Our New Hire: Matthew Martin

We are glad to welcome Matthew Martin back to Providence Benefits. Matthew first worked with us as an intern in 2018, so he joined us hitting the ground running. 

Matthew is the son of Providence Benefit's owner, Andy Martin. He previously worked as the North American Marketing Director for an Asian manufacturing firm. He is now working with Chris Harris to build his expertise in major medical and GAP coverage.

Matthew lives in Tullahoma with his wife, Hillary, and their children, Ellis, who is 4, and Millie, who is 1½. His long term goal is to help open a Providence branch in Middle Tennessee. Tullahoma is about an hour and 15 minutes from Nashville, Chattanooga, and Huntsville, making it a good base for serving the region.

Why This Work Is Personal

In 2023, Matthew noticed a brown freckle-like spot in his right eye. Initially, he didn't think much of it, but as it continued growing, doubling in size in four months, he knew something wasn't quite right. He eventually visited a doctor, who told him he believed it was cancer and that surgery to remove the spot was extremely important. 

Being in December, Matthew asked if he could wait a month to have the procedure so he would only have to meet his deductible and out of pocket maximum once. The doctor told him that waiting four weeks could be the difference between life and death.

Matthew went ahead with treatment. He had an excisional biopsy on his eye which confirmed the spot was conjuntival melanoma, a very rare form of ocular cancer that was rare but extremely aggressive. His family decided an aggressive treatment was the best option, so they elected to use plaque radiation, a proceedure in which a radioactive plaque is placed on the tumor spot for three days and then surgically removed.

In December, he paid roughly $4,000, meeting his deductible and about half of his out of pocket maximum. When the plan year reset in January, he had to meet his deductible and out of pocket maximum again with the second surgery.

By the Lord's blessing, Matthew has been cancer free since then. His experience also showed him how medical costs can add stress to an already difficult time. For Matthew, he is not just selling medical insurance. He is selling something that continues to positively affect his family's and his life.

Matthew is looking forward to learning more from Chris and helping Providence Benefits grow in Middle Tennessee. For him, this work is personal because he knows what a difference support with medical costs can make for a family.