[queasy27]

OP, I definitely agree with the advice to contact a potential doctor's office directly to confirm that they accept your insurance rather than relying on a published list or even calling the insurance company's help line. The online lists are very unreliable.

While I was researching Medicare, I also made the mistake of speaking to an insurance agent I thought was independent but who works for UH. The entire process was very confusing for me, even after talking to SHINE.

I went with UH Advantage/Villages Health strictly on price; it was about $200/month less than the Medicare supplements I looked at. It has been a bit of a struggle to find specialists here who accept my WellMed UHC plan, but that's partially on me because I wanted to stay with my primary care doctor and don't use the Villages Health system itself.

I've had one instance of UH denying authorization for an MRI and me having to argue about it with them. That happens more frequently with Advantage plans than it does with original Medicare.

Choosing health care involves a bit of predicting the future with regard to what one's health care needs might be.

Best wishes to you.