Business Innovators Radio - Interview with Leslie Kaz President & Founder of Syndicated Insurance Agency Discussing Overcoming Medicare Enrollment Anxiety

Episode Date: June 8, 2026

Leslie Kaz is the President & COO of Syndicated Insurance Agency, LLC — a national Medicare-focused FMO he co-founded in 2004 that now operates across 22 states with a network of over 120 agents and brokers. With over 30 years in the insurance industry and a unique background as a trained chef and café owner, Leslie brings a rare combination of operational depth, business acumen, and genuine passion for people. Under his leadership, Syndicated has grown by over 200% year over year. His mission is straightforward: empower agents to build real businesses and help seniors navigate Medicare with confidence.Learn more: http://www.877VIPQuote.comNot affiliated with the U.S. Government or Federal Medicare Program. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 29 organizations which offer 2694 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your optionsInfluential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-leslie-kaz-president-founder-of-syndicated-insurance-agency-discussing-overcoming-medicare-enrollment-anxiety

Welcome to influential entrepreneurs, bringing you interviews with elite business leaders and experts, sharing tips and strategies for elevating your business to the next level. Here's your host, Mike Saunders. Hello and welcome to this episode of Influential Entrepreneurs. This is Mike Saunders, the authority positioning coach. Today we have back with us Leslie Kaz, who's president, founder of syndicated insurance agency, and we'll be talking about overcoming Medicare enrollment anxiety. Leslie, welcome back to the program. Thank you, Mike. Glad to be back. I think with anything new, it's, it's fraught with, you know, potential for worry because it's like, I've never done this before. And what if I do it wrong? And so I think that really becomes something where it's like enrollment anxiety and there's a window. And if I don't do this, then this can happen.

So what are some of the most common fears that people have regarding that enrollment period? Oh, my God, There's so many. The government makes it very complicated. In my role as an agent is helping navigate that complicated system and make things easy for you. So some of the biggest fears I come across are someone thinks that they're going to make an irreversal mistake, irreversible mistake. They're going to make one decision and they can't undo it and they're stuck forever and that's not the case. An assurance agent can walk you through the plans, give you what the best options are, and help you select the right plan for your need at that time. The missing deadlines you mentioned, there's that enrollment window.

So someone thinking, oh my God, if I don't do this, I'll get penalized. Yes, that's true. But we're going to help you through that. And by calling an agent early on before you turn 65, 6 to 12 months before, we can walk you through what that process is and stay in touch with you. You know, all of us have busy lives. How great is that when someone calls up and says, hey, by the way, it's time for your next dental cleaning. That's a great reminder.

So insurance agents are kind of the same thing. Like, hey, there's a deadline coming up. Let's take care of it. There are other folks who are afraid of losing their doctors. Oh my God, I'm going to go into a Medicare plan and I'm going to have to give up my doctor maybe, but probably not. We'll probably find a plan that your doctor takes or the hospital you want to go to is a network. There's sometimes hidden costs. People think, oh, there's all this fine print insurance companies are out to get you and they're going to take advantage of me.

Their job is to insure you. Their job is to help you with your health care. So as an agent, we go over what those costs are and what some of those hidden costs might be. and then how to anticipate them and how to plan for them. Other folks have a fear of being sold to. So that's the worst when you get that phone call and saying, you need to buy this plan, XYZ, hang up the phone. You don't need to buy what they're selling.

You need someone who's going to talk to, understand you, and figure out what's going on. They want someone who can explain the complexity of Medicare that has parts A, B, C, and D, what a Metagap is, what a special enrollment period is, what Irma is, what an IEP is. I think these are alphabet soup to most consumers, and that's okay. I've been doing this for over 30 years.

I understand what these things are. I understand the fear. Look, I got into it initially to help my mom. The single mom, we've taken care of three kids, doesn't understand how this program works, really complicated. My job is to alleviate those fears. And again, when a client becomes my client, we become family. We talk to each other. We learn what's going on?

What are your fears? What are you afraid of happening in the future? and let's see if we can find a plan that makes sense for you. You know, they've said that the word fear stands for false expectation appearing real. And sometimes that's the case. And sometimes it's actually legit. Like if you miss the window, there will be a penalty. Okay.

Well, that actually is a fact. But if you've already missed the window, let's take the penalty on the chin and move on and make the best of it because you can't reverse it. The toothpaste is out of the tube. But, you know, losing doctors at hidden costs, we just don't know. You know, so don't worry about that. Deal with it and address that. And being able to say, oh, well, let's take a look at, oh, this plan lets me pick my doctor. Good.

No need to fear and worry about that. So those are some really, really good things. And how can those fears be addressed? Deal with them, right? Don't ignore them. And I think that that's probably a life lesson that we could apply to any sector of our life. If you ignore something, it could potentially just get worse. Yeah, you can't bear your head in the sand. You've got to be aware of least what's going to happen and what's going on.

Yeah. So let's talk about once you do put those, you know, decisions in place well ahead of time. You pick the best plan for you at that time. How can retirees safeguard their financial future against unexpected medical costs? Because I think that today someone might say, I'm in great health, but in a time period, maybe their health changes. So that could increase. unexpected medical costs. 100%. And this is where it's most critical to have a licensed Medicare insurance agent who understands you and understands the marketplace. So there are things that people will gloss over. A salesperson doesn't understand,

such as Irma, which is income-related monthly adjustment amount. Irma's affect how much you're going to pay for Medicare Part B and Part D. So if your income goes up while you're retired, you're going to be paying more money for that. People don't realize that. Some people are like, oh, I've got this Roth IRA. I'm going to convert it. Okay, that's great, but what does that do to your income? If you go above the $108,000 for an individual or $218,000 for a couple, you're now paying more for Medicare

in Part D. So those are things people have to be aware of. And it's sometimes great for your insurance agent to be talking to your retirement specialist. And let's figure out what's going to happen in the future. Some of the things that people realize is, I've got to be able to cap my liability. So some folks, again, think that Medicare is everything. It's 100% coverage. It's fantastic for you. It's not. It only covers 80% of your costs. And there's no lifetime maximum on it. So if there's a million dollar claim, you're on the hook for 20% of that million dollars, which is a lot of money. So it's important to know how to cover those expenses and those liabilities. The biggest one, I think everyone thinks is, I'm not, I'm very healthy. I don't take any

medication so I don't need to buy this prescription drug plan. Well, yeah, but what if something changed in the future? Now you've got a penalty. And there are several prescription drug plans out there. They're very low cost, maybe five bucks a month. So it covers the basic and meets the minimum standards you don't get penalized. And again, you can make changes later on down the road. That's always a good thing. How many people do I hear that get dentures as an adult or as a senior? That's a lot. Dentistry, vision, hearing are not things covered by Medicare. Those are above and beyond. So we have to find ways to plan for those costs.

And there are different Medicare insurance plans that do cover that. So it's important to people understand those differences. You know, you mentioned the things just right there that aren't covered, like dental and things like that. I'm sure there's some things that might be. But, you know, some of the obvious ones that people might go, oh, it's covered. It's not. I feel, and I've heard that this is another aspect that is assumed that's covered, but it's not. long-term care.

Yeah. Long-term care is, it's a big one. It's not covered by Medicare. And the reason for that is pretty self-evident, it's expensive. And the federal government would go bankrupt dealing with it. So it's not covered. It's something you have to purchase separately. And there are specialized long-term care insurance policies that can take care of that for you.

And definitely, most insurance agents who handle Medicare can usually also help you with long-term care. That is how I practice in my region. We take care of the entire body. What's going to happen in the future? Can you afford to take on this extra care? I currently, my mother has dementia. We have her in a great facility,

but those are costs that become really expensive for the average individual, and how are you going to pay for that? So it's easy to put pennies on the dollar today to ensure your future tomorrow. Yeah. And the word ensure your future tomorrow gives you that feeling,

the connotation of peace of mind. You've heard people say, you know, I provide, you know, sleep insurance. I help people sleep well at night. And this is one piece of that, you know, like your financial portfolio. Yes, of course, all those things. But Medicare, you know, that's when you get down to it, you can have a bad day and overcome it if it was just a bad day where you stubbed your toe. But if you've got, you know, health issues that aren't covered and that causes more stress. You're making phone calls.

That just amplifies things. So where I'm going with that is that peace of mind. How does understanding these options you really give a retiree more control and peace of mind during retirement? And I'll add to that. I think I've even seen research where when you are in a peaceful state regarding your finances and your health care and all of that, you're going to live longer. 100%. The number one cause of bankruptcy today is medical bills. That's crazy and ridiculous in this day and age.

And especially if you're a senior on a fixed income, many people that I deal with are on a fixed income. They may be Medicaid eligible and also have Medicare, so they're low income and elderly. And they're only getting a social security check. How do we cap those expenses for that person? How do we take care of them when every single dollar counts? The choice of between groceries or getting dental insurance done, getting a dental plan paid for. So those are things to take into account. And we have plans that have built-in benefits like that.

I think that's one of the big reasons Medicare Advantage has become so popular these days is all the extra bells and whistles that Medicare doesn't cover. So there's there's transportation benefits. There's sometimes a grocery benefit. There's usually dental coverage or hearing coverage or vision coverage that you wouldn't normally get with just a straight Medicare plan or a Medicare supplement plan. I want to go a little bit deeper on that because I think we were just talking about things that aren't covered. What are some of the things that people might not realize that, oh, that's included. I didn't even think about that. What are some of those extra things?

And I want to say silver sneakers pops into my mind, but some of those extra little fun benefits. Absolutely. So that's bells and whistles you get on a Medicare Advantage plan in most instances. Silver sneakers you mentioned, which is a gym membership. So there are a lot of seniors who want to stay active in their retirement. Well, their plan provides them a free gym membership and utilize it. It's fantastic.

The big one that we all need is dental care. Your teeth wear out some. times as we get older. And it's important to have dental coverage. You know, a cavity or plaque build up, they're finding now can cause, you know, heart disease or diabetes or all these things that happen in your mouth that relate to the entire body. So we've got to cover those. Vision. I used to be able to see 2020. I cannot anymore. I have big glasses now. So vision coverage is going to be important for a senior who's getting elderly and your vision is starting to go. Do you afford a pair of glasses? You know, we take a lot of this, um, you know, we take a lot of this, um,

benefits, we don't put a lot of thought into the benefit itself. When you're employed and you have group health insurance, maybe that's provided for you, but suddenly retire and all that's gone. So we've got to make sure those are covered for you. Huge. You know, and I think that it's like you want to maximize your benefits and minimize the gaps in the holes in the bucket that might cost more money or cause those penalties like we've been talking about. Let's kind of wrap. up the thought here with what are some of the strategies that we'll just ensure that we're going to pick the right plan. We've talked about a few of them like, you know, making sure you're working with the right Medicare advisor. But I want to actually have you go a little bit deeper too on this

aspect. What about, you mentioned it briefly, but working with their financial advisor, when you have their current financial professionals on the same page, in the same room, so to speak. Now, you know, one person says, well, hey, we need to do it this way. And the advisor says, we need to keep this into consideration. It just keeps everyone where we're focused on the right, you know, strategy and plan for the benefit of the client. Absolutely. You should be using your advisors to your maximum benefit. So if it's a financial advisor or a Medicare license insurance agent, putting everyone together. Maybe they need to talk to your attorney because you've got a trust set up. Maybe you're talking to your CPA because you've got income issues that are coming up.

Just like we don't rely on one general practitioner or doctor, we go to specialists. And this is the same concept. So I don't go to an ear, nose and throat guy if I'm having a problem with my leg. I go to a specialist. Same thing with Medicare. You need to find someone who specializes in the industry. And that's one of the services I provide. So let's go a little bit deeper on that.

You know, aren't there people that, air quotes, do Medicare, but they also do a variety of other things. I can set up your car insurance, your life insurance, your, you know, house insurance, all these things. What is the benefit of having someone that focuses solely completely on Medicare and or independent like yourself? The question comes down to, would you trust your dentist, or not does, but just your general practitioner, eye or your nose and throat guy, to do brain surgery on you?

Probably not. You probably want a really good brain surgeon. The same goes with your advisors. A financial advisor is fantastic at knowing the market, knowing where to put your stocks, knowing how to invest for you. Your CPA is really great handling taxes. That's their specialty.

Your bookkeeper helps out the CPA. All these people should be helping you out. So I can work directly with your CPA, directly with your financial advisor. My specialty is just that. It is a specialty in Medicare. I can offer some other forms of insurance, but usually I'll turn to some.

somebody. For instance, I'm licensed for property and casualty, so for auto insurance and home. I don't know enough to be giving out information about that. So I don't do it. I don't practice that. I refer it to someone who does just auto and home insurance. Just like Medicare, it's got to be a very specialized thing. To keep up with any information in whatever specialty you are, it's a full-time job. And that's something I take really seriously. Now, I know in some industries, there's a concept called continuing education where you have to go to get more training and certifications. Is that the same thing in your world? Oh my goodness. Yes. To hold an insurance license, it's mandatory that you have continuing education credits. And there's a number that you have to take every single year.

In addition, if you want to sell Medicare Advantage plans, you have to take an annual national certification every single year. So I've got to do that. On top of that, for every insurance, company I want to represent, I have to get recertified with them every single year. And there's an exam, a quiz, and classes you have to take. So it's a big ask. So someone who's a Medicare has really

involves in all this stuff. Which is why, you know, having someone that just dabbles in it, you're not going to get their full attention because they probably didn't keep up with certain things, or they let something slip, or they didn't really internalize everything. But someone like yourself, that this is 100%

of their focus, you're all, you know, and you're in with the focus that will benefit that client. Absolutely. I think there's also a cautionary tale, too, of someone who, if you're talking to an insurance broker who does Medicare, and they want to meet with you one-on-one, they should not be afraid that you bring a friend or a family member with you. There's no hidden things going on here.

So bring someone you trust with you to an appointment and let them ask the questions. I recommend people because I've sold individual medical insurance for a very long time that any time you go to a, doctor, you need to bring your spots with you. Because all of us have this thing called White Coat syndrome. We're not going to hear 89% of what the doctor tells us. And we're going to lie in our favor. And the doctor says, oh, how are you doing on sweets? You say, I'm not in sleeps at all. And your wife says, really chocolate cake over a night? So, you know, it's good to

have a second pair of years. That's awesome. Well, Leslie, this has just been real helpful again, just chatting through some of these anxieties and making sure that they're handled up front and and that your best interest is taken into consideration. So if someone is interested in getting your perspective on their upcoming Medicare decisions, what is the best way they can reach out and connect with you? The best way to reach me is either via my website, 877 VIPQuote.com, or they can call that same phone number, 877 VIP quote, and we can start a conversation.

Excellent. Well, Leslie, thank you so much for coming back on. It's been a real pleasure chatting with you again. Mike, appreciate your time, and thank you. You've been listening to Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saunders. To learn more about the resources mentioned on today's show or listen to past episodes, visit www. www.influentialentrepreneursradio.com.