Meet Columbia's Guy for the Questions You Didn't Know to Ask

Issue #834

October 09, 2026

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

🌤️ Columbia’s Friday Weather - Partly sunny w/ high of 82, low of 54

👉 Meet Columbia's Guy for the Questions You Didn't Know to Ask

📰 Hurricane Isaias to Impact Middle TN This Weekend

🗓 List of Upcoming Events

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

🗓 Know of Some Local Events Not Listed? Send us the Details!

Meet Columbia's Guy for the Questions You Didn't Know to Ask

A Columbia father of five was paying $900 a month for health insurance for his family. He figured that was just the going rate.

It wasn't.

After sitting down with local insurance agent Morgan Luck, that same coverage ended up costing him $25 a month.

"He had no idea that was out there," Morgan said.

Stories like that are pretty much a Tuesday for Morgan, who works out of an office on West 7th Street here in Columbia (in the same building as WKRM/WKOM radio stations). But before we get into how he pulls those numbers down, it's worth knowing why he ended up in this line of work in the first place.

A lesson Morgan learned the hard way

Morgan didn't always plan on a career in insurance. He went to Ole Miss, then got into the restaurant business. He was working for a restaurant franchise and that’s how he got to Nashville in 2002. From there he managed other private restaurants in the area. Before that, he'd spent time in Mississippi and grew up in Virginia.  

Restaurant hours are brutal, and eventually Morgan wanted something he could run on his own terms. But the real reason he ended up in insurance goes back to his mother.

She died fairly young, in her early 60s, and the family assumed she had life insurance. She didn't.

"We looked everywhere for life insurance for her, figured she would have it. Never found anything," Morgan said. She had recently gone through a divorce after 40-plus years of marriage. With no policy to lean on, his brothers and sister had to make major financial decisions within a couple of days, all while they were grieving. 

That experience still shapes how Morgan works with clients today. A lot of his job now is simply making sure other families don't get caught in that same scramble.

The plans people don't know they have

That's a big part of why the father-of-five story isn't a one-off for Morgan. He helps people with a wide range of coverage options: life insurance, supplemental plans, Medicare advantage plans, and health insurance through the marketplace (the ACA, sometimes still called Obamacare). What he's noticed repeatedly is that most people don't actually know what's available to them.

The father of five, for example, wasn't trying to avoid signing up for coverage. He just didn't think he'd qualify for any help, so he never asked.

Morgan sees the same pattern with COBRA. People who leave a job can usually keep their former employer’s insurance temporarily, but they must pay the full premium—often three or four times what they previously paid. He says it rarely makes sense to stay on it unless you're mid-treatment for something serious and don't want to restart a deductible.

He's seen it play out with people coming off COBRA, too. He recently helped someone who was paying around $2,500 a month find a plan closer to $1,100.

When the plan actually pays off

One story sticks out even more. A 63-year-old client had lost his job and needed help finding coverage. Morgan suggested he add on a small critical illness plan, something like $20 to $30 a month. The man wasn't sold on it at first, but he eventually signed up.

Six months later, he had a stroke.

Because he had that guaranteed-issue plan in place, he received a $10,000 payout, money that helped carry him through a stretch when he couldn't work.

It's the kind of outcome Morgan can't promise anyone, but it's exactly the kind of situation he's trying to help people plan for before life forces the issue.

Not a one-size-fits-all conversation

Ask Morgan how the process works and he'll tell you it starts with questions, not a sales pitch. How many people in the family?  Does anyone have pre-existing conditions? Which doctors do they want to keep? From there, he will look at their options whether someone's better off with a marketplace plan, a private plan, or a Medicare option like an Advantage plan or supplement. 

"It's not a black-and-white answer, really," he said. "There's questions that we ask for a reason."

There's no fee to sit down with him and go through it, whether that's a quick five- or ten-minute phone call to start the process or, for Medicare specifically, an in-person conversation since there's usually more ground to cover.

Morgan's philosophy on how he treats clients is pretty simple.

"I'm going to try to treat you like I treat somebody that is in my family or a friend," he said. It's also why he thinks it matters to work with somebody local, someone who knows the area's hospitals and doctors, rather than an agent on the other end of a call center somewhere.

Beyond the office

Growing up in Virginia, Morgan's got a few interesting stories tucked away, including childhood soccer games with kids from some well-known Virginia families. These days, life's a little quieter. He's a beach person at heart and had just gotten back from a trip to Hilton Head when we talked, and he's been with his girlfriend, a pharmacist, for years now, which he jokes comes in handy on the job.

Mostly, though, Morgan just wants Columbia to know he's here, he's local, and he'd rather you ask a question than assume you don't have options.

Get in touch…

If you've got questions about health insurance, Medicare, or whether you're leaving money on the table with your current plan, Morgan Luck is at 315 West 7th St. here in Columbia. Give him a call at 615-586-9906. It costs nothing to find out what you might be missing, and as more than one family has already found out, it can save you a lot more than you'd expect. The annual enrollment period for Medicare is October 15th- December 7th . Call today and make an appointment.   

Hurricane Isaias to Impact Middle TN This Weekend

National Weather Service · Nashville, TN
Updated: Fri Oct 09, 2026 1:59 AM

  • Remnants of Hurricane Isaias (pronounced ees-ah-EE-ahs) will travel up through TN over the weekend

  • Impacts for Middle TN will be 1 - 3 inches of rain and wind gusts up to 40 mph

    • Heaviest period of rain will be Saturday afternoon/evening

    • Flood watch is in effect starting late Friday night.

  • Low chance of quick spin-up tornadoes, especially for areas along and east of I-65

From Thursday’s update:

Humphreys-Dickson-Cheatham-Davidson-Perry-Hickman-Lewis-Williamson-Maury-Marshall-Rutherford-Bedford-Coffee-Grundy-Wayne-Lawrence-GilesIncluding the cities of Hohenwald, Tullahoma, Dickson, Franklin, Waverly, Lobelville, La Vergne, Murfreesboro, Columbia, Waynesboro, Kingston Springs, Pulaski, Ashland City, Clifton, Altamont, Coalmont, Linden, Lawrenceburg, New Johnsonville, Lewisburg, Manchester, Smyrna, Shelbyville, Brentwood, Nashville, McEwen, and Centerville

…FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING…

WHAT: Flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible.

WHERE: A portion of Middle Tennessee, including the following counties: Bedford, Cheatham, Coffee, Davidson, Dickson, Giles, Grundy, Hickman, Humphreys, Lawrence, Lewis, Marshall, Maury, Perry, Rutherford, Wayne and Williamson.

WHEN: From late Friday night through Sunday morning.

IMPACTS: Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Low-water crossings may be flooded.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS:

You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. 

Looking to make friends in Columbia?

This month we’re launching the What’s Up Columbia! Dinner Club. Six people. One table. A good meal and real conversation.

Here’s how it works: You take a short personality quiz, and we match you with five compatible people. We book the restaurant and let you know where you’re headed the morning of the dinner. After everyone eats, all the tables meet up at a surprise after-party.

Open to everyone over 18: solo diners, couples, people who just moved here and people who have been here for years. 

You just have to show up.

Thursday, Oct. 22 at 6:30 PM Book your seat here

Upcoming Local Events

🗓 Have an event to add? Send us the Details!

Friday, October 9th

Saturday, October 10th 

Sunday, October 11th

Monday, October 12th

Tuesday, October 13th

👇 Click the Links to Learn About our Local Business Sponsors! 👇

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

Friday, October 9
TBA - The Spot: Burgers & Beer, 5-8 PM
Ryan Keeler - Buck & Board, 6-8 PM
Six One Five Collective - Bourbon Gospel, 7:30 PM
Alyssa Marie Coon - Whiskey Alley Saloon, 7:30-9 PM
Scott Southworth & The Honky Tonk Anonymous Band - Puckett's, 7:30-9 PM
Escape - Fozzy's Bar & Grill, 8-11 PM

Saturday, October 10
Second Chance Countrygrass - Hampshire Hills Distillery, 11 AM-2 PM
The Vineyard Sessions - Natchez Hills Vineyard, 2-5 PM
Carson Phillips - Amber Falls Winery & Cellars, 3-7 PM
7 X Band - Hampshire Hills Distillery, 3-7 PM
The Alderson Jazz Collective - McCreary’s, 7-9 PM
Curated Writers Round - The Bourbon Gospel, 7:30 PM
Chuck Johnson & The Handsome Hooligans - The Rebel Bar & Grill, 7:30 PM
Jake & Mikayla - Puckett's, 7:30-9 PM

Sunday, October 11
Grasskickers - Amber Falls Winery & Cellars, 1-5 PM
Badd Penny - The Rebel Bar & Grill, 4:30 PM

Want to get your business in What’s Up Columbia? Let’s talk