January 18, 2025 • 52 mins
At the Greater South Florida Chamber of Commerce, we are dedicated to providing the best business expos in South Florida.
1. Co-Card Merchant Services
2. Grant and Funding Solutions
3. Melissa Corichi Insurance Agent
4. Melissa Corichi Insurance Agent
5. TCM Physician.
1. Co-Card Merchant Services
2. Grant and Funding Solutions
3. Melissa Corichi Insurance Agent
4. Melissa Corichi Insurance Agent
5. TCM Physician.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Greater South Florida Chamber Radio program with
your host to board President John Kroll of Kroll Realty.
Good morning, Welcome back to the show. It is Saturday,
January eighteenth, twenty twenty five. Are privileged to be here
(00:20):
at iHeartRadio and West Palm Beach, Florida. We're now streaming
on the iHeart app. I'm Rob the director of Operations
at the Greater South Florida Chamber of Commerce. Heap with
me this morning longtime corporate trustee, Ambassador Tom Bogden. He
is the preferred merchant processing company for the Greater South
Florida Chamber of Commerce and our network. Tom would like
for you to do, sirs, give out your pertinent contact
(00:41):
information this morning. Your name, the name of your company,
web address, phone number, how people can get a hold
of you. And I want to talk about the industry.
It's a never changing industry and there's a lot on
the agenda in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
My friend, go ahead, all right, Rab, thank you for
the opportunity. Great to be back here on the air.
My contact and is that it's Tom Bogden and the
company is called Coke Card Merchant Services. Our main phone
number is nine five four five to five three eight
ninety three one.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Tom, What would you say would be the most important
thing from your industry standpoint in your perspective? Because I
know you're as well versed in that industry as anybody
I've ever met, and you have a plethora of experience.
What would be some of the things that you would
want to share with the listening audience and our network
member or non member in twenty twenty five when it
(01:31):
comes to your industry.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Well, in my industry, of course, technology started quite a
while ago, but it has taken hold and keeps on growing.
So all the technology that's available for businesses and business
owners that are accepting credit cards for payment, there's just
so much more that they can do. There's so much
more that adds on to social media and be able
(01:54):
to connect their business and advertise their business through their
processing arrangements to not only advertise themselves and let people
know who they are, where they are, and what they offer,
but also stay in concheck with all of those arrangements.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
I think one of the most impressive things about working
with you, our organization, our board, and other people I
know that are members of ours that use you and
your service had mentioned that you're one of the first,
if not the only, person they dealt with. You're always looking,
whether it's on a monthly basis, semi annual, or annually,
You're always looking to make sure that the individual is
(02:34):
getting the proper rate. In other words, I know sometimes
people will say two point eight percent, sometimes people will
say four percent when it's really five or a little
above five or a little below five. I know that
you always go above and beyond to make sure that
I don't like to use the word gouge, but to
make sure no one's being taken advantage of. If you
will touch on that.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Yeah, that's a good point, rob. You know, early on
when I got into this industry, it made sense to
me to take a look at a merchant's business and
how they're doing their credit card processing along with all
of the other sources of how they're getting paid, and
make sure that they're getting paid in the proper way,
both with security and at the least expense to the
(03:15):
business owner. And we not only do that up front
when we first meet with a business owner, when we
set them up with merchant credit card processing through co Card,
we continually to monitor that program to make sure that
they're still doing things the right way, secure way, in
a least amount of expense. So it's an ongoing thing,
(03:36):
and I've always believed that it makes sense for me
as a business owner to work with a business owner
in conjunction. So it's a partnership. So we're out there
making sure that you know, we're sharing communication and making
sure that everything is running smoothly, no problems. And I
always tell people I'm here to help.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
That's very important because unfortunately not every industry can say that. Obviously.
I think one of the things that people are seeing
coming out of twenty twenty four going into twenty twenty five,
I think one of the biggest obstacles all companies deal with,
whether it's from a standpoint internally or whether they're dealing
with it on the other end, customer service. It seems
(04:18):
to be a lost art and a lot of it
seems to be outsourced. And that's one of the greatest
things about working with you as well. I don't want
to be redundant. Put your hands on with customer service.
You get back to people in a very timely manner,
extremely punctual, and regardless of whether it's an inconvenience to
you or an extra step. You're always willing to go
that extra inch of that extra mile for people to
make sure that they're comfortable. And that's important because you,
(04:40):
like I said, not to be redundant. Not everybody does that.
A lot of people. Once they sign you up, you're
lost in the shuffle. You're just a number. And it's
nice to know that you can always check on things
for individuals.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
What you know, we've got a.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Few minutes left this morning, but as we get into
the year, other things that you might want to share
with people about what they may want to avoid as
far as pitfalls. What are some of the things that
you see that are common mistakes that could be avoided.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Well, common mistakes that can be avoided are where people
just sign a piece of paper and really have no
idea what their rates are, what to expect, and what
the customer service is, as you just mentioned, whether they're
going to still be you know, taken care of and
have a partnership rather than sign a piece of paper
and that person that gets them to sign that contract
(05:30):
just disappears and there's nowhere to be found. So I
always answer the phone and I'm here to help. And
you know, in the industry, there's so many new things
that people have probably heard about, cash discount which is
where you cannot pay any credit card pies, and or
with pos systems where you're working and integrating with, you know,
(05:50):
things like the various delivery companies that deliver food and
restaurant stuff and all that sort of thing. So we
keep up with that as well.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Tom, Well, have a couple of minutes up any promotions
that you've got going on, and also want you to
let the listening audience know what would be the norm.
I know it could be, could be two point eight,
could be three point two, What would be the norm?
And what would be alarming for someone as far as
the number that they're paying on a percentage basis.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Well, it's easy enough to figure out if someone looks
at their current statement, take all of their fees and
divides it by their total volume, and they should be
in the under three percent two point three, two point four,
two point five percent or that depends on the type
of cards they're taking, whether you know they have extra
fees attached because it's a foreign credit card or corporate
credit card, but they should be in that range. When
(06:42):
when processing gets over three or three and a half percent,
then it's time to look in different directions and see
what else they can do to correct that and you know,
save themselves some fees or do the cash discount. One
of the specials that we're running right now is giving
out a free up to date a touch screen credit
card machine or the stations that sit on the counter
(07:03):
where you can touch the screen and you can use
a chip card. And we also have a new program
out where if restaurants want to upgrade to a new
POS system, we have free placement of that where we
actually bring all the equipment out and put it in
place at no cost to the merchant and set them
up with programming all their menu items and everything that's
in there, as well as operating their back office kitchen.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
It's interesting, I'm hearing that music from headquarters. I've got
about thirty to forty five seconds, Lap. I'd like for
you to keep your contact information to everybody saying on
how to get a hold of you until we have
you on next segment. Go ahead, Tom.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Appreciate, I appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
Rob.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Always good to be here. Invite anybody to give me
a call. We'll come out and do what we call
confidential now analysis no charge. My number is nine four
five five three eight nine three one. Tom at ninety
five four five five three eight nine three one post
Card Merchant Surfaces.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Thanks, Thank you, Tom. Have a wonderful day and a
great weekend.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
All right, Rob you so we'll see you soon.
Speaker 6 (08:15):
Cocard is your full service solution for your credit card
and payment processing needs, offering state of the art processing solutions,
payment gateways, and point of sale systems that are proven
across many industries. To meet the needs of big and
small business. We offer a full service point of sale
system at wholesale pricing for restaurants, salons, and retailers, available
(08:36):
in both tablet and Windows based solutions with no cost
processing and free equipment at co Card. We know that
your business is not a one size fits all. That's
why we provide personal and local service for you and
your business. With twenty three years experience, Contact us today
at nine five four five to five three eighty nine
(08:56):
thirty one for a confidential, virtual, or personal well visit
to your location that's nine five four five five three
eighty nine thirty one, or visit us online at Cocard
merchant services dot net co card Merchant services dot net
co card where Plastic is fantastic.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Good morning, Welcome back to the show. It is Saturday,
January eighteenth, twenty twenty five. We're privileged to be here
at iHeartRadio in West Palm Beach, Florida this morning where
we're now streaming on the iHeart app. Have with this
corporate trustee, Ambassador Megan Barber. She is the founder and
CEO of Grant and Funding Solutions Company. And the neat
thing about your company not only do you help people
(09:36):
generate funding and you're a specialists within that industry, but
you work with a lot of different moving parts and
you work with a lot of different types of companies.
Want you to elaborate on that. It's not just nonprofits
that you work with. You work with a number of
different people. And I want to take about eight or
nine minutes this morning to talk a little bit about
your organization and your background, and I want to talk
(09:57):
about the event that you've got coming up I believe
even April of this year, and also we have a
couple of events coming up in February March that we
want to tie you into and have you do some
workshops and seminars at those in conjunction with the events
as well. Go ahead, Megan, Thank you.
Speaker 5 (10:13):
Rob.
Speaker 7 (10:14):
Yes, I own and founded grant and funding Solutions company.
It's a mouthful, so it's also called Gasco for shorts.
And yes, we started with government entities actually not nonprofits,
and then just being part of the community, of course,
we wanted to help those nonprofit entities as well, and
(10:34):
nonprofit funding is typically a little easier to get than
these large federal funds that we pursue for government entities.
And then from the nonprofit sector, we actually moved into
the for profit as well, so we fund Actually somebody
from the Chamber, he owns air by c Seed Squared
(10:56):
and he's one of our clients. He came up with
very innovative idea and turned it into a product, and
it is mold detection, but not just any mult detection.
It can actually tell you what type of mold is
in your house, so it was extremely innovative. I asked
him if he'd be interested in getting grants. Of course,
(11:17):
you put absolutely so, and then from there we got
a YouTuber recently about half a million dollars and he's
actually eligible for more money. So we don't just do nonprofits,
and now we don't just do government entities, which is
what we started with. We actually do for profit companies
as well, and there's just a lot of different funding opportunities.
(11:41):
Sometimes that isn't necessarily a grant. With government entities, they're
eligible for very very low interest long term loans as
well that they don't even know that they're eligible for,
similar to a bond. But yeah, and then oh, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
No, to ask a question about that, are there any parameters?
For instance, what if you if you have a small
business or small business owner that is has a challenge
because of the fact that their credit score had dropped
during the pandemic, are there restrictions on that or how
does that work?
Speaker 7 (12:17):
Grants have nothing to do with with credit scores. Grants
have to do with your with your business, or with
your initiative or with your project. So with every company,
whether it's government or nonprofit or for profits, you want
to have some type of initiative or an immediate project
that you're looking to fund. So we do not pull
(12:41):
for grants. We do not pull any type of credit.
The only time we would do that would be for
that government entity, for that long term loan. So it's
only loans and those type of payback that you're going
to look at credit unless you're in severe debts with
the federal government. And I say severe as in you
(13:02):
haven't you haven't made a payment on a million dollar
federal loan. Something like that could prevent you from getting
a grant, but that's rare, especially when it comes to
nonprofits and for profit entities. It's highly unlikely that they
are in debt with the federal government.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
A little bit about your background. How did you get
into what you do, because obviously you're well versed in it,
but you're not going to find an organization like yours
on every corner. For lack of better grammar, it's a
bit of a niche market.
Speaker 7 (13:31):
I'm sure you would agree, correct, Yes, yes, And the
grant world is growing exponentially over the past few years.
I have just seen an explosion of people entities wanting
grants and it's great because the market now is eligible.
You're eligible as a for profit entity to get grants.
(13:52):
Were back in the day that just wasn't possible or
wasn't heard of, for a for profit entity to be
sometimes even competing with government entities for the same grant
I got started. I worked for a special district government
entity a long time ago, and that we needed money
(14:14):
to fund our capital improvement project projects.
Speaker 8 (14:19):
I guess it was.
Speaker 7 (14:20):
Because you had a lot of things that a lot
of loose ends that weren't tied up with this government entity,
and I'm not going to name them because there was
quite a struggle. And I was their budget analyst. So
that's my background is finance and accounting. Before that, I
was manager at Bank of America, so finance has been
(14:40):
my entire working career, and then I moved into government
finance and budgeting. The only way I could get funding
or fund their capital projects was to ask for appropriations,
which you're going directly to the governor to ask these appropriations,
and I wasn't much of a play figures, so that
(15:01):
was a little difficult to get. But then from there
they recommended grant when we couldn't get all the funding
that we needed. So then I started writing grants and
I actually funded their two hundred million dollar capital improvement
plan budget sixty percent of it through grants, so it
(15:22):
was quite the feat to do. And then from there
I actually had other government entities asked me if they
could if I could help them with their grants. So
in the beginning, I did a lot of this work
for free, and then I finally said, okay, let me
start the business and it grew from there. So we
do a little bit of lobbying as well, just because
(15:44):
I started doing that in the very beginning, and then
grant writing, and then we moved to nonprofit to help
the community, and then for profit because of all the
great innovators out there.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
A common barometer is or a common thread with afferent
types of industry classifications or is it just across the
board with the different types of industry classifications that you
work with.
Speaker 7 (16:07):
Yeah, and you'll see a lot of grant firms specialize
in one thing or another. So you'll have a grant
firm that only writes grants for nonprofits, they have no
experience in government grants or for profit grants. And then
you have some that just write for for profit and
typically those type of grants are called SBIR Small Business
(16:29):
Innovative Research grants. You have an innovative idea, or maybe
you have your a clinic and you have developed some
type of products to help your patients. Something like that,
So then you'll have an entire grant firm that's focused
specifically on that, and then you have these large grant
firms that focus just on government entities and getting them
(16:52):
their grants. I just happened to I've been doing this
for eight years, so it's been a while I've been
in the field, and a lot of people haven't been
in the grant writing world for this long. So just recently,
when I did a grant in Illinois, actually when they
(17:13):
didn't award the grant and they said that that it
wasn't bondable, the things weren't bondable in the grant, and
I actually had to argue with them and tell them, no,
they are and that's something that they didn't know that
I did. So the state of Illinois had to take
what I said, and then they re evaluated it and
(17:35):
issued the grant to that firm. So I think it's
just the lack of experience in the grant writing world.
But I just happened to have eight years of experience,
so I have experience across all sectors.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
We got about a minute left. What I want you
to do is get out your contact information again. How
people can get a hold of you that I want
you to touch on the date that you're doing the
workshop and seminar, and then I want to have you
on again next week because I want to continue this.
I want to do a series of interviews and obviously
behind the scenes, Megan are working on getting her schedule
to coincide with some upcoming events we're going to be
(18:11):
doing and have her there as well as one of
the featured focal points and keynote speakers. Go ahead, Megan.
Speaker 7 (18:17):
You can find us at www dot gasco dot com
and there we lift all of our events as well
as our contact information for me, which is Megan at
dafco dot com. You can email me at any time.
And then our event is April fifteenth at the Delray
Beach Civic Center and that's going to be from ten
am to two pm and we'll be teaching you how
(18:40):
to write your own brands.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Want to thank you for being with us again this morning,
looking forward to having you on again next week. Have
a wonderful weekend and God blessed. Thank you so much, Megan.
Speaker 7 (18:50):
Thanks Rob.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Business Owners.
Speaker 9 (19:00):
The Greater South Florida Chamber is now accepting memberships.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
As an online member, your.
Speaker 9 (19:05):
Business can create pages, posts, and comments that add an
extra dimension to your online presence. Direct mail, newspaper and
business directories are also available. With over one thousand current
members and one hundred thousand within the social network, the
Greater South Florida Chamber can help generate business that fits
your budget. Call today nine five four five, eight oh eight,
(19:25):
eight oh two or visit Greater South Florida Chamber dot com.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Good morning, Welcome back to the show. It is Saturday,
January eighteenth, twenty twenty five, and we're privileged to be
here at iHeartRadio in West Palm Beach, Florida, where we're
now streaming on the iHeart app. Have with us longtime
corporate trustee Ambassador Melissa Carici or mel She is a
local licensed health insurance agent who specializes in Medicare coverage.
(19:51):
Melissa is completely independent, meaning she doesn't work for any
agency our company, making her loyalty lie with you, the
client and not some big insurance Melissa, can you just
quickly explain to the listening audience this morning what Medicare is.
Speaker 10 (20:06):
Medicare is a federal program that provides healthcare coverage to
those who are sixty five and older or have qualified
for it earlier due to disability. Original Medicare has two
parts A and B. You actually pay taxes into it
your entire working life. Part A is your hospital coverage,
and for most people it's free. Part B is your
medical coverage, and it has a monthly premium that's based
(20:28):
on your income from two years prior. The twenty twenty
five standard premium for Medicare Part B is one hundred
and eighty five dollars. Many people confuse Medicare with Medicaid.
Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides
healthcare coverage for people with limited income and resources. Some
people can even have both.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
So that's Part A and B. But I have also
heard about parts C and D. What are those? Can
you elaborate on that place?
Speaker 10 (20:58):
Part D is your drug coverage. Original Medicare doesn't include
prescription coverage, so in two thousand and six, the government
established the Part D program. Some people have standalone Part
D plans, while other people have their Part D benefit
bundled into their advantage plan. It's very dangerous to not
have Part D coverage in place, because prescription medications can
(21:18):
be pricey. I help clients find drug coverage based on
their personal medication list. I shop the lowest prices available
at different local pharmacies across all the available plans in
the area, and then make recommendations based on what I find.
Part C is the Medicare Advantage program. Medicare Advantage program
started in nineteen ninety seven as an alternative to supplemental coverage.
(21:40):
Part C takes your A and Part B benefits and
adds additional benefits like drug coverage, dental vision and hearing,
and exchanges it for private coverage through an insurance company.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
So what's the difference between Medicare advantage and Medicare supplement?
Can you elaborate on that?
Speaker 10 (21:56):
So in order to explain that to you, you first
have to understand how original Medicare works. Original Medicare has
two parts A and B. Both parts have a deductible
and co insurance. Part A has a sixteen hundred and
seventy six dollars deductible and Part B has a two
hundred and fifty seven dollars deductible. After you meet your
Part B deductible, Part B picks up eighty percent of
(22:19):
your medical expenses, leaving you with twenty percent. A Medicare
supplement generally picks up these deductibles and co insurances, leaving
you with no medical bills. This is with the exception
of the Part BE deductible. There are no supplements available
with first dollar coverage anymore. A Medicare supplement works in
conjunction with Original Medicare to pick up the cost Original
(22:41):
Medicare leaves you with. Generally, you pay a monthly premium
for your plan and it picks up all Part A
costs and the twenty percent Part B does not cover.
Another great feature of a Medicare supplement is the network.
Original Medicare is a nationwide network. With a supplement, you
can seek treatment anywhere in the country and you'll be
covered as long as the accepts Medicare. This is because
(23:02):
Medicare is your primary coverage and your supplement is secondary.
The bill goes to Medicare first, and then Medicare since
Abortionate doesn't cover to your supplement. Because of this, you
don't have to worry which carrier you go with. As
long as your provider accepts Medicare, they'll accept your supplement.
A Medicare advantage plan tends to pro rate out the
deductibles and co insurances that Medicare leaves you with into
(23:23):
a schedule of benefits. For example, on a Medicare advantage plan,
your hospital co pay is usually about three hundred dollars
a day for around a week, three hundred times five
days is fifteen hundred dollars, which is pretty close to
the part a deductible original Medicare leaves you with. Another
good example is the average specialty doctor's appointment is around
one hundred and fifty dollars. Twenty percent of that is
(23:45):
thirty dollars, which is about what it costs to see
a specialist doctor on a Medicare advantage plan. The great
thing about Medicare advantage is it bundles all your benefits
into one package and usually adds extra benefits like dental,
vision and hearing. In general, Medicare advantage is HMO or
PPO style plans, meaning they have a network of doctors.
HMO plans are very strict about their network, where PPO
(24:09):
plans have in and at a network benefits. The great
thing about Medicare advantage is there's usually no premium. This
makes it a great option for those living on a
fixed income or strict budget.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Medicare supplement or Medicare advantage. What do you recommend in
your professional opinion?
Speaker 10 (24:27):
Both programs have their ups and downs, but I personally
will join a Medicare supplement plan when I turn sixty
five and qualify for Medicare. I have Crohn's disease, which
is a chronic autoimmune disorder. I find I need to
go to the doctor pretty often and generally need things
like bloodwork, radiology, and kolonoscopies at least once a year.
It makes more sense to pay a monthly premium and
(24:48):
have these services covered by my plan instead of having
to pay copays for all these services, which can quickly
add up. I also feel much safer knowing that if
something catastrophic happens, like heart attack or cancer, or my
medical bills will all be paid by the supplement. Copays
and co insurances can quickly add up. I also like
the idea of being able to go anywhere I want
(25:08):
if I get sick. I want the ability to go
to a specialty clinic and see the best doctors possible,
even if it means having to travel. With the Medicare
Supplements nationwide network, this is possible. Medicare Advantage has stricter
network rules. Although some PPO plans do have out of
state benefits. I especially like the plan G Medicare Supplement
(25:29):
because it also picks up the excess fifteen percent that
specialty clinics are allowed to charge over the standard Medicare
approved costs.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Well, listen, is there any way to manage the out
of pockets associated with Medicare advantage? Can you touch on that?
Speaker 4 (25:42):
Absolutely?
Speaker 10 (25:44):
I sell something called an indemni plan. These types of
plans reimburse you for out of pocket expenses. In general,
indemni plans all contain a hospital confinement benefit, which gives
you a per DM for every day you're hospitalized. The
particular indemni plan I sell the most of all also
has benefits like reimbursement for er urgent care visits, ambulance ride,
(26:04):
doctor administered medications, outpatient surgery, and major diagnostic services. I
generally quote this plan based on the out of pockets
associated with your specific Medicare advantage plan, and I provide
every Medicare advantage plan client with an indemni plan quote
and let them decide if they want the extra protection.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
What are some common mistakes that seniors make when choosing
their Medicare plans.
Speaker 10 (26:32):
So I find a lot of people take their health
for granted. They don't consider things like a major illness
or an event like a stroker cancer occurring to them.
It's always wiser to choose your coverage considering what you
would want if you got sick, instead of picking a
plan that complements your current lifestyle and health.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Melissa, where do you work, what communities do you serve,
and how would one set up an appointment with you?
Speaker 10 (26:56):
I'm available for in person appointments throughout Martin and Palm
Beach Counties. I also host a monthly educational seminar the
last Saturday of every month at ten thirty at the
Cafe I Need Coffee, located at seven eleven Indiantown Road.
It's in Jupiter. It is free to attend, but I
recommend making an RSVP of space can be limited. I'm
(27:18):
also available by phone and email throughout all of Florida,
as well as in California, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey,
New York, Nevada, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia,
West Virginia, and Wisconsin. That's right. I have clients across
seventeen states. Making an appointment is as easy as calling
(27:41):
or texting me at five six one two eight seven
zero four zero six, emailing me, or using my website
to schedule a time. My name is Melissa Criici. That's
me l I SSA seas in Charlie or I seas
in Charlie Hi. And if you google me, my website
(28:02):
comes right up.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Now. I'm happy to let people know that on the
thirty first of January, from eleven am till three pm,
you can meet Melissa in person at the Lakeworth Towers,
which is right right off of Lucern Avenue. We'll be
doing a senior expell in healthfare there on the thirty first,
from eleven till three. We're going to be on the
(28:24):
twelfth of February, she'll be with us from noon until
three thirty at the Cane Center in Stuart. And then
on the twenty first of February she'll be with us
at the Savannah and Stuart from ten thirty am till
two thirty pm. And as well as a number of
other events that are coming up in the twenty twenty
five calendar year. Just wanting to reference the ones that
are coming up immediately within the next month or so.
(28:47):
Really looking forward to working with you as we have
in the years past, because of the fact that you
bring so much to the equation. We've got about three,
four or five minutes left. What I want you to do.
Touch on some stuff that you want to share with
the listening audience, because obviously, your industry, as they say,
not to be redundant, it is an ever changing industry,
and I know that I've heard you reference it and
(29:08):
heard a lot of people talk about this. In twenty
twenty four they said, as we get into the twenty
twenty five calendar year, there was going to be some
wholesale changes. I don't know if we want to say wholesale,
but there were going to be some extraordinary changes within
the industry of medicare and the Medicare plans. Touch on
that for the listing audience, if you could so.
Speaker 10 (29:29):
Twenty twenty five brought a lot of exciting changes to
Medicare and some disappointing changes. Deductibles did go up a
little bit, premiums did go up a little bit, nothing
too major as far as those increases went. But the
Part D program was majorly changed, which I believe benefits
(29:49):
seniors tremendously. The original maximum out of pocket for the
Part D program used to be over eight thousand dollars,
and with the passing of the Inflation Reduction An Act,
that actually was brought down to two thousand dollars. So
a lot of seniors who are on very expensive medications
now hit the catastrophic coverage phase of their plans, sometimes
(30:13):
pretty early in the year, and then don't have to
pay for their prescriptions anymore. It's benefited a lot of
people on name brand medications such as Zarlto and Eloquist,
other life saving medications that are really important to people.
They also eliminated what was called the donut hole in
(30:33):
the Part D program, which used to be awful for
seniors on those expensive medications because you were responsible for
paying twenty five percent the cost of your medication. That's
been eliminated completely. Now the Part D program has been
simplified into three phases. It has the deductible phase, where
you have at a pocket costs up to five hundred
(30:54):
and ninety dollars on Tier one, two, and three medications.
Usually generics are excluded from that, and only specialty medications
like Tier four and five medications are included. After the
deductible phase, you enter the initial coverage phase, or what
I like to call the copay phase, where you usually
(31:15):
have a small co payment in order to pick up
your meds, and once that maximum out of pocket hits
two thousand dollars, you go into the catastrophic coverage phase,
where everything's covered at one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
I remember sharing with you in twenty twenty four I
had that surgery. It was fifty eight. I just turned
fifty eight, and I'd been relatively healthy my whole life,
rather than bad knees from football and a bad spine
from you know, bouncing football car recks, all that neat
stuff you go through when we're young and feel invincible.
But all of a sudden came up with the tumor.
(31:47):
Then the next thing you know, I'm a fib and
I ended up in the summer of twenty twenty four,
in July, right over Fourth of July weekend in the
hospital in Boca Baptist Hospital. I was there for five
days taking eloquis and at drone, and the side effects
from it were just unbearable. But then what's worse, You
should got to pay for it. At Walgreens and all
of a sudden, did you say sixteen hundred dollars for
(32:10):
two prescriptions? It's actually fourteen ninety. Oh gee, thanks, And
I know that you know we have a couple of
minutes left. You had a situation where you had shared
with me in the studio, and I think you shared
with a couple of other people because I know right
now you're in the process of working with our board
president John Crowle from crow Reality. You've worked with a
number of people from the Chamber that you've helped successfully.
(32:30):
You had an option for people where they could go
around it and a touch on that how they were
able to get their prescriptions at a lower rate. Because
I know you showed it to me, I want people.
Speaker 4 (32:39):
To hear this.
Speaker 10 (32:41):
So whenever I work on a drug quote for someone,
I do as much research as I can to find
the best prices available. And a lot of medications are
available through mail order pharmacies or available at a discount
on good r X. And when I do a quote
for someone, I will quote through all of these different
outlets to find the best prices available for my clients.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
That's very, very important because it's just ironic. The side
effects are one thing, but when it's side effects to
your wallet on top of side effects to your body,
that can become detrimental. That can be a little bit overbearing.
And you know, it's nice to know that they have
someone like you who has their best interest at heart
and is willing to work with them. I hear that music.
(33:24):
We've got about sixteen to ninety seconds left. I want
you to share with the listening audience again the thing
that you do on the seminar that comes up on
I believe next.
Speaker 10 (33:33):
Saturday, right, yeah, the last Saturday of the month every
month through this year. I have secured a room at
the Cafe I Need Coffee in Jupiter, right off Indian
Town Road, and I offer a free Medicare seminar for
people who are new to medicare or who have Medicare
and want to learn more about it. It's at ten
(33:55):
thirty in the morning. You can come, enjoy a complimentary
coffee or snack, learn all about medicare, and ask me
all the questions that have come up in the process
of you getting bombarded by mailers and spam and agents
trying to call you to sell you something.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
Once again, Melissa, give everyone your contact information until you
on next segment so people know how to get a
hold of you to make an appointment.
Speaker 10 (34:16):
So my name is Melissa Careici me E l I
S S A Season, Charlie O r I Season Charlie
Hi at gmail dot com would be my email address,
and my website is Melissa Corici Insurancesolutions dot com.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
Once again, you can meet Melissa in person on the
thirty first of January at Lakeworth Towers from eleven am
till three pm. On the twelfth of February at the
Cane Center and Stewart from noon until three thirty and
then again on the twenty first of February at to
Savannah and Stewart from ten thirty a m. Till two
thirty pm. I want to thank you for being with us, Melissa,
have a wonderful weekend and God blessed.
Speaker 10 (34:53):
Thank you, Thank you. Hey, this is Melissa Ricci. I'm
a licensed and insured local insurance agent. So one thing
worth mentioning is the annual enrollment period for Medicare advantage
did end back in December, which is known as plan
(35:15):
changing season for those on a Medicare advantage plan. But
I do like to remind all my clients that you
have the Open Enrollment Period or OEP available to make
one plan change up until March thirty first, So if
you're unhappy with your current coverage, give me a call.
Can reach me at five six one two eight seven
(35:36):
zero four zero six call their text business owners.
Speaker 9 (35:41):
The Greater South Florida Chamber is now accepting memberships.
Speaker 4 (35:44):
As an online member, your.
Speaker 9 (35:46):
Business can create pages, posts, and comments that add an
extra dimension to your online presence. Direct mail, owned newspaper
and business directories are also available. With over one thousand
current members and one hundred thousand within the social network,
The reader South Florida Chamber can help generate business that
fits your budget.
Speaker 4 (36:04):
Call today nine five.
Speaker 9 (36:05):
Four five eight oh eight eight oh two or visit
greeter South Florida Chamber dot com.
Speaker 3 (36:11):
Good morning, welcome back to the show. It's Saturday, January eighteenth,
twenty twenty five. We're privileged to be here this morning
in West Palm Beach, Florida at iHeartRadio, where we're now
streaming on the iHeart app. Have with us longtime corporate
trustee Ambassador doctor Walter Buck Campbell. I encourage you to
go to YouTube and put that in he is the
founder of I Love My Vision Institute in Lauterhill, Florida,
(36:31):
and also TCM Traditional Chinese Medicine. What I want you
to do this morning, doctor Campbell, I'm sure you have
a topic you want to talk about. I want you
to dig right into it. You're well burst in all
of these different fields, and I want you to talk
a little bit about your practice, where you're at, what
you do, how people can get a hold of you
for you if they want to make an appointment, and
touch on some of the different things that you treat.
(36:53):
Go ahead, doctor, Well, we.
Speaker 5 (36:55):
Treat the eye, and you know there's a It's very
interesting that the Chinese have an axiom and it's in
all their books that the eyes open from the liver.
So for the last fourteen years I've been trying to
feel how do you translate in physiological terms in English?
(37:16):
You know, how do the eyes open from the liver? Well,
you know, the liver's a filter, filters out all the
metabolic waste and a lot of our diet congests the liver.
Faty liver is a big thing. Even children come in
here with fatty livers, eating oatmeal every day with glycasate
(37:37):
in it.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
And so.
Speaker 5 (37:42):
You know if you look in the bottom of the heart,
the heart gets the blood from the top and the
bottom the bottoms in fury of any cave gets the
blood from the liver, and they inferior can't be in
a cave of the vein goes down and gets from
the kidneys and then goes down and gets from the legs.
So as the liver can jests. You know, with with
(38:03):
our bad diet and toxic food, bad oils really can
screw it up. You don't want to be eaten any
seed oils, especially if you've got eye problems. And so
that's ideally thirty percent of the blood to the heart
to come from the liver. But if it doesn't, it'll
(38:24):
pull more from the kidneys in the legs than in
my opinion, then it can refill replace so leg crams,
restless legs, syndrome, urination problems, beauties da DA. But more importantly,
(38:45):
you know when when the liver is congest and it's
pulling more blood from the kidneys in the in the
legs instead of the liver, you're getting a lot of
unfiltered blood into the system. When you get a lot
(39:05):
of unfiltered blood into the system. It goes through the system,
it winds up in the eye. It can clog up
the arteries in your eye in my opinion, Oh my opinion.
There's some optimologist probably rolling on the ground laughing by now,
but who cares. So, you know, the arteries in the eye,
(39:30):
in the chloroid, which is the second layer of the retina,
look like roller coasters, and the arteries, these little roller
coaster arteries have little holes at the top of the
roller coaster the hill, if you will. An these little
hole will let oxygen and nutrients through, but won't let
(39:50):
the blood cells through because the blood cells are way
too big for that. So my opinion, these holes clog
up very easily. Now once you start putting, you know
this extra metabolic waste and cognose arteries. I think in
the retinais pigmentosa. Those arteries are smaller than average and
(40:13):
they clog up easier. That's just my first opinion. Also,
you have these this around the front of your eye,
like you have the clear part of the yard that
you see through. That's called the cornea, five layers thick,
and it connects to the seclaia, the white part, if
(40:35):
you will and right right right next to that in
the white part is a thing called the canal of Shlim,
and it's a tube actually, and it's surrounded by fibers
like spiderwebs if you will, or a filter. And this,
(40:58):
this canal of Shlim drains the fluid from the eye. Now,
if you cannot, if the fluid in the eye can't
is low metabolic waste, in my opinion, it can clog
those hairs in that canal of shlim. And that the
(41:20):
hairs themselves are designed to give a back pressure of
you know anywhere for eacheen ten and fifteen mls, which
is ideal mercury pressure. But when when those those channels
get blocked in the canal of shlim from too much
metaboc waste clogging up the canal of shlim, the fluid
(41:41):
can't get out. You get interocular eye pressure. And you
call that glaucoma. When you clog enough of those little
arteries in the retina in the choroid. You know, over
time you age those guys, those guys get weaker. You
can get you can get macular degeneration. Can't it can't
(42:06):
bind correctly to the to the well, the the chloroid
can peel off and where the the that's the vascular layer.
And the next layer is the pigment layer that can
do it tear or it can block that that sponge
(42:29):
called the pigment layer. And the pigment layer is like
the third layer in on the retina. So you have
the the water balloon that holds the eye. Then you
have the vascular layer which brings the blood in. And
the very next layer is this sponge that absorbs the
nutrients from those little roller coasters we spoke about. And
this sponge gets the nutrients and feeds and by diffusion.
(42:52):
Is this all these nutrients and oxygen diffuse in this
sponge to feed the rods and cones to do the
actual scene. And I think you can clog up that
sponge too and create dry spots in it. And this
is from metabolic waste and vision problems have increased over
(43:13):
the last thirty forty years. Then commonent with liver function.
People's livers aren't functioning properly because of the toxic food.
You can ask Kennedy it's going into office soon, God Willing,
I didn't tell you that. You know the food is
very toxic, and you know it clogs the liver and
(43:37):
eventually it will clog clog your eyes, and then you know,
if it starts clogging your brain, now you got Now
you got some real serious trouble there. That's another story,
but we're just sticking with the eyes.
Speaker 1 (43:49):
Now.
Speaker 5 (43:49):
There's there are muscles in the eye which are really cool,
the one that's around the lens of the eyes. You know,
the light comes through the front of the eye called
the cornea, which is like another lens in itself. It
has two thirds focusing power that go back to the
real lens, right and this lens itself has no blood supply,
(44:15):
and it's fed by the aquayus humor that's liquid in
the eye that if you know you're not you're not
filtering your liver, and you get all this metabolic waste
in this this fluid, then you can't nurse the cornea.
Now all of a sudden, you got cataracts, oxidative stress
on the lens and more importantly, right in back of
(44:39):
the iris. That's the thing to give you your color of
the eye. Or these things called ciliary bodies that bring
most of the fluid into the eye and they can
clog up very easily in time over with oxidative stress.
Now you don't have enough fluid in the eye, or
(45:00):
the fluid is metabolically challenged in terms of the waste products,
and it can't get it in and out enough, and
you have all along that that what do you call it,
the canal is shlim, which is like a tube with
fibers all around it, and it's got fat in there
(45:22):
as well. So if you're eating crisco with forty two
insecticides and glyca sate and you get that kind of
fat up in your eye, good luck. You know, bad
fat as a killer. You only want to eat coconut oil,
extra copress, virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and real organic butter.
(45:48):
Those are safe. But eating corn oil, canola oil, all
these things are toxic. Toxic, clogged the whole system, including
your eyes. So now you get inocular pressure and so
the best thing they got is to put a tube
in your right to drain the pressure and steroids, you know,
(46:11):
to reduce inflammation, which worked for a short time, but
after a while things will start to deter it real
fast because the fluids can't nourish the rest of the eye.
Remember that fluid nourishes the iris, It nourishes the muscles
around the lens and the iris. You know, it can
(46:36):
really clog that whole system up. And so the biggest
thing is keep your liver clean, watch what you eat,
try to work, eat organic, fresh fruits and vegetables. I'm
not against meat, but I think beef is healthier than
chicken and fish. That seems crazy, but that cow meat
(47:00):
under a microscope. If you look at the muscle of
a cow and a human under a microscope, you can't
tell a difference, and you can barely tell a difference
in the blood, and the hemoglobe is exactly the same.
So if you want to build muscle and blood, you
do that. But if you want to eat chicken, that, yeah,
it's got all twenty amino acids, but it's not mammal muscle.
(47:21):
It's a bird muscle. And bird muscle comes from a
raptor dinosaur, you know, sixty seven million years ago, which
is reptile. So when they fry up rattlesnake, what does
it taste like chicken? What does frog legs taste like chicken?
What does alligator tail tastes like chicken? Because it's all
reptile meat. It's not mammal meat, all right, getting blood
(47:44):
into the system. You're not going to a woman who
has heavy periods and blood to fish and very fragile
and is a vegetarian or only eats fish and chicken.
I'm sorry, you can't make blood out of turnips, fish
and chicken. I don't care how many vegetarians get on
iron too. Their horn now healthy r in their blood work.
The blood work looks good. But in my opinion, after
(48:05):
seven to ten years of being a vegetarian, they come
in here very deficient.
Speaker 3 (48:11):
Doc. That was very informative. I hear that music in
the background. Who means we're coming to a close. We
got about a minute left. What I'd like for you
to do? Give out your contact information phone number, web
address and let people know they can get a hold
of you if they want to come out and set
up a consultation with you. Go ahead.
Speaker 5 (48:26):
Yeah, Well, if you have vision challenges, you might want
us to take a look at it after you see
your ophthalmologists and see what his diagnosis is. But then
you come in and we may be able to really
help you, where they may not be able to help you,
or they could help you, but we do it a
whole different way. We heal THEI naturally over time. And
(48:48):
we're at Lauter Hill and the telephone number to make
appointment is three zero five seven. It's zero one four
three oh five seven six zero two four one four.
And if you go to YouTube, plug in doctor Walter Campbell,
(49:11):
look at the search engine doctor Walter Campbell and YouTube,
and you'll see some very happy patients with all a
range of all elements, but most of them are visions.
So we look forward to seeing you if we can
help you, give us a call and uh uh and
let's take a look at what you got. God blessed.
Thank you Rob for the opportunity for letting us into
(49:34):
your workshop.
Speaker 4 (49:35):
Yes, sirsay what we do here?
Speaker 3 (49:37):
All right? Doc, I want to appreciate you. Thank you. You
have a wonderful weekend, and we'll have you on next segment.
Appreciate it, No.
Speaker 5 (49:44):
I appreciate you better, Rob, God bless Bye. Bye.
Speaker 6 (49:53):
Doctor Walter Campbell with TCM Physicians offers traditional Chinese medicine,
offering acupuncture and auricular therapy. Tcmphysicians specializes in vision disorders,
chronic pain relief, and dementia right now. Take ten percent
off the vision restoration protocol. When you mentioned this radio
ad Achieve optimal health with TCM Physicians. Call three five, seven,
(50:14):
six zero twenty four to fourteen to schedule an appointment today,
or visit Tcmphysicians dot com. That's Tcmphysicians dot com. Wellness awaits.
Speaker 11 (50:23):
Buying or selling your home, contact Krollrealty at Crollrealty dot
com for the best deal. A boutique style real estate
company since nineteen fifty one, Kroll Realty offers Broward and
Palm Beach County real estate experts with unparalleled knowledge and
local expertise just looking Register at Crollrealty dot com a
free website without any hassles.
Speaker 1 (50:42):
Sign up for.
Speaker 11 (50:43):
Email updates on your starch criteria, use the resources, and more.
Again that's Krollrealty dot com. K rll Realty dot com.
We roll with Kroll.
Speaker 8 (50:53):
The SFANA at Stewart has taken retirement living to a
new level where active fifty five plus living has never
looked better. At the Solvanna, we believe you should have
the ability to tailor your senior living experience into a
perfect fit. Residents enjoy a vibrant atmosphere along with resort
style amenities including a pool, pickleball court, and state of
the art fitness room, as well as happy hours. They
(51:15):
provide transportation to doctors and grocery stores and offer spacious
one or two bedroom options. Enjoy a maintenance free lifestyle
with no home insurance or hoa FS limited time pricing
starting at only one thousand, nine ninety five a month.
Call seven seven two two oh four oh one ninety six.
That's seven seven two two oh four oh one ninety six,
(51:35):
or visit online at the Sovannah dot com located on
US one behind Rooms to Go Patio in Stewart, where
active fifty five plus living has never looked so good.
Visit the Solvannah dot com. That's the s Ovana dot com.
This is the way retirement living was meant to be.
The Svannah at Stewart redefine your retirement.
Speaker 9 (51:54):
Business owners, The Greater South Florida Chamber is now accepting memberships.
Speaker 4 (51:59):
As an online member, your.
Speaker 9 (52:00):
Business can create pages, posts, and comments that add an
extra dimension to your online presence. Direct mail, newspaper and
business directories are also available, with over one thousand current
members and one hundred thousand within the social network the
Greater South Florida Chamber can help generate business that fits
your budget. Call today nine five four five eight oh eight,
(52:21):
eight oh two or visit Greatersouth Florida Chamber dot com.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
You've been listening to the Greater South Florida Chamber Radio
program with your host, Board President John Kroll of Kroll
Realty
Welcome to the Greater South Florida Chamber Radio program with
your host to board President John Kroll of Kroll Realty.
Good morning, Welcome back to the show. It is Saturday,
January eighteenth, twenty twenty five. Are privileged to be here
(00:20):
at iHeartRadio and West Palm Beach, Florida. We're now streaming
on the iHeart app. I'm Rob the director of Operations
at the Greater South Florida Chamber of Commerce. Heap with
me this morning longtime corporate trustee, Ambassador Tom Bogden. He
is the preferred merchant processing company for the Greater South
Florida Chamber of Commerce and our network. Tom would like
for you to do, sirs, give out your pertinent contact
(00:41):
information this morning. Your name, the name of your company,
web address, phone number, how people can get a hold
of you. And I want to talk about the industry.
It's a never changing industry and there's a lot on
the agenda in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
My friend, go ahead, all right, Rab, thank you for
the opportunity. Great to be back here on the air.
My contact and is that it's Tom Bogden and the
company is called Coke Card Merchant Services. Our main phone
number is nine five four five to five three eight
ninety three one.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Tom, What would you say would be the most important
thing from your industry standpoint in your perspective? Because I
know you're as well versed in that industry as anybody
I've ever met, and you have a plethora of experience.
What would be some of the things that you would
want to share with the listening audience and our network
member or non member in twenty twenty five when it
(01:31):
comes to your industry.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Well, in my industry, of course, technology started quite a
while ago, but it has taken hold and keeps on growing.
So all the technology that's available for businesses and business
owners that are accepting credit cards for payment, there's just
so much more that they can do. There's so much
more that adds on to social media and be able
(01:54):
to connect their business and advertise their business through their
processing arrangements to not only advertise themselves and let people
know who they are, where they are, and what they offer,
but also stay in concheck with all of those arrangements.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
I think one of the most impressive things about working
with you, our organization, our board, and other people I
know that are members of ours that use you and
your service had mentioned that you're one of the first,
if not the only, person they dealt with. You're always looking,
whether it's on a monthly basis, semi annual, or annually,
You're always looking to make sure that the individual is
(02:34):
getting the proper rate. In other words, I know sometimes
people will say two point eight percent, sometimes people will
say four percent when it's really five or a little
above five or a little below five. I know that
you always go above and beyond to make sure that
I don't like to use the word gouge, but to
make sure no one's being taken advantage of. If you
will touch on that.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Yeah, that's a good point, rob. You know, early on
when I got into this industry, it made sense to
me to take a look at a merchant's business and
how they're doing their credit card processing along with all
of the other sources of how they're getting paid, and
make sure that they're getting paid in the proper way,
both with security and at the least expense to the
(03:15):
business owner. And we not only do that up front
when we first meet with a business owner, when we
set them up with merchant credit card processing through co Card,
we continually to monitor that program to make sure that
they're still doing things the right way, secure way, in
a least amount of expense. So it's an ongoing thing,
(03:36):
and I've always believed that it makes sense for me
as a business owner to work with a business owner
in conjunction. So it's a partnership. So we're out there
making sure that you know, we're sharing communication and making
sure that everything is running smoothly, no problems. And I
always tell people I'm here to help.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
That's very important because unfortunately not every industry can say that. Obviously.
I think one of the things that people are seeing
coming out of twenty twenty four going into twenty twenty five,
I think one of the biggest obstacles all companies deal with,
whether it's from a standpoint internally or whether they're dealing
with it on the other end, customer service. It seems
(04:18):
to be a lost art and a lot of it
seems to be outsourced. And that's one of the greatest
things about working with you as well. I don't want
to be redundant. Put your hands on with customer service.
You get back to people in a very timely manner,
extremely punctual, and regardless of whether it's an inconvenience to
you or an extra step. You're always willing to go
that extra inch of that extra mile for people to
make sure that they're comfortable. And that's important because you,
(04:40):
like I said, not to be redundant. Not everybody does that.
A lot of people. Once they sign you up, you're
lost in the shuffle. You're just a number. And it's
nice to know that you can always check on things
for individuals.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
What you know, we've got a.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Few minutes left this morning, but as we get into
the year, other things that you might want to share
with people about what they may want to avoid as
far as pitfalls. What are some of the things that
you see that are common mistakes that could be avoided.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Well, common mistakes that can be avoided are where people
just sign a piece of paper and really have no
idea what their rates are, what to expect, and what
the customer service is, as you just mentioned, whether they're
going to still be you know, taken care of and
have a partnership rather than sign a piece of paper
and that person that gets them to sign that contract
(05:30):
just disappears and there's nowhere to be found. So I
always answer the phone and I'm here to help. And
you know, in the industry, there's so many new things
that people have probably heard about, cash discount which is
where you cannot pay any credit card pies, and or
with pos systems where you're working and integrating with, you know,
(05:50):
things like the various delivery companies that deliver food and
restaurant stuff and all that sort of thing. So we
keep up with that as well.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Tom, Well, have a couple of minutes up any promotions
that you've got going on, and also want you to
let the listening audience know what would be the norm.
I know it could be, could be two point eight,
could be three point two, What would be the norm?
And what would be alarming for someone as far as
the number that they're paying on a percentage basis.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Well, it's easy enough to figure out if someone looks
at their current statement, take all of their fees and
divides it by their total volume, and they should be
in the under three percent two point three, two point four,
two point five percent or that depends on the type
of cards they're taking, whether you know they have extra
fees attached because it's a foreign credit card or corporate
credit card, but they should be in that range. When
(06:42):
when processing gets over three or three and a half percent,
then it's time to look in different directions and see
what else they can do to correct that and you know,
save themselves some fees or do the cash discount. One
of the specials that we're running right now is giving
out a free up to date a touch screen credit
card machine or the stations that sit on the counter
(07:03):
where you can touch the screen and you can use
a chip card. And we also have a new program
out where if restaurants want to upgrade to a new
POS system, we have free placement of that where we
actually bring all the equipment out and put it in
place at no cost to the merchant and set them
up with programming all their menu items and everything that's
in there, as well as operating their back office kitchen.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
It's interesting, I'm hearing that music from headquarters. I've got
about thirty to forty five seconds, Lap. I'd like for
you to keep your contact information to everybody saying on
how to get a hold of you until we have
you on next segment. Go ahead, Tom.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Appreciate, I appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
Rob.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Always good to be here. Invite anybody to give me
a call. We'll come out and do what we call
confidential now analysis no charge. My number is nine four
five five three eight nine three one. Tom at ninety
five four five five three eight nine three one post
Card Merchant Surfaces.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Thanks, Thank you, Tom. Have a wonderful day and a
great weekend.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
All right, Rob you so we'll see you soon.
Speaker 6 (08:15):
Cocard is your full service solution for your credit card
and payment processing needs, offering state of the art processing solutions,
payment gateways, and point of sale systems that are proven
across many industries. To meet the needs of big and
small business. We offer a full service point of sale
system at wholesale pricing for restaurants, salons, and retailers, available
(08:36):
in both tablet and Windows based solutions with no cost
processing and free equipment at co Card. We know that
your business is not a one size fits all. That's
why we provide personal and local service for you and
your business. With twenty three years experience, Contact us today
at nine five four five to five three eighty nine
(08:56):
thirty one for a confidential, virtual, or personal well visit
to your location that's nine five four five five three
eighty nine thirty one, or visit us online at Cocard
merchant services dot net co card Merchant services dot net
co card where Plastic is fantastic.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Good morning, Welcome back to the show. It is Saturday,
January eighteenth, twenty twenty five. We're privileged to be here
at iHeartRadio in West Palm Beach, Florida this morning where
we're now streaming on the iHeart app. Have with this
corporate trustee, Ambassador Megan Barber. She is the founder and
CEO of Grant and Funding Solutions Company. And the neat
thing about your company not only do you help people
(09:36):
generate funding and you're a specialists within that industry, but
you work with a lot of different moving parts and
you work with a lot of different types of companies.
Want you to elaborate on that. It's not just nonprofits
that you work with. You work with a number of
different people. And I want to take about eight or
nine minutes this morning to talk a little bit about
your organization and your background, and I want to talk
(09:57):
about the event that you've got coming up I believe
even April of this year, and also we have a
couple of events coming up in February March that we
want to tie you into and have you do some
workshops and seminars at those in conjunction with the events
as well. Go ahead, Megan, Thank you.
Speaker 5 (10:13):
Rob.
Speaker 7 (10:14):
Yes, I own and founded grant and funding Solutions company.
It's a mouthful, so it's also called Gasco for shorts.
And yes, we started with government entities actually not nonprofits,
and then just being part of the community, of course,
we wanted to help those nonprofit entities as well, and
(10:34):
nonprofit funding is typically a little easier to get than
these large federal funds that we pursue for government entities.
And then from the nonprofit sector, we actually moved into
the for profit as well, so we fund Actually somebody
from the Chamber, he owns air by c Seed Squared
(10:56):
and he's one of our clients. He came up with
very innovative idea and turned it into a product, and
it is mold detection, but not just any mult detection.
It can actually tell you what type of mold is
in your house, so it was extremely innovative. I asked
him if he'd be interested in getting grants. Of course,
(11:17):
you put absolutely so, and then from there we got
a YouTuber recently about half a million dollars and he's
actually eligible for more money. So we don't just do nonprofits,
and now we don't just do government entities, which is
what we started with. We actually do for profit companies
as well, and there's just a lot of different funding opportunities.
(11:41):
Sometimes that isn't necessarily a grant. With government entities, they're
eligible for very very low interest long term loans as
well that they don't even know that they're eligible for,
similar to a bond. But yeah, and then oh, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
No, to ask a question about that, are there any parameters?
For instance, what if you if you have a small
business or small business owner that is has a challenge
because of the fact that their credit score had dropped
during the pandemic, are there restrictions on that or how
does that work?
Speaker 7 (12:17):
Grants have nothing to do with with credit scores. Grants
have to do with your with your business, or with
your initiative or with your project. So with every company,
whether it's government or nonprofit or for profits, you want
to have some type of initiative or an immediate project
that you're looking to fund. So we do not pull
(12:41):
for grants. We do not pull any type of credit.
The only time we would do that would be for
that government entity, for that long term loan. So it's
only loans and those type of payback that you're going
to look at credit unless you're in severe debts with
the federal government. And I say severe as in you
(13:02):
haven't you haven't made a payment on a million dollar
federal loan. Something like that could prevent you from getting
a grant, but that's rare, especially when it comes to
nonprofits and for profit entities. It's highly unlikely that they
are in debt with the federal government.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
A little bit about your background. How did you get
into what you do, because obviously you're well versed in it,
but you're not going to find an organization like yours
on every corner. For lack of better grammar, it's a
bit of a niche market.
Speaker 7 (13:31):
I'm sure you would agree, correct, Yes, yes, And the
grant world is growing exponentially over the past few years.
I have just seen an explosion of people entities wanting
grants and it's great because the market now is eligible.
You're eligible as a for profit entity to get grants.
(13:52):
Were back in the day that just wasn't possible or
wasn't heard of, for a for profit entity to be
sometimes even competing with government entities for the same grant
I got started. I worked for a special district government
entity a long time ago, and that we needed money
(14:14):
to fund our capital improvement project projects.
Speaker 8 (14:19):
I guess it was.
Speaker 7 (14:20):
Because you had a lot of things that a lot
of loose ends that weren't tied up with this government entity,
and I'm not going to name them because there was
quite a struggle. And I was their budget analyst. So
that's my background is finance and accounting. Before that, I
was manager at Bank of America, so finance has been
(14:40):
my entire working career, and then I moved into government
finance and budgeting. The only way I could get funding
or fund their capital projects was to ask for appropriations,
which you're going directly to the governor to ask these appropriations,
and I wasn't much of a play figures, so that
(15:01):
was a little difficult to get. But then from there
they recommended grant when we couldn't get all the funding
that we needed. So then I started writing grants and
I actually funded their two hundred million dollar capital improvement
plan budget sixty percent of it through grants, so it
(15:22):
was quite the feat to do. And then from there
I actually had other government entities asked me if they
could if I could help them with their grants. So
in the beginning, I did a lot of this work
for free, and then I finally said, okay, let me
start the business and it grew from there. So we
do a little bit of lobbying as well, just because
(15:44):
I started doing that in the very beginning, and then
grant writing, and then we moved to nonprofit to help
the community, and then for profit because of all the
great innovators out there.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
A common barometer is or a common thread with afferent
types of industry classifications or is it just across the
board with the different types of industry classifications that you
work with.
Speaker 7 (16:07):
Yeah, and you'll see a lot of grant firms specialize
in one thing or another. So you'll have a grant
firm that only writes grants for nonprofits, they have no
experience in government grants or for profit grants. And then
you have some that just write for for profit and
typically those type of grants are called SBIR Small Business
(16:29):
Innovative Research grants. You have an innovative idea, or maybe
you have your a clinic and you have developed some
type of products to help your patients. Something like that,
So then you'll have an entire grant firm that's focused
specifically on that, and then you have these large grant
firms that focus just on government entities and getting them
(16:52):
their grants. I just happened to I've been doing this
for eight years, so it's been a while I've been
in the field, and a lot of people haven't been
in the grant writing world for this long. So just recently,
when I did a grant in Illinois, actually when they
(17:13):
didn't award the grant and they said that that it
wasn't bondable, the things weren't bondable in the grant, and
I actually had to argue with them and tell them, no,
they are and that's something that they didn't know that
I did. So the state of Illinois had to take
what I said, and then they re evaluated it and
(17:35):
issued the grant to that firm. So I think it's
just the lack of experience in the grant writing world.
But I just happened to have eight years of experience,
so I have experience across all sectors.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
We got about a minute left. What I want you
to do is get out your contact information again. How
people can get a hold of you that I want
you to touch on the date that you're doing the
workshop and seminar, and then I want to have you
on again next week because I want to continue this.
I want to do a series of interviews and obviously
behind the scenes, Megan are working on getting her schedule
to coincide with some upcoming events we're going to be
(18:11):
doing and have her there as well as one of
the featured focal points and keynote speakers. Go ahead, Megan.
Speaker 7 (18:17):
You can find us at www dot gasco dot com
and there we lift all of our events as well
as our contact information for me, which is Megan at
dafco dot com. You can email me at any time.
And then our event is April fifteenth at the Delray
Beach Civic Center and that's going to be from ten
am to two pm and we'll be teaching you how
(18:40):
to write your own brands.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Want to thank you for being with us again this morning,
looking forward to having you on again next week. Have
a wonderful weekend and God blessed. Thank you so much, Megan.
Speaker 7 (18:50):
Thanks Rob.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Business Owners.
Speaker 9 (19:00):
The Greater South Florida Chamber is now accepting memberships.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
As an online member, your.
Speaker 9 (19:05):
Business can create pages, posts, and comments that add an
extra dimension to your online presence. Direct mail, newspaper and
business directories are also available. With over one thousand current
members and one hundred thousand within the social network, the
Greater South Florida Chamber can help generate business that fits
your budget. Call today nine five four five, eight oh eight,
(19:25):
eight oh two or visit Greater South Florida Chamber dot com.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Good morning, Welcome back to the show. It is Saturday,
January eighteenth, twenty twenty five, and we're privileged to be
here at iHeartRadio in West Palm Beach, Florida, where we're
now streaming on the iHeart app. Have with us longtime
corporate trustee Ambassador Melissa Carici or mel She is a
local licensed health insurance agent who specializes in Medicare coverage.
(19:51):
Melissa is completely independent, meaning she doesn't work for any
agency our company, making her loyalty lie with you, the
client and not some big insurance Melissa, can you just
quickly explain to the listening audience this morning what Medicare is.
Speaker 10 (20:06):
Medicare is a federal program that provides healthcare coverage to
those who are sixty five and older or have qualified
for it earlier due to disability. Original Medicare has two
parts A and B. You actually pay taxes into it
your entire working life. Part A is your hospital coverage,
and for most people it's free. Part B is your
medical coverage, and it has a monthly premium that's based
(20:28):
on your income from two years prior. The twenty twenty
five standard premium for Medicare Part B is one hundred
and eighty five dollars. Many people confuse Medicare with Medicaid.
Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides
healthcare coverage for people with limited income and resources. Some
people can even have both.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
So that's Part A and B. But I have also
heard about parts C and D. What are those? Can
you elaborate on that place?
Speaker 10 (20:58):
Part D is your drug coverage. Original Medicare doesn't include
prescription coverage, so in two thousand and six, the government
established the Part D program. Some people have standalone Part
D plans, while other people have their Part D benefit
bundled into their advantage plan. It's very dangerous to not
have Part D coverage in place, because prescription medications can
(21:18):
be pricey. I help clients find drug coverage based on
their personal medication list. I shop the lowest prices available
at different local pharmacies across all the available plans in
the area, and then make recommendations based on what I find.
Part C is the Medicare Advantage program. Medicare Advantage program
started in nineteen ninety seven as an alternative to supplemental coverage.
(21:40):
Part C takes your A and Part B benefits and
adds additional benefits like drug coverage, dental vision and hearing,
and exchanges it for private coverage through an insurance company.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
So what's the difference between Medicare advantage and Medicare supplement?
Can you elaborate on that?
Speaker 10 (21:56):
So in order to explain that to you, you first
have to understand how original Medicare works. Original Medicare has
two parts A and B. Both parts have a deductible
and co insurance. Part A has a sixteen hundred and
seventy six dollars deductible and Part B has a two
hundred and fifty seven dollars deductible. After you meet your
Part B deductible, Part B picks up eighty percent of
(22:19):
your medical expenses, leaving you with twenty percent. A Medicare
supplement generally picks up these deductibles and co insurances, leaving
you with no medical bills. This is with the exception
of the Part BE deductible. There are no supplements available
with first dollar coverage anymore. A Medicare supplement works in
conjunction with Original Medicare to pick up the cost Original
(22:41):
Medicare leaves you with. Generally, you pay a monthly premium
for your plan and it picks up all Part A
costs and the twenty percent Part B does not cover.
Another great feature of a Medicare supplement is the network.
Original Medicare is a nationwide network. With a supplement, you
can seek treatment anywhere in the country and you'll be
covered as long as the accepts Medicare. This is because
(23:02):
Medicare is your primary coverage and your supplement is secondary.
The bill goes to Medicare first, and then Medicare since
Abortionate doesn't cover to your supplement. Because of this, you
don't have to worry which carrier you go with. As
long as your provider accepts Medicare, they'll accept your supplement.
A Medicare advantage plan tends to pro rate out the
deductibles and co insurances that Medicare leaves you with into
(23:23):
a schedule of benefits. For example, on a Medicare advantage plan,
your hospital co pay is usually about three hundred dollars
a day for around a week, three hundred times five
days is fifteen hundred dollars, which is pretty close to
the part a deductible original Medicare leaves you with. Another
good example is the average specialty doctor's appointment is around
one hundred and fifty dollars. Twenty percent of that is
(23:45):
thirty dollars, which is about what it costs to see
a specialist doctor on a Medicare advantage plan. The great
thing about Medicare advantage is it bundles all your benefits
into one package and usually adds extra benefits like dental,
vision and hearing. In general, Medicare advantage is HMO or
PPO style plans, meaning they have a network of doctors.
HMO plans are very strict about their network, where PPO
(24:09):
plans have in and at a network benefits. The great
thing about Medicare advantage is there's usually no premium. This
makes it a great option for those living on a
fixed income or strict budget.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Medicare supplement or Medicare advantage. What do you recommend in
your professional opinion?
Speaker 10 (24:27):
Both programs have their ups and downs, but I personally
will join a Medicare supplement plan when I turn sixty
five and qualify for Medicare. I have Crohn's disease, which
is a chronic autoimmune disorder. I find I need to
go to the doctor pretty often and generally need things
like bloodwork, radiology, and kolonoscopies at least once a year.
It makes more sense to pay a monthly premium and
(24:48):
have these services covered by my plan instead of having
to pay copays for all these services, which can quickly
add up. I also feel much safer knowing that if
something catastrophic happens, like heart attack or cancer, or my
medical bills will all be paid by the supplement. Copays
and co insurances can quickly add up. I also like
the idea of being able to go anywhere I want
(25:08):
if I get sick. I want the ability to go
to a specialty clinic and see the best doctors possible,
even if it means having to travel. With the Medicare
Supplements nationwide network, this is possible. Medicare Advantage has stricter
network rules. Although some PPO plans do have out of
state benefits. I especially like the plan G Medicare Supplement
(25:29):
because it also picks up the excess fifteen percent that
specialty clinics are allowed to charge over the standard Medicare
approved costs.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Well, listen, is there any way to manage the out
of pockets associated with Medicare advantage? Can you touch on that?
Speaker 4 (25:42):
Absolutely?
Speaker 10 (25:44):
I sell something called an indemni plan. These types of
plans reimburse you for out of pocket expenses. In general,
indemni plans all contain a hospital confinement benefit, which gives
you a per DM for every day you're hospitalized. The
particular indemni plan I sell the most of all also
has benefits like reimbursement for er urgent care visits, ambulance ride,
(26:04):
doctor administered medications, outpatient surgery, and major diagnostic services. I
generally quote this plan based on the out of pockets
associated with your specific Medicare advantage plan, and I provide
every Medicare advantage plan client with an indemni plan quote
and let them decide if they want the extra protection.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
What are some common mistakes that seniors make when choosing
their Medicare plans.
Speaker 10 (26:32):
So I find a lot of people take their health
for granted. They don't consider things like a major illness
or an event like a stroker cancer occurring to them.
It's always wiser to choose your coverage considering what you
would want if you got sick, instead of picking a
plan that complements your current lifestyle and health.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Melissa, where do you work, what communities do you serve,
and how would one set up an appointment with you?
Speaker 10 (26:56):
I'm available for in person appointments throughout Martin and Palm
Beach Counties. I also host a monthly educational seminar the
last Saturday of every month at ten thirty at the
Cafe I Need Coffee, located at seven eleven Indiantown Road.
It's in Jupiter. It is free to attend, but I
recommend making an RSVP of space can be limited. I'm
(27:18):
also available by phone and email throughout all of Florida,
as well as in California, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey,
New York, Nevada, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia,
West Virginia, and Wisconsin. That's right. I have clients across
seventeen states. Making an appointment is as easy as calling
(27:41):
or texting me at five six one two eight seven
zero four zero six, emailing me, or using my website
to schedule a time. My name is Melissa Criici. That's
me l I SSA seas in Charlie or I seas
in Charlie Hi. And if you google me, my website
(28:02):
comes right up.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Now. I'm happy to let people know that on the
thirty first of January, from eleven am till three pm,
you can meet Melissa in person at the Lakeworth Towers,
which is right right off of Lucern Avenue. We'll be
doing a senior expell in healthfare there on the thirty first,
from eleven till three. We're going to be on the
(28:24):
twelfth of February, she'll be with us from noon until
three thirty at the Cane Center in Stuart. And then
on the twenty first of February she'll be with us
at the Savannah and Stuart from ten thirty am till
two thirty pm. And as well as a number of
other events that are coming up in the twenty twenty
five calendar year. Just wanting to reference the ones that
are coming up immediately within the next month or so.
(28:47):
Really looking forward to working with you as we have
in the years past, because of the fact that you
bring so much to the equation. We've got about three,
four or five minutes left. What I want you to do.
Touch on some stuff that you want to share with
the listening audience, because obviously, your industry, as they say,
not to be redundant, it is an ever changing industry,
and I know that I've heard you reference it and
(29:08):
heard a lot of people talk about this. In twenty
twenty four they said, as we get into the twenty
twenty five calendar year, there was going to be some
wholesale changes. I don't know if we want to say wholesale,
but there were going to be some extraordinary changes within
the industry of medicare and the Medicare plans. Touch on
that for the listing audience, if you could so.
Speaker 10 (29:29):
Twenty twenty five brought a lot of exciting changes to
Medicare and some disappointing changes. Deductibles did go up a
little bit, premiums did go up a little bit, nothing
too major as far as those increases went. But the
Part D program was majorly changed, which I believe benefits
(29:49):
seniors tremendously. The original maximum out of pocket for the
Part D program used to be over eight thousand dollars,
and with the passing of the Inflation Reduction An Act,
that actually was brought down to two thousand dollars. So
a lot of seniors who are on very expensive medications
now hit the catastrophic coverage phase of their plans, sometimes
(30:13):
pretty early in the year, and then don't have to
pay for their prescriptions anymore. It's benefited a lot of
people on name brand medications such as Zarlto and Eloquist,
other life saving medications that are really important to people.
They also eliminated what was called the donut hole in
(30:33):
the Part D program, which used to be awful for
seniors on those expensive medications because you were responsible for
paying twenty five percent the cost of your medication. That's
been eliminated completely. Now the Part D program has been
simplified into three phases. It has the deductible phase, where
you have at a pocket costs up to five hundred
(30:54):
and ninety dollars on Tier one, two, and three medications.
Usually generics are excluded from that, and only specialty medications
like Tier four and five medications are included. After the
deductible phase, you enter the initial coverage phase, or what
I like to call the copay phase, where you usually
(31:15):
have a small co payment in order to pick up
your meds, and once that maximum out of pocket hits
two thousand dollars, you go into the catastrophic coverage phase,
where everything's covered at one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
I remember sharing with you in twenty twenty four I
had that surgery. It was fifty eight. I just turned
fifty eight, and I'd been relatively healthy my whole life,
rather than bad knees from football and a bad spine
from you know, bouncing football car recks, all that neat
stuff you go through when we're young and feel invincible.
But all of a sudden came up with the tumor.
(31:47):
Then the next thing you know, I'm a fib and
I ended up in the summer of twenty twenty four,
in July, right over Fourth of July weekend in the
hospital in Boca Baptist Hospital. I was there for five
days taking eloquis and at drone, and the side effects
from it were just unbearable. But then what's worse, You
should got to pay for it. At Walgreens and all
of a sudden, did you say sixteen hundred dollars for
(32:10):
two prescriptions? It's actually fourteen ninety. Oh gee, thanks, And
I know that you know we have a couple of
minutes left. You had a situation where you had shared
with me in the studio, and I think you shared
with a couple of other people because I know right
now you're in the process of working with our board
president John Crowle from crow Reality. You've worked with a
number of people from the Chamber that you've helped successfully.
(32:30):
You had an option for people where they could go
around it and a touch on that how they were
able to get their prescriptions at a lower rate. Because
I know you showed it to me, I want people.
Speaker 4 (32:39):
To hear this.
Speaker 10 (32:41):
So whenever I work on a drug quote for someone,
I do as much research as I can to find
the best prices available. And a lot of medications are
available through mail order pharmacies or available at a discount
on good r X. And when I do a quote
for someone, I will quote through all of these different
outlets to find the best prices available for my clients.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
That's very, very important because it's just ironic. The side
effects are one thing, but when it's side effects to
your wallet on top of side effects to your body,
that can become detrimental. That can be a little bit overbearing.
And you know, it's nice to know that they have
someone like you who has their best interest at heart
and is willing to work with them. I hear that music.
(33:24):
We've got about sixteen to ninety seconds left. I want
you to share with the listening audience again the thing
that you do on the seminar that comes up on
I believe next.
Speaker 10 (33:33):
Saturday, right, yeah, the last Saturday of the month every
month through this year. I have secured a room at
the Cafe I Need Coffee in Jupiter, right off Indian
Town Road, and I offer a free Medicare seminar for
people who are new to medicare or who have Medicare
and want to learn more about it. It's at ten
(33:55):
thirty in the morning. You can come, enjoy a complimentary
coffee or snack, learn all about medicare, and ask me
all the questions that have come up in the process
of you getting bombarded by mailers and spam and agents
trying to call you to sell you something.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
Once again, Melissa, give everyone your contact information until you
on next segment so people know how to get a
hold of you to make an appointment.
Speaker 10 (34:16):
So my name is Melissa Careici me E l I
S S A Season, Charlie O r I Season Charlie
Hi at gmail dot com would be my email address,
and my website is Melissa Corici Insurancesolutions dot com.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
Once again, you can meet Melissa in person on the
thirty first of January at Lakeworth Towers from eleven am
till three pm. On the twelfth of February at the
Cane Center and Stewart from noon until three thirty and
then again on the twenty first of February at to
Savannah and Stewart from ten thirty a m. Till two
thirty pm. I want to thank you for being with us, Melissa,
have a wonderful weekend and God blessed.
Speaker 10 (34:53):
Thank you, Thank you. Hey, this is Melissa Ricci. I'm
a licensed and insured local insurance agent. So one thing
worth mentioning is the annual enrollment period for Medicare advantage
did end back in December, which is known as plan
(35:15):
changing season for those on a Medicare advantage plan. But
I do like to remind all my clients that you
have the Open Enrollment Period or OEP available to make
one plan change up until March thirty first, So if
you're unhappy with your current coverage, give me a call.
Can reach me at five six one two eight seven
(35:36):
zero four zero six call their text business owners.
Speaker 9 (35:41):
The Greater South Florida Chamber is now accepting memberships.
Speaker 4 (35:44):
As an online member, your.
Speaker 9 (35:46):
Business can create pages, posts, and comments that add an
extra dimension to your online presence. Direct mail, owned newspaper
and business directories are also available. With over one thousand
current members and one hundred thousand within the social network,
The reader South Florida Chamber can help generate business that
fits your budget.
Speaker 4 (36:04):
Call today nine five.
Speaker 9 (36:05):
Four five eight oh eight eight oh two or visit
greeter South Florida Chamber dot com.
Speaker 3 (36:11):
Good morning, welcome back to the show. It's Saturday, January eighteenth,
twenty twenty five. We're privileged to be here this morning
in West Palm Beach, Florida at iHeartRadio, where we're now
streaming on the iHeart app. Have with us longtime corporate
trustee Ambassador doctor Walter Buck Campbell. I encourage you to
go to YouTube and put that in he is the
founder of I Love My Vision Institute in Lauterhill, Florida,
(36:31):
and also TCM Traditional Chinese Medicine. What I want you
to do this morning, doctor Campbell, I'm sure you have
a topic you want to talk about. I want you
to dig right into it. You're well burst in all
of these different fields, and I want you to talk
a little bit about your practice, where you're at, what
you do, how people can get a hold of you
for you if they want to make an appointment, and
touch on some of the different things that you treat.
(36:53):
Go ahead, doctor, Well, we.
Speaker 5 (36:55):
Treat the eye, and you know there's a It's very
interesting that the Chinese have an axiom and it's in
all their books that the eyes open from the liver.
So for the last fourteen years I've been trying to
feel how do you translate in physiological terms in English?
(37:16):
You know, how do the eyes open from the liver? Well,
you know, the liver's a filter, filters out all the
metabolic waste and a lot of our diet congests the liver.
Faty liver is a big thing. Even children come in
here with fatty livers, eating oatmeal every day with glycasate
(37:37):
in it.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
And so.
Speaker 5 (37:42):
You know if you look in the bottom of the heart,
the heart gets the blood from the top and the
bottom the bottoms in fury of any cave gets the
blood from the liver, and they inferior can't be in
a cave of the vein goes down and gets from
the kidneys and then goes down and gets from the legs.
So as the liver can jests. You know, with with
(38:03):
our bad diet and toxic food, bad oils really can
screw it up. You don't want to be eaten any
seed oils, especially if you've got eye problems. And so
that's ideally thirty percent of the blood to the heart
to come from the liver. But if it doesn't, it'll
(38:24):
pull more from the kidneys in the legs than in
my opinion, then it can refill replace so leg crams,
restless legs, syndrome, urination problems, beauties da DA. But more importantly,
(38:45):
you know when when the liver is congest and it's
pulling more blood from the kidneys in the in the
legs instead of the liver, you're getting a lot of
unfiltered blood into the system. When you get a lot
(39:05):
of unfiltered blood into the system. It goes through the system,
it winds up in the eye. It can clog up
the arteries in your eye in my opinion, Oh my opinion.
There's some optimologist probably rolling on the ground laughing by now,
but who cares. So, you know, the arteries in the eye,
(39:30):
in the chloroid, which is the second layer of the retina,
look like roller coasters, and the arteries, these little roller
coaster arteries have little holes at the top of the
roller coaster the hill, if you will. An these little
hole will let oxygen and nutrients through, but won't let
(39:50):
the blood cells through because the blood cells are way
too big for that. So my opinion, these holes clog
up very easily. Now once you start putting, you know
this extra metabolic waste and cognose arteries. I think in
the retinais pigmentosa. Those arteries are smaller than average and
(40:13):
they clog up easier. That's just my first opinion. Also,
you have these this around the front of your eye,
like you have the clear part of the yard that
you see through. That's called the cornea, five layers thick,
and it connects to the seclaia, the white part, if
(40:35):
you will and right right right next to that in
the white part is a thing called the canal of Shlim,
and it's a tube actually, and it's surrounded by fibers
like spiderwebs if you will, or a filter. And this,
(40:58):
this canal of Shlim drains the fluid from the eye. Now,
if you cannot, if the fluid in the eye can't
is low metabolic waste, in my opinion, it can clog
those hairs in that canal of shlim. And that the
(41:20):
hairs themselves are designed to give a back pressure of
you know anywhere for eacheen ten and fifteen mls, which
is ideal mercury pressure. But when when those those channels
get blocked in the canal of shlim from too much
metaboc waste clogging up the canal of shlim, the fluid
(41:41):
can't get out. You get interocular eye pressure. And you
call that glaucoma. When you clog enough of those little
arteries in the retina in the choroid. You know, over
time you age those guys, those guys get weaker. You
can get you can get macular degeneration. Can't it can't
(42:06):
bind correctly to the to the well, the the chloroid
can peel off and where the the that's the vascular layer.
And the next layer is the pigment layer that can
do it tear or it can block that that sponge
(42:29):
called the pigment layer. And the pigment layer is like
the third layer in on the retina. So you have
the the water balloon that holds the eye. Then you
have the vascular layer which brings the blood in. And
the very next layer is this sponge that absorbs the
nutrients from those little roller coasters we spoke about. And
this sponge gets the nutrients and feeds and by diffusion.
(42:52):
Is this all these nutrients and oxygen diffuse in this
sponge to feed the rods and cones to do the
actual scene. And I think you can clog up that
sponge too and create dry spots in it. And this
is from metabolic waste and vision problems have increased over
(43:13):
the last thirty forty years. Then commonent with liver function.
People's livers aren't functioning properly because of the toxic food.
You can ask Kennedy it's going into office soon, God Willing,
I didn't tell you that. You know the food is
very toxic, and you know it clogs the liver and
(43:37):
eventually it will clog clog your eyes, and then you know,
if it starts clogging your brain, now you got Now
you got some real serious trouble there. That's another story,
but we're just sticking with the eyes.
Speaker 1 (43:49):
Now.
Speaker 5 (43:49):
There's there are muscles in the eye which are really cool,
the one that's around the lens of the eyes. You know,
the light comes through the front of the eye called
the cornea, which is like another lens in itself. It
has two thirds focusing power that go back to the
real lens, right and this lens itself has no blood supply,
(44:15):
and it's fed by the aquayus humor that's liquid in
the eye that if you know you're not you're not
filtering your liver, and you get all this metabolic waste
in this this fluid, then you can't nurse the cornea.
Now all of a sudden, you got cataracts, oxidative stress
on the lens and more importantly, right in back of
(44:39):
the iris. That's the thing to give you your color of
the eye. Or these things called ciliary bodies that bring
most of the fluid into the eye and they can
clog up very easily in time over with oxidative stress.
Now you don't have enough fluid in the eye, or
(45:00):
the fluid is metabolically challenged in terms of the waste products,
and it can't get it in and out enough, and
you have all along that that what do you call it,
the canal is shlim, which is like a tube with
fibers all around it, and it's got fat in there
(45:22):
as well. So if you're eating crisco with forty two
insecticides and glyca sate and you get that kind of
fat up in your eye, good luck. You know, bad
fat as a killer. You only want to eat coconut oil,
extra copress, virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and real organic butter.
(45:48):
Those are safe. But eating corn oil, canola oil, all
these things are toxic. Toxic, clogged the whole system, including
your eyes. So now you get inocular pressure and so
the best thing they got is to put a tube
in your right to drain the pressure and steroids, you know,
(46:11):
to reduce inflammation, which worked for a short time, but
after a while things will start to deter it real
fast because the fluids can't nourish the rest of the eye.
Remember that fluid nourishes the iris, It nourishes the muscles
around the lens and the iris. You know, it can
(46:36):
really clog that whole system up. And so the biggest
thing is keep your liver clean, watch what you eat,
try to work, eat organic, fresh fruits and vegetables. I'm
not against meat, but I think beef is healthier than
chicken and fish. That seems crazy, but that cow meat
(47:00):
under a microscope. If you look at the muscle of
a cow and a human under a microscope, you can't
tell a difference, and you can barely tell a difference
in the blood, and the hemoglobe is exactly the same.
So if you want to build muscle and blood, you
do that. But if you want to eat chicken, that, yeah,
it's got all twenty amino acids, but it's not mammal muscle.
(47:21):
It's a bird muscle. And bird muscle comes from a
raptor dinosaur, you know, sixty seven million years ago, which
is reptile. So when they fry up rattlesnake, what does
it taste like chicken? What does frog legs taste like chicken?
What does alligator tail tastes like chicken? Because it's all
reptile meat. It's not mammal meat, all right, getting blood
(47:44):
into the system. You're not going to a woman who
has heavy periods and blood to fish and very fragile
and is a vegetarian or only eats fish and chicken.
I'm sorry, you can't make blood out of turnips, fish
and chicken. I don't care how many vegetarians get on
iron too. Their horn now healthy r in their blood work.
The blood work looks good. But in my opinion, after
(48:05):
seven to ten years of being a vegetarian, they come
in here very deficient.
Speaker 3 (48:11):
Doc. That was very informative. I hear that music in
the background. Who means we're coming to a close. We
got about a minute left. What I'd like for you
to do? Give out your contact information phone number, web
address and let people know they can get a hold
of you if they want to come out and set
up a consultation with you. Go ahead.
Speaker 5 (48:26):
Yeah, Well, if you have vision challenges, you might want
us to take a look at it after you see
your ophthalmologists and see what his diagnosis is. But then
you come in and we may be able to really
help you, where they may not be able to help you,
or they could help you, but we do it a
whole different way. We heal THEI naturally over time. And
(48:48):
we're at Lauter Hill and the telephone number to make
appointment is three zero five seven. It's zero one four
three oh five seven six zero two four one four.
And if you go to YouTube, plug in doctor Walter Campbell,
(49:11):
look at the search engine doctor Walter Campbell and YouTube,
and you'll see some very happy patients with all a
range of all elements, but most of them are visions.
So we look forward to seeing you if we can
help you, give us a call and uh uh and
let's take a look at what you got. God blessed.
Thank you Rob for the opportunity for letting us into
(49:34):
your workshop.
Speaker 4 (49:35):
Yes, sirsay what we do here?
Speaker 3 (49:37):
All right? Doc, I want to appreciate you. Thank you. You
have a wonderful weekend, and we'll have you on next segment.
Appreciate it, No.
Speaker 5 (49:44):
I appreciate you better, Rob, God bless Bye. Bye.
Speaker 6 (49:53):
Doctor Walter Campbell with TCM Physicians offers traditional Chinese medicine,
offering acupuncture and auricular therapy. Tcmphysicians specializes in vision disorders,
chronic pain relief, and dementia right now. Take ten percent
off the vision restoration protocol. When you mentioned this radio
ad Achieve optimal health with TCM Physicians. Call three five, seven,
(50:14):
six zero twenty four to fourteen to schedule an appointment today,
or visit Tcmphysicians dot com. That's Tcmphysicians dot com. Wellness awaits.
Speaker 11 (50:23):
Buying or selling your home, contact Krollrealty at Crollrealty dot
com for the best deal. A boutique style real estate
company since nineteen fifty one, Kroll Realty offers Broward and
Palm Beach County real estate experts with unparalleled knowledge and
local expertise just looking Register at Crollrealty dot com a
free website without any hassles.
Speaker 1 (50:42):
Sign up for.
Speaker 11 (50:43):
Email updates on your starch criteria, use the resources, and more.
Again that's Krollrealty dot com. K rll Realty dot com.
We roll with Kroll.
Speaker 8 (50:53):
The SFANA at Stewart has taken retirement living to a
new level where active fifty five plus living has never
looked better. At the Solvanna, we believe you should have
the ability to tailor your senior living experience into a
perfect fit. Residents enjoy a vibrant atmosphere along with resort
style amenities including a pool, pickleball court, and state of
the art fitness room, as well as happy hours. They
(51:15):
provide transportation to doctors and grocery stores and offer spacious
one or two bedroom options. Enjoy a maintenance free lifestyle
with no home insurance or hoa FS limited time pricing
starting at only one thousand, nine ninety five a month.
Call seven seven two two oh four oh one ninety six.
That's seven seven two two oh four oh one ninety six,
(51:35):
or visit online at the Sovannah dot com located on
US one behind Rooms to Go Patio in Stewart, where
active fifty five plus living has never looked so good.
Visit the Solvannah dot com. That's the s Ovana dot com.
This is the way retirement living was meant to be.
The Svannah at Stewart redefine your retirement.
Speaker 9 (51:54):
Business owners, The Greater South Florida Chamber is now accepting memberships.
Speaker 4 (51:59):
As an online member, your.
Speaker 9 (52:00):
Business can create pages, posts, and comments that add an
extra dimension to your online presence. Direct mail, newspaper and
business directories are also available, with over one thousand current
members and one hundred thousand within the social network the
Greater South Florida Chamber can help generate business that fits
your budget. Call today nine five four five eight oh eight,
(52:21):
eight oh two or visit Greatersouth Florida Chamber dot com.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
You've been listening to the Greater South Florida Chamber Radio
program with your host, Board President John Kroll of Kroll
Realty
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!