Free Insurance to Local Front Line [PHIL-OSOPHY]

The key word in the above title is "generosity," not "free." What's that? You don't see the word? Well first, let me explain what's going on here, and then I'll comment about your eyesight.

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, the 170-year-old insurance company based here in the Bay State, announced its way of giving back to the front line healthcare workers during this COVID-19 crisis is to provide no-cost life insurance to them through the launch of its MassMutual HealthBridge program.

The offer, good for a three-year term policy for $25,000, is open to active employees of local hospitals, urgent care centers or emergency medical services providers who put their lives at risk of exposure to the deadly COVID-19 coronavirus. Applications can be found at MassMutual.com.

Until I heard about this offer and started looking closer at this company, I wasn't aware that MassMutual has been giving free insurance to income-eligible families to assist children with educational expenses for decades, in the event that a parent or guardian passes away.

I also like the way Roger Crandall, MassMutual Chairman, President and CEO, put it when he said basically that we're all in this together. I agree, because if this crisis was a torrential downpour, two people could share one umbrella and, together, survive the storm.

And just a quick word about generosity. The size of the gift isn't important, but the timing of the giving certainly is.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.