J. Ross Quigley CEO Medipac International Inc. Insurance The Unexpected This past snowbird season, Medipac lost about 70% of our business because our snowbirds decided not to travel due to the COVID-19 crisis. With a little help from the government and a lot of help from our staff, we have managed to retain 100% of our staff on full pay and full benefits. We have been getting a lot of cleanup done that was long overdue. The unexpected part was the government stepping up to assist us and, for that, I thank them. Medipac was designated as an “Essential Business” and we were required to undergo massive changes at our building to comply with all of the new regulations. They all worked very well in preventing the virus, although we did have one minor COVID19 case among our staff. It was very minor and, to this day, we cannot figure out where it came from. Another unexpected thing was that everyone who considered travelling must have actually read their policies this year. We had a huge influx of new clients fromwhom we had not heard before. When I say huge, I mean 14,000 brand-new policies –WOW! Sometimes, new clients can be a problem because they have very high expectations but, fortunately, we were able to meet all of those expectations. Medipac had set aside $2.5 million dollars to pay for those nasty COVID-19 claims. We also had added reserves which we could call on, if necessary. We were ready for COVID-19 and our medical staff was on top of everything, quickly. We have now had about 15 serious COVID-19 claims and the most expensive one topped out at − $999,981.96. We also knew that the “fear” of COVID-19 was going to be a problem for us and, sure enough, the number of doctor visits and outpatient claims soared by more than 400%.These were mostly people who were worried about having COVID-19 and they wanted to make sure by getting tested. The unexpected part was that very, very few people had the COVID-19 virus and the average cost at the clinics was minimal. It actually cost about the same as in a non-COVID-19 year. Again – WOW! Another really unexpected result of travelling to our winter destinations was the warm welcome that we received from the Southern U.S. states. They appreciated our resolve in maintaining our lifestyle and I am sure that our presence prevented many small businesses from going under. Another real benefit for snowbirds was the free COVID-19 vaccinations with which we were provided throughout our many destinations. Medipac would pay for any complications that resulted from these vaccinations, but I amnot aware of even one bad reaction to the vaccines. Well, there were a few sore arms, of course, and we did have two people who required followup visits. Based on the experiences of our many snowbird friends and our extended family, I would highly recommend that we all get our “shots” as soon as we can. My personal congratulations to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for leading the charge against lockdowns and draconian measures to fight COVID-19. His state has some of the best “numbers” when compared to lockdown states and countries, and his policies have been a great success. During our winter stay in Florida, we felt free to do anything we wished – withmasks and social distancing, of course. With a well-intended smile, we would like to recommend him for the Medal of Freedom. He certainly deserves it. That, too, would be unexpected! We would also like to thank the other snowbird states for welcoming us with open arms and mostly open stores, restaurants and facilities this past season; but that was not unexpected, because we have always been so warmly welcomed there as well. 14 | www.snowbirds.org
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