[wendyquat]

I have tried to post under the topic “Healthcare” but all I see is a bunch of ads. My question is after having been enrolled in the above healthcare plan for a couple of years, what has been your experience? Positive/Negative? Thanks

[bandsdavis]

I've had this plan for 5 years and my wife for 3. Our health is generally very good although we have had some issues that make us not 100%. We've been very satisfied with this plan.

[JoMar]

I have also been satisfied but now that Florida Blue is a player I will review and compare.

[Northwoods]

I'm very satisfied with The Villages Health. My Primary Care Physician is excellent! The Nurse Practitioners and PA's are also very impressive.

[jebartle]

Shands is not part of plan, disappointed!

[Debfrommaine]

Husband is very happy with the plan, so far for past few years, had met all his needs.

[l2ridehd]

Originally Posted by jebartle

Shands is not part of plan, disappointed!

That is not 100% true. I am part of the UHC Villages plan. I needed radiation therapy and chose proton therapy at the UF Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville which is attached to Shands. My initial dealings with UHC denied that treatment. The insurance folks there appealed that decision and all the radiation treatments were covered in network. There were a few items that were done at both Shands and the Proton Institute that were covered out of network but still covered. My 300K worth of treatments cost me around 8K total.

Part of the reason this worked is UF in Orlando is part of the plan and they also have proton radiation there. So that type of radiation is covered as part of the UHC Villages plan. I chose Jacksonville because they had significantly more experience with my type cancer than Orlando. 4500 patients vs under 100 patients. So it is true that Shands is not part of the published plan, don't give up and accept that as a final answer. All of these places have groups that do nothing but work with insurance plans as a patient advocate.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

That is not 100% true. I am part of the UHC Villages plan. I needed radiation therapy and chose proton therapy at the UF Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville which is attached to Shands. My initial dealings with UHC denied that treatment. The insurance folks there appealed that decision and all the radiation treatments were covered in network. There were a few items that were done at both Shands and the Proton Institute that were covered out of network but still covered. My 300K worth of treatments cost me around 8K total.

Part of the reason this worked is UF in Orlando is part of the plan and they also have proton radiation there. So that type of radiation is covered as part of the UHC Villages plan. I chose Jacksonville because they had significantly more experience with my type cancer than Orlando. 4500 patients vs under 100 patients. So it is true that Shands is not part of the published plan, don't give up and accept that as a final answer. All of these places have groups that do nothing but work with insurance plans as a patient advocate.

Wishing you continued good health. Glad to hear you were able to have treatments needed here in Florida.

[NotGolfer]

We've been on the UHC plan since it was introduced and have been extremely happy with it. We both have had ER and hospital stays/visits and the care was excellent. Our providers have been very good as well. My other half sees a physician and I see the ARNP---both are great. Before UHC was here, I will say our dr. experiences were "less than" for several reasons. I like that ALL of our care is under one umbrella and we don't have to worry about our providers leaving us, as we read about on social media posts. PLUS our records all are accessible on the patient portal. Though the specialty clinic physicians are available to everyone living in T.V.---our records are there for our primaries AND the hospital(s).

[Arlington2]

Both of us have had UHC TV HMO for a few years with high satisfaction. It is similar to 2 previous HMO's we had at previous locations. Best to check on medicare.gov to compare UHC with Florida Blue to look at your drugs and personal hot spots. They are similar, but differ in detail. Keep in mind the UHC HMO and TVHS are different entities. TVHS accepts both UHC and Florida Blue, but both HMO's have coverage over the state. UHC can be transferred to some other states to benefit snowbirds.

Medicare.gov gives Florida Blue a 5 star rating while UHC gets a 4 star. That puzzled me because it seems the UHC benefits are better than Florida Blue. Especially since UHC provides MVP benefit as well as other fitness centers benefits, better hearing aid benefits, specialist visits without a referal and the ability to temporarily transfer coverage to some other states. It appears the rating difference is in lower member experience with health plan which I suspect is actually a review of the TVHS and perhaps biased by backlash from when TVHS stopped accepting other than UHC. The biggest complaint I hear is it can take a long time to get an initial visit in TVHS when first joining up. We have been able to get same day or next day appointments with our primary when we have minor emergencies - even during peak season. Have also had positive experience with the TV emergency room and a hospital stay.

[Mudder]

Very satisfied with UHC. Villages health care has worked well for us. I too go to Shands regularly for a very specialized treatment. UCH covers it all. Also go to Mass General in Boston several times a year for treatment. Same $15 co pay for specialist. That co pay is going up slightly this year. The plan works, all you have to do is understand how to get the services you need, it's pretty easy.

[renpan]

Since we are part time residents, we have an UHC PPO Medicare Advantage Plan. The big advantage is applying for Passport when we come to the Villages, which means we can use any UHC doctors here. Works for us and we are very happy with the providers.

[jebartle]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

That is not 100% true. I am part of the UHC Villages plan. I needed radiation therapy and chose proton therapy at the UF Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville which is attached to Shands. My initial dealings with UHC denied that treatment. The insurance folks there appealed that decision and all the radiation treatments were covered in network. There were a few items that were done at both Shands and the Proton Institute that were covered out of network but still covered. My 300K worth of treatments cost me around 8K total.

Part of the reason this worked is UF in Orlando is part of the plan and they also have proton radiation there. So that type of radiation is covered as part of the UHC Villages plan. I chose Jacksonville because they had significantly more experience with my type cancer than Orlando. 4500 patients vs under 100 patients. So it is true that Shands is not part of the published plan, don't give up and accept that as a final answer. All of these places have groups that do nothing but work with insurance plans as a patient advocate.

So thankful for treatment and continued progress.

[Nucky]

I have had a very positive experience with UHC and The Villages Healthcare for me. I have had 3 years of constant negotiation with Florida Blue to have different issues covered when initially the were not covered for my wife.

Since I have first-hand experience dealing with both I feel like UHC is working to help me toward my Goal and that Florida Blue puts up as many roadblocks as possible. I definitely don't want to rush life in any way shape or form but it will be better when UHC is my wife's plan. Florida Blue has gotten their act together somewhat in the last year but they were brutal to deal with for a long time. Reminded me of Blue Cross Blue Shield of N.J.

I feel like UHC cares for me and the fact that they will work with you as mentioned above says it all! I'm staying with UHC.

[gatorbill1]

two years and no problems with anything. Not part of TV Health and probably never will. There are plenty of good doctors around here and you do not need a referral for a specialist. Have tried the ones that give you money back and they lack the specialists when you want a choice of who you go to.