[ajdeck]

I hear the cost of health insurance as well as doctors fees are a LOT higher
in and around TV than back home (We're from Michigan but others have told us the same when we were at the squares).

What have any of you come acrossed? And any recommondations as
far as doc's, dentist, Chiro, heath plans, etc?
aj

[VillagesFlorida]

Are you retired? On Medicare? A Medicare Advantage plan, such as those from Preferred Care Partners, is very inexpensive.......how about NO PREMIUMS at all? We DO have to stay within our network for the most part, but the provider choices are quite good.

[Larry Wilson]

Yes, you can get the same doctor in an Ocala office that will be less than the Village office visit.

We have been here 8 years and had some good doctors and some not so good in here. We have now ended up at Shands Med Plaza,Gainesville for ALL our medical needs. We found them to have the best doctors and all our records, blood tests, etc. are in one computer. Plus, they are a teaching hospital so you always have a second,third opinion. We got there because my wife was having a problem that 5 different doctors could not diagnose here. Shands nailed it on the first appointment.

Down side, its about an hour drive but Gainesville has really neat restaurants and things to do. Always turns out to be a fun day.

[Mudder]

IMHO, it is better to have doctors relatively close by because in a emergency you just don't have time to drive to Gainesville or Orlando. We find medical costs much lower here in central Florida than up north and the quality of care is excellent in my opinion. These doctors here are accustomed to dealing with medical issues of an aging population and are quite willing to send you to some place else if they feel they are not qualified to handle unique problems.

[ajdeck]

Originally Posted by VillagesFlorida

Are you retired? On Medicare? A Medicare Advantage plan, such as those from Preferred Care Partners, is very inexpensive.......how about NO PREMIUMS at all? We DO have to stay within our network for the most part, but the provider choices are quite good.

Yes, on medicare and currently have a Blue Cross med advandage plan here for $147 a month and $25 co-pay with 5000 out of pocket max.

How does that compare and which one do you have?

aj

[VillagesFlorida]

Originally Posted by ajdeck

Yes, on medicare and currently have a Blue Cross med advandage plan here for $147 a month and $25 co-pay with 5000 out of pocket max.

How does that compare and which one do you have?

aj

We are currently on Preferred Care Partners "Advantage Plan". It has co-pays on specialists and on many tests and medical procedures. There is no co-pay for our primary doctor, $12 co-pay for dental cleanings and exams twice a year, plus other benefits. I am a cancer survivor and due to a recent "scare" that I might have a recurrence brewing and needing chemotherapy, I decided to check the coverage for that and was dismayed to find out that I would have a 20% co-pay on these very expensive drugs. So, I looked at the benefits for their other advantage plan, the "Gold Plan". Those drugs would have no co-pays and other benefits are better, also. The "Advantage Plan" has a few benefits that the "Gold Plan" doesn't have so I guess you have to look them both over and decide which is best for you. Neither plan has a premium. Both plans have very good drug coverage included. The "Advantage Plan returns your Medicare Part B premium (your Social Security check increases by that amount each month. The "Advantage Plan" has an out-of-pocket limit of $6700, while the "Gold Plan" has a $3400 limit. It looks like if you went with the PCP Gold Plan you would save quite a lot each month. It wouldn't hurt to contact them and get more information. This company has an excellent reputation even though they are relatively new (3 years or something like that). They only operate in a few counties in Florida at this point and all 3 counties in The Villages are in their plans. You can access some information here on their web site:
http://www.mypreferredcare.com/2011/...=sumter?loc=cf Also, they have an office at Lake Sumter Landing and the folks there are friendly and would be happy to sit down with you and explain the coverages for both plans.

[aljetmet]

Try www.aarpmedicarecomplete.com