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Originally Posted by Happydaz
I have been researching different Medicare health plans. I currently have traditional Medicare and a supplement plan. I have looked at the Villages Health plan and United Health Care. The upfront costs of Medicare Advantage plans are lower than my plan. It looks very attractive but I am concerned that at some point Medicare may reign in these Advantage plans as they are costing Medicare more than traditional Medicare. If that were to happen and I had made a switch I couldn’t go back to my former company sponsored plan. I get all drugs for a small co pay in my current plan, a great benefit. My concern is further increased because the Villages sells its assets when they no longer see they are needed, e.g. rec centers, fire departments, water and irrigation systems, etc.. The people making the most money in healthcare are the insurance companies not the medical personnel or hospitals. Now I see the Villages Health is advertising in the Daily Sun and is offering residents bounties for physician referrals. Maybe it is becoming difficult to attract physicians to central Florida? What do you think?
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I used to work for a BCBS plan (10+) years. An insurance company "bids" on Medicare business. Medicare basically offers insurance companies a cost plus (the plus being administrative costs primarily) for handling Medicare's members' medical costs. The insurance companies generally only cover what Medicare covers. The "advantage" plans ARE NOT Village owned - United Health Care and Blue Cross (to name a few) are national plans and they have been in the Medicare business a long time. The real consideration is what coverage works best for you based upon your health situation. Generally, medicare advantage plans are free but supplement plans cover more - especially if you have any chronic conditions. BEFORE SWITCHING, I would suggest making use of the medicare resources in the villages and fully understand the coverage differences.