Not saying the Villages are at fault...I am stuck with Aetna and know the retirement system I come from negotiated the new contract. They did say we have identical coverage but did not say Aetna was available at the same places. Thanks for your response.

The highlighted section is correct, AT THEIR SPECIALITY CENTERS, the villages health system DOES NOT accept medicare. I use 2 or 3 village specialists with medicare, I cannot use the villages health for a PCP.

So true. The regular internists are not the same as specialists. At The Villages Health.

INSURANCES can change at any time from year to year ESPCIALLY if they are advantage plans.........FYI

I have Michigan Blue which is identical to Florida Blue. All my bills are run through Florida Blue however The Villages Healthcare will not accept Michigan Blue although they do now accept Florida Blue. It makes no sense.

Now I am confused. This is from their website.

At our Specialty Care Division, we accept most major medical insurance, including Medicare and Medicare Supplement plans.

Medical Specialty Specialist & Services | The Villages Health Florida

The primary care side of the villages health has the advantage plan only rule while the specialty care has a different set of rules as you outlined.

From The Villages Health website:

"If you are Medicare Eligible, you have an important choice to make about Medicare and the primary care services you receive in this community. The Villages Health is a health care system specifically designed for your lifestyle, but when it comes to Medicare we only partner with a few Medicare Advantage plans."

I have had an Aetna Medicare advantage plan through Ohio teachers’ retirement for 12 years and am very pleased. When we moved here 9 years ago, I joined the Villages system. About 15 months later, I was kicked out. Technically, my plan is considered a PPO but because it is from Ohio, there aren’t any in network doctors. That is why mine has an extended service area. That means every doctor and hospital is in network for me. Perhaps the Illinois coverage will be broad like mine is. I hope so.

We wanted to stay with The Villages Health so we switched to United Health. Also, they came out with a new Focus plan this year, we switched to that...co-pays came down and coverages went up.

Not sure what you mean by affordable?

I also have Michigan Blue. (Medicare Advantage Blue Cross Blue Shield) All my billing goes through Florida Blue. The Villages Health and all the PCP providers are listed in my Providers booklet. I’ve met with several new patient representatives and they said they will not take my Insurance. I called my insurance and they said they don’t understand why they will not take the insurance since they get paid the same and it’s the same network. The Villages insisted I had to drop that insurance (from my Michigan retirement system) and switch to Florida Blue.

No one was "kicked out' of TV Health, but those who CHOOSE not to use the accepted insurance plans can not utilize the services. But everyone who says they were kicked out made their own decision.

Isn't that pretty much how it works for ALL MEDICAL providers, who decide which insurances to accept and which to not?

. I’ll have to look into that. Right now between my FEHB Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan and Medicare parts A and B, for my wife and I, it costs a total of about $1400 a month. Medicare is primary. We get to choose our own physicians. Our wonderful PCP is outside The Villages Health but we use Villages Specialists and I had a brief stay in The Village emergency room and hospital. Fully paid between both plans. Not even a copay. Expensive and not worth it- until it is!

Thanks for your post! It sounds like the Illinois plan that switched from UHC to Aetna will work the same way, at least that’s what we were told. Since the switch just occurred on January 1, 2023, is there any advice that would be helpful to know?

If you are paying $16,800 per year in insurance premiums, I would recommend that you do the math and compare what would happen if you cancel Medicare Part B. Part A is free. I have the FEHB Blue Cross standard plan as my only insurance. The annual catastrophic limit is only $6,000. So, the maximum out of pocket expense for me would be $6,000 (which I can afford if necessary) and everything after that, including drugs, is fully covered. The Medicare Part B benefits are mostly redundant with Blue Cross and almost every provider accepts the Blue Cross. For me, it is a no brainer to not carry Medicare Part B.