Our Mission
ACCESSMed Foundation is on a Mission to provide Arizona’s vulnerable seniors with access to affordable, quality healthcare.
Our Services
In pursuit of our mission, we help health and income challenged seniors, and their caregivers, understand and enroll in the Medicare, Medicare Supplement and AHCCCS Medicaid benefits that Arizona’s elders are entitled to.
Our Volunteers
ACCESSMed educational, counseling and enrollment support services are delivered by a team of highly experienced, licensed and certified healthcare insurance professionals. Five things that our volunteers all share in common include:
- A passion for helping low-income seniors access affordable, quality healthcare
- Extensive knowledge of AHCCCS, Arizona’s Medicaid insurance coverage
- Dual Special Needs insurance certifications
- Keen interest in supporting healthcare providers who serve vulnerable seniors
- Unwavering commitment to sharing their expertise, time and compassion
We deeply appreciate our volunteer’s generous contributions.
Our Board and Staff
The AccessMed Foundation Board of Directors and Executive Director provide the insight and oversight that guides and empowers our mission.
Nick Taylor
Chairman
Nick Taylor is the President – Chief Operating Officer of Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA.) He joined the company March of 2017.
Before joining AMBA, Mr. Taylor spent over 14 years in the insurance and financial services industry. His experience includes leading a variety of successful growth, strategic, sales, and marketing initiatives at Allstate, Bank of America and Horace Mann Insurance. He has a proven track record of delivering profitable growth, driving operational excellence, and has an innovative approach to products and distribution.
Nick earned his Economics degree from the University of Utah and an MBA from the University of Illinois. Nick enjoys spending time with his wife, Stephanie and their two daughters Addison, and Olivia.
Steve Cardinal
Vice Chairman
Mr. Cardinal serves as Chief Executive Officer of Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA), a nationwide full-service agency focused on plan design, negotiations, and implementation of benefits for associations. Under Steve’s guidance, AMBA provides turnkey benefits programs for associations and their members.
Prior to assuming leadership of AMBA, Steve served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Horace Mann, a billion dollar-plus publicly traded insurance company. Prior to Horace Mann, he served as Agency Operations Executive for Bank of America, as Regional Distribution Leader for Allstate (where he led 960 agents and drove multimillion-dollar revenue growth in a 5-state sales region and directed Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction for Allstate’s 950 agencies).
Early in his career, Steve served as an Insurance Agent for MetLife where he was recognized as Rookie of the Year and as a Top Producer Award Winner throughout his tenure with the company. He also received the Pinnacle Award, recognizing his Top 5% performance in sales nationwide.
Steve Cardinal is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois.
Gordon Shoff
Founding Member
Gordon Shoff founded Medicare Planning Solutions, the predecessor to ACCESSMed Foundation, during 2015. His goal was to provide impoverished Arizona senior citizens with access to quality healthcare.
Prior to founding Medicare Planning Solutions (now ACCESSMed), Mr. Shoff served as an insurance agent, supervisor and branch manager with Banker’s Life and Casualty in Washington State. During 2004, he relocated to Phoenix, AZ to lead the Banker’s Life Phoenix office.
Mr. Shoff founded Senior Lifestyle Solutions, a health insurance brokerage specializing in meeting the needs of Arizona’s senior, during 2006. And, it was during the development of Senior Lifestyle Solutions that he also founded nonprofit Medicare Planning Solutions as a 501(c)(3) community charity.
Maria Aguilera
Program Coordinator
As Program Coordinator for ACCESSMed Foundation, Maria helps Arizona’s vulnerable and income challenged seniors access their full range of Medicare and Medicare Advantage benefits. She is a hands-on Community Assistor, enrolling individuals in Medicaid through the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona’s state Medicaid agency. She also supports ACCESSMed’s volunteer insurance specialists as they provide Medicare and Medicaid counseling and enrollment support for vulnerable seniors.
Prior to joining ACCESSMed, Maria served as Program Coordinator and Instructor for The Tungland Corporation, training new and existing employees to work with individuals with disabilities through various classes. She worked directly and indirectly with clients, their families, and the Department of Developmental Disabilities.
Maria holds an Associates degree in Medical Specialties and has always been deeply committed to helping others. She is devoted to her ACCESSMed work because “I can make a difference in someone’s life and I really hope to continue to grow and do more for our community.”
Learn More About ACCESSMed Foundation
We appreciate your interest in ACCESSMed Foundation and would like to share more.
Please click on the GET HELP link at the bottom of this page if you would like help applying for AHCCCS Medicaid and related services. And, please consider donating to support our work.
