My wife and I talked to United and the rep of TVH yesterday and it's definite about the change at the first of the year. I'm a retired Federal employee and we have the FEP BCBS. I'm 68 and my wife is 63 so it'll be a year from Feb before we can cancel the BCBS and get the United Advantage plan so my wife can retain her coverage. I've decided to simply go a little over a year without seeing my doctor. I asked and was told that I'd be accepted back after that year. I'll still have coverage through BCBS is I need something. I'll just go to one of the little emergency clinics or the hospital.

And, btw..., the basic United plan has no monthly premiums and the yearly max is $4800. My part of our BCBS is $4200 a year. We're both in excellent health and the copay and deductibles would have only been a couple of hundred dollars, at the most, the past ten years if we'd been on the United plan all along so, for us, it'll save thousands.

If you're interested, the United Rep we talked to was extremely helpful. She is Deborah Pecoraro. He number is 407-341-4214. I'd suggest talking to her, or one of the other reps, before making a final decision. Honeslty, we went in thinking we'd be leaving TVH and now we're not going to.

What dud your letter say? I'm not 65 and received a letter saying I'm good til Medicare.

I am also a retired fed with BC/BS. I thought I was in perfect health until a serious problem surfaced. I would have paid many times the BC/BS premiums with co-pays and deductibles. Also with original Medicare and BC/BS you have a much wider choice of providers if the need should arise. If you spend summers away from TV you may find medical services very limited.

As I prior post mentioned the MA plans all have a "maximum out of pocket."

How accurately you have captured the caring of TV "Marcus "Welby" bait and switch by TV health care system!!!

Keep in mind the $4800 out of pocket seems worse if for instance you have to have chemo in Nov and Dec of one year and it flows over to treatments in Jan and Feb you could easily be facing $9600 out of pocket in a short period of time.

Thank you, Radioman, this gives me something more to consider. It's a big jump off of a cliff that you can't climb back on to, huh? I'm just glad that my wife is over a year away from Medicare so we can't do anything until then anyway.

Oh, and Radioman, who are you going to use now? Have you found someone else that takes our BCBS in the area?

What a mess coming from the Friendliest and Healthiest Town in Florida. Sure makes those health pages in the Daily Sun persona non grata. Perhaps the Daily sun should pull them and replace them with real news. If you can't trust The Villages who can you trust:D

Could it be that the superior management at TVH blew another one? The letters were mailed as bulk mail which does not get forwarded. Only first class mail gets forwarded.

GypsySooners, I sent you a PM.

I also have Fed BC/BS and it is very expensive compared to the advantage plan. I am currently in good health and you can look at it as spending thousands more dollars for nothing. However, I am paying for "insurance". If I don't have any claims, then I am paying a lot for nothing. Right now, I'm paying a lot for nothing. But when I needed hearing aids, I paid nothing for them as they are covered under BC/BS. I'm not getting anything for the car insurance I pay every 6 months if I don't have any accidents. but, if something serious happens, I'm covered. Just like if I totaled my car.

Sort of supports the supposition one of the unmentioned motives behind the decision is also to dump their chronically ill patients who of course are more costly to treat. If so, sort of despicable, isn't it ? What happens in the future to their now healthy patients who succumb to the maladies of aging ? Probably will tweak the acceptable. insurance plan to eventually force them out as well when the time comes to do so.

You have it right!