By Alexander Germanis
There are few things in life on which we actually enjoy spending our hard-earned money. Medical insurance is certainly not one of them. Purchasing insurance is unpleasant enough without having to compound one’s distress by choosing from among numerous complex plans.
Although insurance may be a necessity, finding the right one for you or your family does not have to be so unpleasant. Helping navigate the quagmire of insurance plans and finding the right policy for you is why Steven Buttice established Medical Reimbursement & Management Services-Inc. (MRMS) in Peoria nearly 40 years ago
One Size Does Not Fit All
When Steven Buttice moved to Peoria from Rockford in the early 1980s, he moved to a city in which he did not know a single soul. For a man like Steven—someone who was driven to help people—that just wasn’t going to work.
Starting MRMS in 1984 was, therefore, essentially a means to an end. “It was a way for him to interact and meet as many people along with benefitting them by helping find coverage that best fit their needs,” shares Steven’s son, Steven Buttice II, who recently took over from his father as head of MRMS.
Fitting a need is not always an easy task. Medical needs can differ so much from person to person; even two relatively healthy individuals will still have varied medical concerns. With issues like hereditary health concerns to pre-existing conditions to very specific prescription requirements, finding the right plan becomes more and more difficult. Choosing one out of the myriad medical insurance plans and carriers out there can be a labyrinthine job.
“Insurance is not a one-size-shoe-fits-all model. It is important to explain and educate the clients of the options rather than sell a policy,” Steve explains. “We will research plans to make sure the providers as well as their medications are in-network, for no charge.”
The way MRMS works for its clients is simple, although their workload is anything but. An independent insurance brokerage, MRMS is not tied to any specific insurance company, giving them the freedom to find just the right policy for each client. “We can shop plans based on a person’s life, health, and disability insurance needs, wants, and financial situation,” Steve says. “We can assist them in finding the policy that is the most cost efficient for their individual self that also meets their needs. I feel MRMS is essential to our clients even more now than prior to the COVID-19 crisis.”
From Father to Son
The MRMS team and Steve II in particular were dealt a heavy blow earlier this year when Steve’s father passed away suddenly. Although Steve had not originally planned on taking over MRMS from his father, circumstances warranted a different path for him.
Fate, it seems, had prepared Steve as well. Working part-time at MRMS in 2012, Steve has been licensed in health and life insurance since 2013. “My major was education for the first semester of college before switching to business,” he reveals. “I had the privilege to gain experience and knowledge by working with my dad during breaks from school. Once I graduated, I was blessed to start full time. I was able to not only work, but to ‘hang out’ with my dad almost every day. I am very grateful for that opportunity.”
MRMS is now Steve’s home and he is happy to honor his father’s legacy by serving it and others. “My father taught me along with the other staff here how to operate and assist individuals on their specific needs,” he says. “He implemented and practiced his core values through MRMS, which allowed it to grow as it did.”
Those morals and ethics Steve’s father established as the core of MRMS are best summed up as simply taking care of the people in the community. “Also, by rooting for the Cubs, Bears, and Illini, no matter how irritating some seasons might be,” Steve jokes.
Although our plans for life and life’s plans for us might not always lie along the same lines, Steve says he is still happy for the road life and his father left for him travel. “I am grateful that the path I walked was this one.”
The Buttice Legacy
The real inheritance left to Steve by his father is not really MRMS itself, but rather the Buttice Family need to help others.
Medical Reimbursement & Management Services is, after all, about service, and finding the right health coverage for someone is a vital service. One’s health is of immeasurable value as it directly affects one’s quality of life and overall happiness. Helping each person who comes to them secure that quality of life then is, ultimately, the Buttice Family legacy.
Medical Reimbursement & Management Services-Inc. is located at 809 West Detweiller Dr. in Peoria, IL. If you wish to set up an appointment to find what insurance plan is best suited for you, please call (309) 693-1060 or visit us on the web at www.mrms-inc.com.
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