When the cost of care outgrows the family business

My name is Marc Fenster, and I’ve never been one to write letters like this. Most days, I’m too busy running the small insurance brokerage my family started back in 1938. Four generations later, I’m still sitting behind that same wooden desk as my great-grandfather, doing my best to honor the legacy he handed down.

Yet despite being in the business of helping others find affordable coverage, I’ve had to change my own plan due to a steep premium increase that raised my existing plan completely out of budget.

So I downgraded. I moved to a cheaper monthly plan, with smaller networks, higher deductibles, and fewer covered services. It’s the kind of plan people settle for because there simply isn’t room in the budget for anything else.

There’s a certain irony to being an insurance broker who