GETTING COVERED: No One Is Uninsurable

By Victor Freedman

My name is Victor Freedman and I’m an insurance agent. I specialize in financial planning and finding insurance for people with disabilities. And I do understand my clients’ needs because, you see, I have multiple sclerosis (MS).

I live in Connecticut and when the dew point gets high, it affects my MS in a bad way. Consequently my ambulation gets bad, too. My walking and movements tend to resemble a bad imitation of break dancing. When this happens, I have to give up my canes and use my scooter or a wheelchair. When a big storm is coming in, or stalls, or the dew point gets above 60, I’ve been known to hang out on the floor with my faithful companion, sidekick, and “service animal” Neeko, our 15-yearold Yorkshire terrier.

It was in 1985 that I was diagnosed with MS. At that time I went through all the emotional processes of anger, denial, acceptance, self-pity, and I even went for psychological therapy. Finally I came to terms with it. I determined that I needed to learn about this disease and what I would have to expect from it. Through all of this I found that my “best friends” were a positive mental attitude and a good sense of humor.

After having worked in a corporate environment for over 20 years, I was suddenly faced with the fact that I had a body that would no longer do what I wanted it to do. I would have to face working within the parameters of my MS and its never-ending changes.

But providence was with me. I created a home office. Working at home gave me the opportunity to hone my skills and adjust my schedule according to the needs dictated by my MS. At first it was scary for me—too many variables. Then I worried if I’d be able to motivate myself on my own. But, I persevered. (Neeko helped!) And out of all that, my company, Benefit Design Group, was born.

I specialize in financial planning and varied insurances. Being on my own has enabled me to work person to person. I’m not stuck within the borders that a corporate atmosphere can impose and I can tailor my services to individual needs and invest the time necessary to research what is needed for each client.

Not long ago, I was talking to a friend about something I’d been working on. I was particularly pleased to be able to help an individual with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) get life insurance. I told my friend that this was something I loved—a challenge—and I wished I could do more of this type of work because I know how hard it is for people with disabilities to get insurance. I know too, that while many agents just don’t have the tenacity to endure the long searches required to find the right policy for a person with disability, I do. I wished that I could do this all the time, I said. My friend just laughed and said, “Why don’t you?” To which I replied, “Why don’t I what?” My friend again laughed, “Why don’t you do what you know how to do best, what you love, what means a lot to you and help people, like yourself, with disabilities. Everyone wins!”

I now had a direction and purpose. I would continue to do all the other regular insurances and financial planning, but my specialization would be for those with disabilities.

In coming months, I’ll share with you some stories and tips I’ve picked up since I’ve devoted my days to getting people with disabilities insured when they thought they couldn’t be insured. I’m dogged, I know what it feels like to have a disability, and this new direction felt great!

Victor Freedman is an insurance and benefits planner who lives in Hartford, Connecticut. If you have questions you’d like Victor to answer about insurance and health financing, you can e-mail him at insurancebyvic@yahoo.com or call 860-2464519.