First published March 1, 2022, revised May 27, 2025.
I will continue to update as the event comes closer.
There is a wave of frustration and anger (and sometimes violence)
directed at insurance companies these days, fed up policyholders pushing back
against suspect practices. I choose a different response to their methods.
A Party of the Ages!
When: Saturday, February 5, 2033
Place and Time: TBD
Dear Standard Insurance Company (all executives and employees),
Please save the date for my event: “Celebration of Tomorrow and
Plan for an Exciting Future.”
Why February 2033?
My story begins on February 23, 2022, when one of your Senior
Disability Benefits Analysts presented me with an offer regarding my long-term
disability claim. He flattered me by taking a moment “to offer an opportunity
to settle your claim in exchange for a lump-sum payment.”
It’s every little boy’s dream to be chosen for such an honored
opportunity, especially since “The Standard does not routinely settle LTD
claims for a number of reasons.” I won’t lie; I was tickled pink.
Unfortunately, after several rounds of misleading calculations
and not-so-veiled threats, like “we know that you write books” and “if you do not
accept the offer, you will still have to regularly validate your ongoing
disability (to prevent fraud),” I still could not understand how you came to
the lump-sum dollar amount presented. My math skills are usually on point,
making this discrepancy all the more puzzling. I said it was wrong — he said it
was right, showing me “the full three pages of the present value
calculation you received.”
I thanked him, then showed him again, this time in detail, how his
calculations were wrong.
And the Truth Shall Set You Free!
Your determined analyst persevered, taking my question regarding
the deductible income adjustment to your actuarial department.
Imagine his surprise when the little scrapper discovered there
was another variable not included in “the full three pages of the
present value calculation!” Forget trying to imagine my surprise; I was not
taken aback.
Apparently, “the present value calculation process incorporates
actuarial mortality assumptions.”
So, since your team did so much hard work and determined the correct
mortality assumptions for an individual living on disability with multiple
sclerosis, I figured I would take the baton and do some more of that math I
love so much.
By the calculation of your actuarial department, discounting for
the time value of money, my life expectancy maxes out at 93 additional months.
I will be dead sometime before the end of January 2033, never seeing the ripe
old age of 62.
Let’s Just Pretend
I know your employees are smart, but please humor me for just a
moment. What if I am that oddity who exceeds the medical expectations of
Standard Insurance Company’s actuarial department?
That would be nice. I definitely want to celebrate such a
milestone.
Therefore, please save the date. When the reaper’s stopwatch
bottoms out on January 31, 2033, if I’m still here, I would like to celebrate
with all my dear family, friends, and advocates at The Standard. Advanced
planning like this may not be enough to clear everyone’s schedule on a Tuesday,
so let’s push it to that Saturday: February 5, 2033.
There will be food, drinks, music, and lots of enthusiasm. I may
even enjoy a piece of cake!
Every penny from my long-term disability after January 31, 2033,
will go to a very public celebration of the fact that I am still thriving, not
just because of my desire to Never Stop… Never Quit…, but thanks to the
avalanche of support so many provide in our fight against the debilitating
effects of multiple sclerosis.
In the Meantime
I have lots of party planning to do. Thank goodness it’s not for
another 94 months. Formal invitations will follow as we get closer to the
event.
In the meantime, here’s some wonderful reading for your
actuarial department about the life expectancy of individuals living with
multiple sclerosis. The National Institutes of Health, National Institute on
Neurological Disorders and Stroke — Wow! Say that five times fast with a
mouthful of crackers — published it in 2020, with recent revisions.
“Multiple Sclerosis”
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/multiple-sclerosis
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disorder. It
is an autoimmune disorder, meaning that in MS the immune system—which normally
protects us from viruses, bacteria, and other threats—mistakenly attacks
healthy cells. MS symptoms usually begin in young adults, between the ages of
20 and 40.
MS affects people differently. A small number of people with MS
will have mild symptoms with little disability, whereas others will experience
worsening symptoms that will lead to increased disability over time. Most
people with MS have short periods of symptoms that resolve fully or partially
after they appear. These periods are followed by long stretches without
noticeable symptoms. Most
people with MS have a normal life expectancy.
Yes, I will milk this for all it is worth, starting with “Save the Date” t-shirts: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FC7ZH4H3
Get yours today!
I endure enough challenges to deal with daily, so please don’t
stack the deck against me more.
Please consider this my official decline of your opportunity.
On the off chance I am dead before February 2033, please extend
my “Nice Job” to your actuarial department. But that’s not going to happen.
I hope you’ll still come to my party!
Kevin
This
is not about what my life will be like when my fight is over.
I
will never stop…
I
will never quit…
I
will do this for them.
Never
Stop… Never Quit…®
***
Please consider supporting NEVER STOP
NEVER QUIT.
100% of your donation will go to our
fight. We pay the cost of managing our foundation.
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the extent allowed by law. You will receive a receipt.
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