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Originally Posted by rockyisle
Jay Hawk - I'm happy you feel that you've made a good decision on your healthcare plan. Just wish we felt the same way.
We've been with VHS from the start - coming with the doctors at Family Doctors at Belleview. We were very happy that they were bringing a great health care model to TV. And they were the single largest reason we made the decision to purchase a home here vs other larger communities in Florida. Up until we bought our home, finding a good PCP was not easy.
I, personally, participated with the USF focus group in 2011 on what type of medical concerns were keeping couples like us from purchasing a home. It was an interesting and rewarding experience. Not long after, VHS began their program and promotion of the Dr. Welby philosophy. There were able to bring good doctors and support personnel along with them (who by the way have one year, 50 mile radius non-compete clauses in their work contracts.. including the NP's).
We saw the writing on the wall last year when friends who were turning 65 were being told to sign up for Advantage or get out. I began to look at who is who at the top of the VHS system now - none other than Kaiser Permantente followers and practitioners.
I guess that most people have forgotten what happened 20 years ago when HMO's were all the rage - lousy health care, big requirements for referrals and stalling tactics...
So, we will return to FL this fall already signed on with a new PCP... we took care of that before we left for the summer months in NH... By the way, for those of you who travel outside of TV, you need to check to see if your state and county are in the plan.. For us, only 3 counties in NH are considered... we would be SOL should something happen to us while up north.
And, last and most important, you all really need to investigate what your out of pocket expenses are going to look like with the "zero" cost premium. When I looked at it a couple of years ago, you have an out of pocket charge of $$$$ for the first 5 days of hospitalization - and that is not a one time charge.. It's for each incident. It would only take once to eat up the costs of an UH Plan F plan (that's what we have) to get you to realize you've probably made a mistake.
I wish all of you the very best on the new plan. In my parting letter to VHS I reminded them that they were putting thousands of patients at risk should this new venture fail - as it is almost impossible to get supplemental coverage like we have now after going for the low ball program.
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My husband spoke today to the "Retirement Benefits Consultant" in the Santa Barbara ofc. He also got the bad news that 1st 5 hospital days will be min $260 ea day, every ofc visit $25 copayment, they will NOT take secondary insurance like BCBS! He left before being told about other out of pocket expenses like tests & lab work, scans, etc. cuz he was so upset. This IS about money people! The Villages Health wants to be paid more money plus do u know that WE help pay them a 13% to 17% govt payment? People, we shouldn't JUST be looking for new doctors! WE need advocates in this issue! What if ALL Drs in the Villages do this? Is this a proper thing to do to long standing elderly patients? What about the news stations? What about our politicians who need us??? What about AARP? Do we have to take this just because The Villages Health Care wants more money? And if this insurance isn't accepted in other locations nearby, what then???