[Carla B]

As I recall, it was last year that TV Health stopped accepting patients with Original Medicare. Now, according to the OP and the OP is probably right, all the patients with Original Medicare who had been admitted at the start of The Villages Health System will be disenrolled unless they agree to switch to UH Medicare Advantage. It's ironic that the government wanted to get rid of Advantage programs due to their greater cost to Medicare but now, these programs have "risen from the ashes", so to speak.

[RedChariot]

Originally Posted by NYGUY

When you look in a dictionary, your post will show up as the definition of "bait and switch"

I believe what you said is true. This is wrong of The Villages to do this to their residents.We all signed up in good faith. Bait and switch as you said. Such greed.

[outlaw]

Welcome, fellow outcasts. Ocala and Leesburg aren't that far away.

[Villageswimmer]

Folks, this is a business and the goal is $ . It is difficult to believe that VHS will remain viable after this move. Not many of us former military, Feds, and educators will give up our insurance plans--and there are a LOT of us!

Do we know whether this is official or still in rumor stage?

I haven't seen the warm, fuzzy "Marcus Welby" propaganda touted lately.

If this decision has been made, it would be considerate of them to let us know sooner rather than later.

[biker1]

Hard to say without some actual numbers.

Originally Posted by Villageswimmer

Folks, this is a business and the goal is $ . It is difficult to believe that VHS will remain viable after this move. Not many of us former military, Feds, and educators will give up our insurance plans--and there are a LOT of us!

Do we know whether this is official or still in rumor stage?

I haven't seen the warm, fuzzy "Marcus Welby" propaganda touted lately.

If this decision has been made, it would be considerate of them to let us know sooner rather than later.

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by RedChariot

I believe what you said is true. This is wrong of The Villages to do this to their residents.We all signed up in good faith. Bait and switch as you said. Such greed.

It's only greed when it's not going in your pocket right?

[Villageswimmer]

I should have added that history has shown that TV does not make poor business decisions. If this change happens, you can be sure they have thoroughly researched the pros/cons and the money is there.

Neither side--you nor VHS--signed a contract. They can do what they want even if people think it stinks. I don't see it as bait and switch at all.

If I decided to leave VHS for whatever reason, would that be bait and switch? Did I promise to remain there for life?

It's a free marketplace. All they have to lose (apparently) is some goodwill. We'll get over it; they'll make bucks.

[Villageswimmer]

Originally Posted by biker1

Hard to say without some actual numbers.

Correct. I was speculating and am likely wrong.

[RedChariot]

Originally Posted by JoMar

It's only greed when it's not going in your pocket right?

I don't know what you mean but it seems a bit harsh. I would never try to increase my income at the cost of someone's health. If you knew my history as an RN and the pains taken to insure excellent patient care, you would not be so flippant.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by Villageswimmer

I should have added that history has shown that TV does not make poor business decisions. If this change happens, you can be sure they have thoroughly researched the pros/cons and the money is there.

Neither side--you nor VHS--signed a contract. They can do what they want even if people think it stinks. I don't see it as bait and switch at all.

If I decided to leave VHS for whatever reason, would that be bait and switch? Did I promise to remain there for life?

It's a free marketplace. All they have to lose (apparently) is some goodwill. We'll get over it; they'll make bucks.

I agree 100%. Unfortunately for us patients, health care is a very fluid situation these days, forcing both providers and patients to make difficult choices. VHS's decision is no different than a solo practitioner in Podunk deciding to no longer accept Aetna. These insurance decisions face medical practices every year, and believe me they are not easy, since sometimes it means dropping an insurance that covers a long time patient. Hardly bait and switch--you have to go to an auto insurance company for that

[goodtimesintv]

Originally Posted by RedChariot

I believe what you said is true. This is wrong of The Villages to do this to their residents. We all signed up in good faith. Bait and switch as you said. Such greed.

No, we signed up like any other consumer of goods and services: We can take it or leave it and can enroll in Medicare with supplement with other dr. groups in the area.

People in some other countries would love to be able to have that option with their government healthcare.

If you want cite "greed", how about calling out the "greed" for power of all those in Washington who cook up the self-serving incentives for Medicare Advantage plans to double and boom, at the expense of Medicare.

[outlaw]

You people are dumber than dirt if you think UHC Villages Healthcare didn't pull the old bait and switch on us. Go ahead and defend the developer's chosen UHC. I joined last October with assurances from three different UHC people that I would be grandfathered in. I never would have joined without those assurances. In less than three months, I get the letter; switch or leave. Quit making fools of yourselves with your pathetic defense of these charlatans. Is it legal what they are doing? Yes. Is it ethical? H3ll No!

[goodtimesintv]

Originally Posted by outlaw

You people are dumber than dirt if you think UHC Villages Healthcare didn't pull the old bait and switch on us. Go ahead and defend the developer's chosen UHC. I joined last October with assurances from three different UHC people that I would be grandfathered in. I never would have joined without those assurances. In less than three months, I get the letter; switch or leave. Quit making fools of yourselves with your pathetic defense of these charlatans. Is it legal what they are doing? Yes. Is it ethical? H3ll No!

Right, AND it's also a matter of "you get what you pay for".

People have warned on here many times that the AARP -UHC Plan, and now The Villages UHC plan like it, are HMOs that do not include the outside specialists they needed at other teaching-research hospitals in a major health crisis with aggressive cancer or other rare/complex diagnosis.

Many comments are on this board saying the AARP- and TV-UHC plan was fine UNTIL they got into a crisis that they needed Drs for in Tampa or elsewhere, but the plan didn't include that, and some were lucky to be in the enrollment window to change to regular Medicare with supplement when they needed to. There was a thread just a couple of weeks ago with a person saying this happened to him, and he was thinking of changing back and people said "don't do it" because that lesson should already have been learned--the hard way.

[wendyquat]

But wait --- "if you like your health care and your doctor, you can keep them" --- right?

[NYGUY]

Originally Posted by wendyquat

But wait --- "if you like your health care and your doctor, you can keep them" --- right?

Unfortunately, The Villages Health didn't say that!!