Good Neighbor Podcast: Cobb County
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Cobb County. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Milli M. helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around Cobb County, Georgia.
Is your business serving the residents of Cobb County? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpCobbCounty.com to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Cobb County
E52: Navigating Medicare with Heart: How Ghulam Hasnain Serves Underrepresented Communities
Finding your way through Medicare's complex system of plans, options, and requirements can be challenging for anyone – but it's especially difficult if English isn't your first language or you're unfamiliar with American healthcare systems. Meet Ghulam Hasnain, a 79-year-old licensed Medicare agent whose life mission extends far beyond selling insurance policies.
Ghulam brings a fascinating background to his work, having spent 28 years as an IT business analyst before transitioning to humanitarian and service-oriented work. As founder of a refugee agency serving Utah's Somali community and a court interpreter for Hindi and Urdu, Ghulam has dedicated his later years to helping those who might otherwise fall through the cracks. His expertise as a Medicare agent specifically targets individuals facing significant language barriers or confusion about navigating healthcare options.
What makes Ghulam's approach unique is his genuine commitment to client education and satisfaction rather than commission-driven sales. "My meter is not always running," he explains, noting that while most agents might complete a consultation in 30 minutes, he often spends hours ensuring his clients truly understand their options. Unlike captive agents representing just one insurance company, Ghulam presents all available plans and empowers clients to make their own informed choices. His services come at absolutely no cost to clients, as he receives compensation directly from insurance carriers. Whether you're looking for face-to-face meetings in the Lilburn, Georgia area or prefer the convenience of virtual consultations, Ghulam offers the personalized guidance you need to make confident Medicare decisions. Ready to work with a Medicare agent who puts your needs first? Schedule a consultation with Ghulam and experience the difference a patient, knowledgeable approach can make.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Millie.
Speaker 2:M. Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, millie M. Are you in need of a licensed Medicare insurance agent? Well, one might be closer than you think. I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, gulam Pasnain. He's with Agent Boost. How are you?
Speaker 3:Gulam, I'm good, thank you, and how are you?
Speaker 2:Doing quite well. Thank you so much for asking. We're excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us more about what you do.
Speaker 3:Thank you. Yes, I wanted to give you a little bit of a slight background as to where I'm coming from, and so that'll give you a little perspective in what I'm doing. I spent about 28 years in IT as an information systems analyst and I am I mean, I am not shy, you know, and where I'm coming from, age is a good thing. I'm 79 years old.
Speaker 2:Wow years young.
Speaker 3:And the secret for me to stay healthy and alive and happy is to stay engaged in life. So after 20 some years, I think you know, as a business analyst, I decided that I wanted to do things where I could make some supplemental income, but where I actually help people genuinely. I mean, at this age, you know, getting rich quick, you know that's my case. I don't want to beat, you know you get my drift. So therefore, I am the founder of a refugee agency called Salt Lake American and it helps refugees and in fact we are helping the largest refugee community in the state of Utah Somalis and they don't speak English, they don't know they were around, so we are available to them 24-7. And so that's what the claim is for that, because nobody else wanted to help them because of that reason. But anyway, that's one of my projects. The other thing I am also a court interpreter of languages. I do a language interpretation. Oh wow, in fact, as far as I know, I'm the only state of Utah language interpreter in the courts for Hindi and Urdu. But the third thing I'm doing the last but not the one we're here for is that I'm a licensed agent for Medicare plans in the state of Georgia, licensed in Georgia, licensed in Utah, licensed in the state of Washington, and on all three states I'm licensed in Georgia, licensed in Utah, licensed in the state of Washington, and on all three states I'm licensed for.
Speaker 3:And again, I take this perspective, you know, because, as you can see, I am working with people for whom I'm happy to help. You know a friend, you know the neighbor and this, and that you know the regular community, the mainstream, but I specialize in folks who have significant language and problems, you know, in navigating the system. They're lost in the system. So that's why my meter is not always running right. I mean a crowd like that. You can't go with a customer and do their thing and run to the next and try to make a living. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:Somebody, a normal customer I mean an agent could spend half an hour be done, go with a customer and do their thing and run to the next and make a living and this, and that you know what I'm saying, right, somebody, a normal customer I mean an agent could spend half an hour be done with it and move to the next one. It may take me a whole couple of hours. A meeting may be more than one day, perhaps you know. So that's where I'm coming from and so I am. Enough said. You know, because I specialize in my Advantage plans, but I take care of all the Medicare plans that are available. I'm licensed for that, you know.
Speaker 2:You are definitely engaged in life, I can say that. So how did you get into Medicare from IT? Tell us what. How did you get into the business?
Speaker 3:Well, for one thing, I think I, in the very end of my IT career, I was a business analyst. Business analyst is quite a thing, believe me. I could spend a whole thing here you know a whole session on just what that is and with some companies, kind of fairly significant companies, you know, like with the Boeing company. I spent 10 and some years with the Boeing company. You know where I cut my teeth. I mean, like that's where I. I mean, it's another story.
Speaker 3:I don't want to get into my personal life story here, but it's interesting and I'm happy to do that. So. So therefore I um, I actually a business analyst allows me to look at the picture and have the customer that's what it is, you know, technically and Medicare should be simple, and to some degree, if you are like a bird's eye view, it's sort of simple, but when you get down to the nitty gritty it's not simple. There are all kinds of choices and so therefore, people have a hard time navigating it and I help them. So as a business analyst, I bring to bear my skills from there. On medicare, if you get my drift, you know me that the it is going to be for average person. Although I'm 65, I qualify here. It goes well, you get over there and just wait a minute it they're like amazed, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And you have to customize. I can't be an agent who just throws something over the fence and done. You have to hold their hand and walk through. They have to understand what they're getting into.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, besides my commission, I want them to know why did they In fact they get to choose? I don't really, you know, I don't say over here, because this is not where I'm getting the most commissioning, no, no, this is the one that is suitable for you. Yes, and you kind of see that. So when we get together, I mean first we make them get to the point where they're ready to sign on. But we need to sign on in a policy that is suitable for them, and you are part of the process of picking what that policy is, because I told them all those policies. I'm not a captive market where you just say, oh, this is my baby.
Speaker 2:Not a one-time result for sure. What are some of the myths or misconceptions about the Medicare industry?
Speaker 3:I mean that it is kind of can be complicated. You know that it's a huge. You know there are kinds of insurance carriers that are out there and really bottom line from where I'm coming from is that there are. I am not in the business to make a living at it. You know what I mean. I'm doing this part time. I'm 80 years old, right, I mean. So therefore, that's actually in my favor as far as I'm concerned. You know what I'm saying, because I'm not 30, some or some 20 to 50 year old who's trying to put bread on the table and root for their head, and so there is no meter running for me. You know, and I am going to that's, and so there is no meter running for me. You know, and I am going to, that's the problem.
Speaker 3:I mean, I actually got sold. I mean I'm 85. I mean you know 80, I'm not quite yet there, but so I've been on Medicare as a customer, okay, right, and so therefore, I know what the issues are there. I mean there are all these plans and all. First of all, medicare in itself can be a challenge when you get under nitty gritty. Then you have all of these competing insurance companies that are trying to get to you. Then you have a situation where you have an agent that maybe we hold into one company and guess what he or she is selling, whatever that company he can make money off of?
Speaker 2:I'm sure I don't do that. So your target customers are what's the Medicare age? And how do you find your customers, Since you say that you provide care for a specific group that has language barriers. So what's?
Speaker 3:your target customer has language barriers. So what's that? What's your target customer? Yeah, because over there, because, like immigrants and you know because who, the folks who for whom english is a significant challenge and also they are not familiar with our system, how to navigate it. You know what I mean and so therefore, I try to help them out. You know what I mean. And though that's a crowd, if they're having trouble, come to me, is really what I'm saying. Yeah, I'm trying to bring them out. You know what I mean, and that's how. If they're having trouble, come to me is really what I'm saying. I'm trying to bring them to me, not to get rich quick, but because they may have some trouble, you know, because they may have an agent.
Speaker 2:Where do they find?
Speaker 3:you. That's why we're here, right.
Speaker 2:Get the word out for sure. Yeah, yeah, talk to me about what you do for fun. I know you're really, really busy. You're out in utah, you're doing insurance. What do you do for fun? This is what I do for fun.
Speaker 3:You know the thing is like because I mean, you see, the thing is that it becomes a drudge or whatever. If I'm trying to make a living, put a roof over my head. Do I try to do that? No, do I be holding to somebody else? No, I wake up when I want to and I do what I want to. And what do I want to? I want to do these things right.
Speaker 1:I mean because I can hold my head and stay in court.
Speaker 3:I mean that that is what gives me pleasure.
Speaker 3:I mean all these people, yeah, I mean all these Somalis who I'm helping. I mean I'm the founder of this agency. I don't do the groundwork right. I mean I have folks who do the actual work right. I mean I get the ground money and I paid them, and so, and all of these people who come and look at me closer than even the average relative that they have, you know, talk to me about a hardship or a life challenge that you had to overcome and how it made you stronger.
Speaker 3:Well, the thing is I'm actually originally from India, you know what I mean. And so, and my father moved the family out of the country at the time when it went through some significant political turmoil because it got split up into two countries, into Pakistan and India, into Pakistan and India. So there was a big turmoil. It's sort of like virtually like civil war, you know, for all I care to say. And so, therefore, that led us out of the country. You know, because, fortunately, my father was an educated man, he had a master's degree and he was in the military actually, but he retired from that because of all of this turmoil, right, and so he moved the family out of the country and so I made my way from there. So I was kind of like an immigrant, what have you, you know, refugee, I mean, we were not like coming out with, you know, clothes on our back or you know something like that, because we, but it was turmoil, right, and so we came, and so you can just imagine, enough said, right, I mean, as to what that would be. You know, because I came here in 1967 to the United States.
Speaker 3:I was 21 years old and I had English going for me, not that we speak English in India, but we were.
Speaker 3:Those situations were happening as the country was becoming independent from british colonial rule, and so therefore, with that background, there was english there, though, right, british only rule in india. So I did have some english going for me, I mean academics and all of that, not so much speaking, but um. So therefore I came to that's what the background that brought me here, because I had english going for me, even if I wasn't a fluent speaker, as some said, with an accent of mine or whatever. So therefore, and so that's how I made my way, I mean and you can imagine, I was actually, if you can imagine I came and got myself a bachelor's in English literature, oh wow. And I said this is not practical enough. So I get a oh wow to get a PhD in linguistics and stand in the unemployment line immediately, or what, and this you know, if I were, you would do something, and lo and behold, and I feel like I was blessed that that here I am ready to make it, you know, pivot.
Speaker 2:What a life journey you have an amazing story, you know computers are coming and this and they were.
Speaker 3:There was such a demand for them that they didn't care what background you had, as long as you had a college degree. You could be in musicology, history, and they would shift you over. And so I got shifted over, and I got shifted over for companies like Boeing and American stores and big companies too. I mean, I'm actually a big company type of person, you know, because this is the old, not the dot com and not the, you know anyway.
Speaker 2:So that's beautiful. Well, tell our listeners one thing you want them to remember about what you do as a licensed Medicare agent.
Speaker 3:That I am really. My need is really not so much making money in big commission yes, I'd like to do that but by satisfying truly their genuine need. I'm not a commercial under stress agent that's going to stress them out, or myself. I know we will take the time to make them kind of I don't want to get into the long thing, you know to have them basically understand what they need to, because if they already know what they want done, you know that's not the issue. The issue is, if they don't, then I have the skills to make them fundamentally understand as to what they're doing. Then they get to pick what they want and then I may get some commission and they don't call.
Speaker 3:So my consultation, all my services to them are not at no cost. This is important for them to know. Okay, if I place them into something, then the company, the carrier, you place them in a plan that is owned by an insurance company, so your services are at no cost to them. No cost to them, not for the meeting, not for enroll. You know what plan they got enrolled in and any, none of this cost them a dime. It's a no cost thing and and you know. And so therefore, and bottom line if I do everything and I let them even pick their choice. I don't pick a choice I show them. We sit together and say all of these plans are available for you. Not every agent is going to do that, I mean. You know what I mean? A lot of them should be and would be, but behold an agent that are a captive to a company, are not going to do that. And so we let them pick their own thing. Right, and God forbid.
Speaker 3:No, I've had enough. And am I? No, didn't mean I have actually informed them. They're armed. Now, whenever they go to the next thing or whatever, they are armed. So therefore, did I just lose out? No, my mission, I said in the very beginning, was to have them be informed and know what they're doing, and we have actually now gotten to that point. They also, typically, I haven't had, I mean, anybody walks away, but if they did, I'm saying that it's not. Am I a crestfallen? Oh, how am I going to put bread on the table?
Speaker 2:No, for sure. I can tell that your passion is to help people, and whether they work with you or whether they walk away with information, you have helped them. So your mission is clear. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3:Thank you?
Speaker 2:How can people get in touch with you?
Speaker 3:Well, I actually have a calendar link that they can schedule, you know, their meeting with me, and so and I live in Lilburn, so anything within 20 miles radius of Lilburn I can have face to face. But I actually, having said that, I still will say that the ideal way is to meet online, like we are meeting, you know. Yes, because that is virtually like being in person, face-to-face. In fact it's better, because sometimes in a face-to-face you may not be able to show them what the plans are and so on, and get them to sign up, and all you know it's a little easier. That can be done in person, but this way you show them what they want, they pick the thing and we sign and we're done.
Speaker 2:It's the best of both worlds, for sure. Thank you so much, gulam. We appreciate the work you're doing. My pleasure, it's been a pleasure, millie.
Speaker 3:I wish you the best. And it was wonderful. Thank you for your time. Appreciate it. Thank you for your time.
Speaker 1:Appreciate it.