How so?

If you have the accepted insurance, you can stay in.

If you don't, surely you have an opportunity to purchase the accepted insurance, and can stay in.

Who is kicked out? Or do you mean you are Dropping Out because you don't like the rules?

DUMPED and DROPPED OUT are two different actions.

We received our letters a day ago and was surprised to not be grandfathered as promised. We have been with the Villages Doctor for 4 years and all has gone well. Now we need to go through the fine print of the United Heath care plans and see if we can live with the limitations of a PPO. They are loosing money on this system and are forcing it down our throats. Not a fan of socialized anything. We are going to check it out, but if the plan does not suit our needs, there are many good GPs located here. We are not happy campers.

Please share your list of the "many good gps" to choose from! Thanks!

Dr. John Burress, Lady Lake Family Medicine on 466. He's a great Dr. !!
I also liked his NP and followed her to the Villages Health System. She's awesome!

For those of us who travel and who still spend a fair amount of time in another state, any Advantage Plan is a distinct Disadvantage. I was happy with the Villages Health Care System accepting my medicare and supplemental plans. Now I am very disappointed. When I return to TV in the fall, I guess I will be seeking another PCP. Darn. the almighty dollar rules again!

I got a feeling all these good doctors will get overwhelmed with new patients between now and the end of the year. I'll probably be one of them.

Check with United Health Care... that might not be a problem depending on the "other state" you are spending time in. They have an option to move your plan to the "other state" when you are there and then back to The Villages when you are here. UHC calls it "Passport".

I agree! This is rapidly becoming the Unfriendlyest hometown.

Received my dreaded notice from tv health on july 13,2016. As a retiree from new york state i have excellent health insurance. But being 65 original medicare must be my primary or my insurance is cancelled.
As an example, under my current insurance one of my meds costs $25(30 day supply) same meds with medicare advantage cost is $300. An ad run by the villages in a daily sun magazine stated villages is allowing "non villagers with medicare advantage to use "facilities". The villages receives royalities from medicare advantage. How much of the fees,bonds, cost of our homes paid to build the health centers? In 2012 the villages put out a press release stating the eyes of the world would be watching the tv health. Convenient health care for a senior community is key. Think before you buy here.

Here is a fresh perspective and update since my initial post in January. In retrospect I am glad VHCS asked us to leave. They were OK as a turn key operation and primarily their focus is PREVENTIVE health care. We have just had a serious health accident requiring emergency trauma unit surgery at Ocala regional hospital, orthopedic surgeons, trauma doctors, Rehabilitation hospital stay at Ocala, in home rehab services, DME, future outpatient therapy and visits to orthopedic surgeons at Shands in Gainseville. Thank God that I can choose my own doctors, I have great flexibility, great care, and that everything is covered by Medicare with BC/BS anywhere I choose to live in the US. Even my primary care physician that I found is better and superior to what I had at VHCS. Every ones case is different but make sure you feel confident that United Advantage can handle serious medical issues not just run of the mill preventive check up visits. Create your own network of health care specialists and health care facilities that fits within the type of insurance plan you have.

I don't belong to the VHS, preferring instead to not be limited in the selection/referral of physicians. Having said that, I don't understand why VHS would be a factor in calling TV "unfriendly."

VHS will continue to work for some, and those who have been forced to seek other sources for healthcare may be justifiably upset. However, the existence of VHS is a benefit for those who can use it.

When you get down to it, the developer is trying to provide a decent source of healthcare for the residents of TV. He certainly had no obligation to do so. I can't think of another similar municipality that has taken on this challenge.

VHS is a business, and businesses make decisions based on environmental and other circumstances. VHS is not my cup of tea, but I wouldn't castigate VHS or the developer for attempting to initiate something unique or different. I won't use VHS but will give it a thumbs up! [emoji106][emoji106]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hence, "SAGE"! Very well said!

I agree !! I am one who is with The Villages Health and I love it.

Yes, people love VHS, but you are "grandfathered" so you're not faced with making a decision, right?

When you or your spouse worked, did you do it for a paycheck or own a for profit business? Was that for the "almighty dollar"or were you just concerned about your customers?

I am so tired of greed argument by about 0.001percent of the residents here. It sounds childish and petty.

Grow up. None of this decision is personal. And no one was kicked out. You have a choice. Make it and move on.

Happy weekend without stress wished for everyone.

Yes, I have TriCare.

:bigbow:

As I understand, effective Jan 1 2017, no one will be grandfathered. It's either medicare advantage or hit the road.

Yes, we have TriCare and can stay.

Please let us know when you get the letter. I predict it should be sometime around Sept/Oct.

Yes. I have tricare, and was also told I was grandfathered. Then I got the letter.

:agree::agree::agree:

Very well said. I get the impression from hundreds of posts on the subject that many people feel that TVH was THE health system of TV, and that it would be the best choice for EVERYONE. Clearly, it is not. There are those that complain that it was used as a "selling point"---anyone who made a decision to buy here on that basis is frankly naïve. There are those that feel it was a "bait and switch" scam, but that is a wild accusation based on the assumption that changing to UHC advantage only was a decision made years in advance, which is simply unrealistic if you know how the insurer-provider relationship works.
TVH was an attempt to offer a quality choice in healthcare for residents of TV. The "developer" poured millions into building state of the art office space, recruiting physicians and staffing these offices. They DID NOT have to do that. TVH is NOT TV. It is a separate business entity that is attempting to be the quality model of an ACO/PCMH. So far they are achieving that goal, thanks to the hard work of those involved. Do they face hard financial decisions? All businesses do. Does anyone think, given the current direction of national healthcare policy that they will continue to have the myriad of insurance choices that they currently have? Think again, remember the Holy Grail of the left, and the starting point of the ACA was single payer government health insurance. Be thankful for the choices you have right now, as long as they last. The current trajectory will change that.

To those that feel they were "sold" on TV because of TVH---TVH has been here 4-5 years, TV for over 25. Gee, how did they ever sell a property before TVH???

To those that feel it was "bait and switch"---I have no knowledge of the early days of TV, but there are people out there who do, so...
When the first pickleball court opened, was it available for anyone to play? Was it only later that you needed to take the course and get ranked? Was that "bait and switch", or did things change?
When the first golf course opened, was there anything like "priority membership"? As expansion occurred, priority membership is almost required to get a decent tee time in high season. Was that "bait and switch"?
Early residents saw a small golf cart community with decent amenities. Did they envision expansion across 466, then 466A, and now 44? There are still those that complain about that. Was it "bait and switch"?

I think there are those that have the mindset that TVH is just another "amenity". It is not. It is a choice. That choice will work for some and not others. Healthcare delivery will change, and while upsetting, that will force patients to make changes as well. People tend to abhor change, hence the angst.

Beautiful explanation.

Could you post the "you're grandfathered" letter? No one has yet. Makes people wonder if it even exists.

Very well said.

I haven't gotten a letter. I did talk to my Doctor & it was also mentioned in the paper.

Bait and Switch is a less than honest marketing tactic in which the product's marketer offers a service meant to attract customers (the bait). Once the customer has bought in, the marketer eliminates the service and replaces it with a service more profitable to the marketer (the switch) in hopes the customer will stay on board.

Thanks for the definition. Just how do you think it applies here, unless you believe that in a rapidly changing health insurance industry that this was the plan all along? (i.e. "The Conspiracy Theory"). This would mean they had advance knowledge that UHC would eventually make them a lucrative offer. Quite "psychic" of them.

So pickleball, priority membership, and expansion were all "bait and switch" also?

I seriously doubt the agreement (your lucrative offer) between UHC and TVH was made recently, yet they continued to "bate" customers. But, heck, we can disagree, it helps to make life interesting.

My wife says I love to disagree. Would your opinion change if I told you this deal was made this year?

I called The Villages Health Care and spoke to a woman who said I'd be fine with my Medicare and Tricare For Life. Now, after "reading the fine print" I'm thinking I was misinformed. I'll have to do some more research on this subject. I guess the SHINE people would be a good first step.

Maybe...

I remember when you thought TVH would never and could never survive as a medicare only practice. What do you think now?

If you remember, at the time, the impression was that not only were they only going to accept UHC MA only, but also "dump" everyone under 65. As I stated at the time, this would give TVH a life span of about 20 years, since very few people who move here at a younger age and establish with another physician would switch at age 65. However, they didn't make any changes to the under 65 insurances they accept, so TVH may very well remain viable. If another poster is correct that 78% of current TVH patients will leave, they might still have problems. My experience with insurance changes is that about 40-50% leave, but those are mostly working people who have insurance choices limited by their employer. TVH might do better since seniors can choose UHC MA. Once they look at the differences in the plans, they will realize that the sky is not falling, and many will stay with their doctor.

Some of your info is not quite right. The Villages Health has been accepting AARP United Health Care Plan F and Medicare. It's The Villages Health Care that is losing money so want everyone to switch to Medicare Advantage. We will be going elsewhere. We seldom see our Villages Health Care doctor, most of the time we see the P.A. We prefer to be able to choose the doctor(s) we go to. We have been through this before when we were Kaiser-Permanente patients. We were very fortunate that neither of us got seriously ill. We are not giving up our Medicare or AARP United Health Care Plan F. My husband had a liver transplant and we didn't have to pay a cent. I have had a couple of costly procedures and didn't have to pay anything. You don't have to go out of town to find a doctor. I think The Villages Health Care will go the way of The Moffitt Cancer Center, which disappeared without a word of explanation.

There is a 15 minute talk on You Tube that clarifies Medicare Advantage and giving up Medicare.

No Premium "FREE" Medicare Plans | You Get What You Pay For - YouTube

My husband and I, each, received a letter that stated that if we did not have Medicare Advantage by Dec 31, 2016 that we would have to leave The Villages Health Care.

I am posting a 15 minute talk on YouTube about Medicare Advantage and Medicare. It clarifys it nicely.

No Premium "FREE" Medicare Plans | You Get What You Pay For - YouTube

It's The Villages Health Care that is losing money NOT United Health Care.

The other complication that many don't recognize is that roughly 40 doctors are no longer accessible to traditional Medicare patients. Consequently the number of physicians is significantly reduced and will have an impact on the quality of care we can access. So much for TVH making the Villages one of the healthiest towns - apparently only if you use their plan

Yes, you were misinformed. I was "misinformed" three different times. At the time, I sensed I was lied to, but I wanted it to be true. So I signed up. Now, after getting the letter, I'm looking for a new PCP in the area. TVH sucks. All of you that think you're grandfathered in, wait until fall, when they drop the hammer on you.

Tricare for Life (over 65) are still in. Participants are being encouraged to switch to the UHC Medicare Advantage plan(s) but DO NOT need to do so. Tricare Prime (under 65) is a different story, must go with UHC Medicare Advantage plan at 65, or leave the system with their Tricare for Life. (Info from SHINE)

Totally agree with you. The "grandfathered in" was a lie and it's all about greed!