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Originally Posted by spiritels
We're thinking of definitely looking OUTSIDE the Villages for a new primary care phys. You don't know if ultimately every group in the Villages will follow the lead of VHC. And changing to Med Advan is going to be bad for the long term. You will not be able to change back!
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After moving to TV from Baltimore in 2011, my wife signed up for a United Health medigap plan. It started out at $185 a month and was over $200 when she changed last open season. She used Premier Medical at Lake Sumter for her doctor. She was never happy with the service, or really lack of service. In her final year her doctor left the firm and she only found out from reading this website, they never told her. In addition she had a drug plan with Humana for $22 a month that required getting all her drugs from Walmart. They didn't have 2 or 3 of her drugs in stock whenever we ordered, and that would delay a day or two and they always were saying we ordered too soon, we would have to wait because of the insurance.
Last January she signed up for The Villages Medicare Advantage Plan at the Pinellas office. Immediately we saved over $220 a month in premiums, and the drug plan was included free. She's had no out pocket expenses this year and gets her drugs at Walgreens and they're always in stock and are cheaper than Walmart. One time VHS did want to send her for a bone density test at Lake Imaginng. She turned it down because if she was found in need of a drug, the drug that is most commonly used is Bisphosphonates, which has very serious side effects and rather not take it. She had no problem with her doctor.
Myself, I had been with the VA Medical system but turned 65 a year ago July, so I also signed up with VHS and I've had great care. I had to pay a co-pay twice to specialist of $30 each. One was a pain management doctor and the other was a pulmonary doctor. I had pneumonia in the spring and had a chest x-ray, a CT scan and a MRI all at Lake Imaginng, my total out of pocket was less than $100. So far, I'm very pleased with the care and it's much more hands on and attentive than that I was receiving from the VA.