J. Ross Quigley CEO Medipac International Inc. Insurance We are ready to go South, today. Unfortunately, we have to wait for the birth of another grandson (daughter?) in early October and we must attend our office Christmas party in early December. The word “unfortunately” is probably incorrect, as we are very excited to have a new addition to our family. Our Christmas party is also a highlight of our year, but the sirens of the South are calling anyway. One of my goals this week is to get our travel insurance in place and it is getting expensive as we age, as you all know only too well. Pat’s mother, who usually travels with us, is aged 98 and, fortunately, she is still pretty healthy. She spent a few days in hospital this year, so we will need an underwritten policy to waive the hospital pre-existing exclusion for her. You should read the pre-existing exclusions in your policy to be sure that you are properly covered. Medipac does not wish to sell you a policy unless you have complete coverage for everything. Call us if you have questions. Medical inflation in the U.S. is ridiculous; the Canadian dollar is not behaving well and Covid and RSV are going to be issues for us to resolve. We have done our best to keep rates as low as we can, and we still have the fairest insurance policy in the snowbird marketplace. There are many “unknowns” this year. Have these terrible forest fires damaged our lungs? What are the long-term effects of breathing the poisons in the air? Is our drinking water safe, with all of the flooding and run-off from the forest residue? These are not simple questions, but they are overwhelmed by the people who have lost their homes and everything in them. Where are they going to go and who is going to help them? How do they rebuild their lives? I thought it rather bizarre that the U.S. compensation for losing everything in Lahaina, Hawaii was only $700 per household. What a joke! The Maui United Way is giving $1,000 to each person – a little better. Hopefully, our governments will step up and really help our people. I pray that you are all safe and have people to turn to during this terrible time. The sirens of the South are calling. 12 | www.snowbirds.org
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