plans and combinations of plans a person can choose. Our job as local and independent agents is to help you sort through your options in way that makes sense at no cost to you. And better yet, once you’re on a plan we continue to help if you have any questions so you’re never on your own.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://JDinsurances.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084354062187
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/jd-insurances-tahlequah?osq=Health+Insurance+Offices