[villagetinker]

Thanks for Responding to NRLN’s Villages Healthcare Survey

Congratulations and thanks to you for responding to the NRLN’s Villages Healthcare Survey. As of 11:00 p.m. August 17, 3,012 of you completed the survey and took the time to write-in personal experiences and comments. Those who took it also told us in answers to question # 5 that there were another 2,649 family members covered by their insurance policies. Thus over 5,600 policy holders were represented.

Before I share with you my survey comments I want you to know that we will keep the survey open and hope to encourage all Villages residents whether covered by traditional Medicare or not and those outside of the Villages who are also affected and served by The Villages Health Care and their United Health Care partner. Please tell everyone you know to help us keep the ball rolling. You may now go online to see the results (ongoing) by clicking on https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-3RNMF79M/

Click and read the Question Summaries tab to see all questions and then later the Individual Responses Tab if you wish.

The NRLN has focused on retiree Income Security (including Social Security and Federal Tax issues) and Healthcare Security (including Medicare) only, for 14 years. Our focus is on retirees/seniors, we are political party and candidate neutral and publish report cards you can access that tell you what your elected officials are, or are not, doing to support our retiree agenda. We do not buy meals or make campaign contributions and are largely a voluntary network - in 50 states and 75% of the 435 U.S. congressional districts (CDs).

About 80% of us are former management company employees and about 20% are former union represented workers. My volunteer board includes two former Fortune 500 pension plan managers and several former benefit administrators. We are well equipped and schooled on the law and we present proposals to federal agencies and members of Congress. Our Executive Director is a registered lobbyist in Washington D.C. with extensive experience on Capitol Hill.

In the next week or so I will send you information by email that should raise your interest and inform you as to why we all need to be heard by our self-interested Democrats, Republicans and Independents in Congress who are steamrolling more HMO’s and Medicare Advantage Plans while privatizing and dissolving Medicare, who want to institute tax reform that will allow Mortgage interest rate deductions but do away with real estate tax deductions (most seniors pay little or no interest but RE taxes are moving up) and who do nothing to encourage competition in the prescription drug industry.

Back to our immediate concerns regarding VHC decisions and your reactions and feedback in the survey. We have scheduled meetings in Washington D.C with members of Congress and federal agencies (including an HHS executive) for the last week of August to discuss The Villages situation. The last week of September is our annual fall fly-in when 30-40 NRLN Association and Chapter leaders will be in Washington D.C. Medicare, Medicare Advantage Plans, Pensions and Prescription Drug price competition will be featured. We will include The Villages situation and make a plea for relief.

Please read the survey results online to see the data from all questions in bar graph and table form and to read comments made by respondents. The following are key questions and responses:

Question #1 – There were 3006 who answered. There is overlap among plans held, so the data is not additive.
62.01 % or 1,864 who answered said their current insurance was Standard Medicare (A&B).
21.16 % or 636 who answered said they were covered by a company provided plan.
15.70 % or 472 who answered said they were covered by over 40 other different named plans.
10.41 % or 313 who answered said they were in a Village Health Medicare Advantage Plan.

40.02 % or 1,203 who answered said they were covered by a separate traditional Medicare Supplemental Plan e.g. plan F. This would include those enrolled in Medicare A&B, company plans and other private plans.

Question # 1 defines the predicament that VHC has created. The 1,864 who carry Medicare A&B represent about 31% what we have been told is the 6,000 total Medicare A&B plan holders in the VHC system. If this sample proves to be good predictor of how others in the 6,000 total feel, VHC could be in for a larger loss of customers than expected – see responses to question 10-12 below.

Question #2 - There were 3,000 who answered.
10.16 % or 305 who answered the question said they were under age 65.
89.84 % or 2,695 who answered the question said they were over age 65.
52.67 % or 1,580 of the 2,695 who answered the question said they were over age 70.

The 305 under age 65 must be made aware of new opt-out rules that could place them in Medicare Advantage plans automatically instead of Standard Medicare A&B.

Question #3 – There were 2,973 who answered.
92.84% or 2,760 who answered the question said they were Medicare eligible.

Question #8 – There were 2,985 who answered.
80.60% or 2,406 said they use VHC facilities, Doctors and Clinics for their health care needs.

Question #10 – There were 2,769 who answered.
93.57% or 2,591 said NO when asked if they’d switch from Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan this fall.

Question #11 – There were 2,562 who answered.
86.10 % or 2,206 said that if their Doctor was part of VHC that they would leave and change Doctors in order to continue on Medicare A&B.

Question # 12 - There were 2,958 who answered.
93.58% or 2,768, whether in VHC or not, thought the VHC decision to drop Traditional Medicare was not fair.

To say respondents felt VHC’s decision was unfair is a gross understatement. There were lots of emotional comments about being betrayed; about ethics and integrity of VHC, UHC and The Villages management.

Question # 13 - There were 2,599 who answered.
77.18 % or 2,006 said they will send an NRLN letter to their members of Congress on this issue.

Question # 14 - There were 2,832 who answered.
59.15% or 1,675 said they would attend an October NRLN meeting in The Villages.

Question # 15 - There were 2,717 who answered.
32.28% or 877 said they would help start an NRLN Villages Chapter.

Please feel free to email questions or comments to contact@nrln.org or to me personally.

Bill Kadereit
President, National Retiree Legislative Network
Phone: 972-722-5928, Cell: 214-725-5289
bkad@sbcglobal.net

[rockyisle]

Interesting info... do you still have the link to the survey? The link in the email is only for the results.

[villagetinker]

I went to the 'other' news source, and found the announcement of the survey, Villages Healthcare Survey
hope this link still works.

[kaseydog]

Dear villagetinker,
thank you so much for efforts re the tv health crisis. I have taken the 2 nrln surveys & have encouraged others to do so. Am looking for a primary care dr. So far no luck. Husband & i are over 65 & have major health issues.

[villagetinker]

blicata,

I sent you a PM, hope it helps.

[kaseydog]

Just received e-mail today from nrln(nat'l retiree legislative nettwork). They would like to establish a villages chapter. Meeting will be held on
9/7/16 at waterfront inn. Must register to attend. The nrln is also going to dc to discuss the tv health situation. Hope they get a lot of support from the villages we need an advocate for our hard earned medicare benefits.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by blicata

Dear villagetinker,
thank you so much for efforts re the tv health crisis. I have taken the 2 nrln surveys & have encouraged others to do so. Am looking for a primary care dr. So far no luck. Husband & i are over 65 & have major health issues.

I wouldn't call it a crisis.

Definition of crisis; definition of crisis - Bing

I think of crisis as a time of mortal danger, extreme tension, nearness of danger or death. I think what has happened here is that a lot of people are forced to change doctors and insurance. It isn't pleasant and it requires patience and diligence to find a new PCP, but it doesn't really cause a CRISIS.

[kaseydog]

As i recall ,in previous posts, you were never involved with tv health & have medical services in place. I am happy for you. However, if you had read my post i mentioned "major health issues". The word "crisis" was appropriate.