[RGump]

Please don't categorize all insurance agents as "bad used car salesmen"!! Not all are that way. As a licensed agent for 30 years we have lots of clients on medicare supplements and medicare advantages. No agent should try to persuade you to go either way. You should have all options explained to you and then you decide for yourself which is best. Some feel more comfortable with a supplement and some like the either low or no premium with advantage plans. Bottom line: It is you and your insurance coverage and should be your decision and not an agents!! Shine is a great place for information but don't forget that there are lots of good and knowledgable agents out there as well!!

[queasy27]

I have Villages Advantage and will be switching back to Medicare Plan F next year. I think The Villages is a fine plan for people in general good health, but I'm not. The trouble and stress of getting referrals, finding specialists who accept my plan, and dealing with conflicting information from UHC customer support is not helping. Plan F will be more expensive but I think will provide more peace of mind for me. People's needs are different!

I also exceeded my out of pocket limit last year.

This may be minor to others, but I also find Villages Advantage to be quite intrusive. They call me a lot and send 2-3 letters a week, trying to sell other services and get me to "partner" with them to discuss my health issues. Sorry, but I don't consider an insurance company to be my partner. Their bottom line is not mine.

But then, I'm a loss leader for them and am sure they won't be sorry to see me go. I won't be discussing the change with my agent beforehand. ;-)

[Wiotte]

Originally Posted by queasy27

I have Villages Advantage and will be switching back to Medicare Plan F next year. I think The Villages is a fine plan for people in general good health, but I'm not. The trouble and stress of getting referrals, finding specialists who accept my plan, and dealing with conflicting information from UHC customer support is not helping. Plan F will be more expensive but I think will provide more peace of mind for me. People's needs are different!

I also exceeded my out of pocket limit last year.

This may be minor to others, but I also find Villages Advantage to be quite intrusive. They call me a lot and send 2-3 letters a week, trying to sell other services and get me to "partner" with them to discuss my health issues. Sorry, but I don't consider an insurance company to be my partner. Their bottom line is not mine.

But then, I'm a loss leader for them and am sure they won't be sorry to see me go. I won't be discussing the change with my agent beforehand. ;-)

I’d contact your agent just to stick it in his ear, but that’s me.
I’m so glad to be reading everyone opine on the Villages Health and supplement plans. I’ve 23 months to go, on the VA now and will go with a supplement plan when eligible, no if’s and’s or but’s about it.





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[dotti105]

Originally Posted by JoMar

Have the advantage plan, so far (3 years) no issues and because of that, significantly less that Plan F. Have no problem when traveling since they have a Passport Plan but haven't had a need to use it. This year, headed for a hip replacement which of course will carry deductibles.....so will see how it all shakes out since this is the first step outside the usual stuff. Stay tuned.

You will be very pleasantly surprised to find that there is no deductible for your surgery. You will be charged $275 per night of hospital stay. Period. Not another red cent!

My husband has had 2 major surgeries while on our UHC Advantage plan. Both were with world reknown specialists in Orlando. We were able to choose the very best doctors for his procedures. His knee replacement with Dr Nguyen was “billed” at $85,000. My husband paid $275.00.

His other surgery was a DaVinci robotic prostatectomy. Dr Patel is the best in the world, having pioneered this procedure. I am a RN and I know it makes a huge difference. Again. 1 night hospital stay and $275 co pay. TOTAL!!

We also get to choose $40, each, worth of OTC meds, supplements, first aid supplies etc AT NO EXTRA COST, every quarter.

We are amazed that the Advantage plan is so fabulous!! And not a penny in premiums!!

Don’t know why it gets a bad rap!! What we pay in specialist co pays and Rx copays are less than the premium for 1 month on the supplement.
Do your homework!!!
No premiums. We couldn’t be happier with UHC Advantage.

[champion6]

Originally Posted by dotti105

You will be very pleasantly surprised to find that there is no deductible for your surgery. You will be charged $275 per night of hospital stay. Period. Not another red cent!

My husband has had 2 major surgeries while on our UHC Advantage plan. Both were with world reknown specialists in Orlando. We were able to choose the very best doctors for his procedures. His knee replacement with Dr Nguyen was “billed” at $85,000. My husband paid $275.00.

His other surgery was a DaVinci robotic prostatectomy. Dr Patel is the best in the world, having pioneered this procedure. I am a RN and I know it makes a huge difference. Again. 1 night hospital stay and $275 co pay. TOTAL!!

We also get to choose $40, each, worth of OTC meds, supplements, first aid supplies etc AT NO EXTRA COST, every quarter.

We are amazed that the Advantage plan is so fabulous!! And not a penny in premiums!!

Don’t know why it gets a bad rap!! What we pay in specialist co pays and Rx copays are less than the premium for 1 month on the supplement.
Do your homework!!!
No premiums. We couldn’t be happier with UHC Advantage.

VERY INTERESTING to read these details of your coverage. Thanks for posting.

[LvmyPug2]

Originally Posted by RGump

Please don't categorize all insurance agents as "bad used car salesmen"!! Not all are that way. As a licensed agent for 30 years we have lots of clients on medicare supplements and medicare advantages. No agent should try to persuade you to go either way. You should have all options explained to you and then you decide for yourself which is best. Some feel more comfortable with a supplement and some like the either low or no premium with advantage plans. Bottom line: It is you and your insurance coverage and should be your decision and not an agents!! Shine is a great place for information but don't forget that there are lots of good and knowledgable agents out there as well!!

I couldn't agree more. I as bad as my experience at UHC's Medicare store was, I had the exact opposite experience at the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Store off of 101 near Lil' Bits restaurant. The agent gave accurate information on all options (that matched what SHINE provided). She answered all my questions, gave me the costs associated with each option etc. I was very impressed with her professionalism and honesty.

[GoodLife]

[QUOTE=dotti105;1515225]You will be very pleasantly surprised to find that there is no deductible for your surgery. You will be charged $275 per night of hospital stay. Period. Not another red cent!

My husband has had 2 major surgeries while on our UHC Advantage plan. Both were with world reknown specialists in Orlando. We were able to choose the very best doctors for his procedures. His knee replacement with Dr Nguyen was “billed” at $85,000. My husband paid $275.00.

His other surgery was a DaVinci robotic prostatectomy. Dr Patel is the best in the world, having pioneered this procedure. I am a RN and I know it makes a huge difference. Again. 1 night hospital stay and $275 co pay. TOTAL!!

We also get to choose $40, each, worth of OTC meds, supplements, first aid supplies etc AT NO EXTRA COST, every quarter.

We are amazed that the Advantage plan is so fabulous!! And not a penny in premiums!!

Don’t know why it gets a bad rap!! What we pay in specialist co pays and Rx copays are less than the premium for 1 month on the supplement.
Do your homework!!!
No premiums. We couldn’t be happier with UHC Advantage.[/QUOTE

My experience with Advantage is similar to yours, have not had any major procedures so far but no problems so far. Just curious on what I bolded in your post, please explain a bit further.

[PPLEPEU]

Interesting discussion. I turn 65 this year and need to decide if I stay with TVH by purchasing a participating Advantage plan.

Being a fairly healthy snowbird, I thought my choices would be quite simple, so I was looking forward to reading this message thread!

Unfortunately, in just 38 posts, you all described 100% opposing views on:
- Who to trust for insurance advice
- How much the two major plans hit Out of Pocket
- If Specialized physicians are readily available
- Whether it is possible to choose a preferred specialist
- If Out of state care is covered and available
- Whether most or only 33% of people are on Advantage plans

Wow, no wonder people are confused by medical insurance options. None of the people posting here are doing so with the intent to mislead -- but each have reported immensely different opinions and experiences when using identical plans.

Hmmmm. Making a decision might not be as simple as I thought...