[GregP]

Ok Where to start? I got the letter and so did my wife. This whole mess started when a friend of mind that I used to work with moved down here. Having the same Insurance as me (Top of the line BC & BS) asked me what Doctors I used. I recommended, “Village Health Care”. A few days later he came back to me saying they would not take him. Wondering what was going on I went to the center near me to find out. I met with the person in charge. When I asked what was going on, how come my friend could not get in I was told that they were only taking new patience’s with United Health Care. The person tried for about 10 minutes to get me to drop my BC&BS and join United. I said to her, “My wife has had 14 major operations and I have never seen a bill why should I change” Finally the person gave up. I was then told that it would NOT affect me I was grandfathered in. Out of curiosity I asked why they were doing this. I was told that the Doctors requested it so they could be paid easier. My response was OH???? I was under the impression that the Doctors worked for you and you paid them. I got no response she walked away. Then the bomb shell hit I was kicked out, BUT I was told that if I had “TriCare for Life” I could stay I would be grandfathered. (I do but they did not know that) There is no way that I would trust them. They are out for themselves not the individual. I am looking forward to the survey and so is my wife. Shame because we both liked who we were seeing. Our new Doctors are good.

[hillncea]

I'm interested to read how many people seem to be anxious to turn to TVHS after they've made the choice to leave (or "have been booted out", as they like to see.

My wife and I were both in TVHS and left. We both loved our primaries and it was an extremely difficult decision for us to go (although fortunately we have found another wonderful primary outside TVHS). I would not go back to TVHS, however, and it's not because it wasn't a wonderful system. It's because they've already demonstrated that they have the right, and will exercise the right, to change the rules at any time without warning regardless of the consequences to their patients. What's to keep them from changing their minds again and shutting the whole system down? And if you're in TVHS system and they shut it down, where are you going to go for a primary when tens of thousands of people are facing the problem the same time you are?

A major factor in satisfactory health care is trust. They earned that when they gathered together a group of primary physicians that I think most people have found to be uniformly excellent--but then they threw that all away with the curveball last year. I, for one, am out of the system for good. I could never trust TVHS again.

[Villagesgal]

People forget that they still take outside insurance for those under 65. I was with Bellevue Family Physicians long before they became the villages health. I will be told to leave if I choose a different medicare supplement plan when I turn 65. They accept most plans for those under 65. They are not a Villagers exclusive practice. As I am now 62 and have had my primary Dr. For 16 years. I hope they change their policy regarding outside insurance.

[earlehancock]

The decision to only accept UHC insurance is a greed based decision. Many patients left the villages health care system for good reasons, so many in fact that VHCS is looking to save face.
Some folks stated in this thread that we had a choice, stay and change insurance or leave. In my case my e-wife is insured by me and spends a great deal of time in Massachusetts, not possible for us. When I came to TV I rented for a year to give myself time to "check it out". I was impressed with the VHCS and my Doctor. There were many other things that I liked and some I didn't. The health care system was a big plus. So I purchased a home, then the health care system changed their insurance. Why?

[OhioBuckeye]

Originally Posted by trichard

Today I received a letter from the so called " leadership" of The Villages Health. They start off by saying they are sorry for the disruptive decisions they made last year. TVH has contracted with a research firm out of Tampa to help them improve their services.

I am an Original Medicare patient who sought care elsewhere when they decided to exclusively accept only United Healthcare Medicare Advantage. They are running negative cash and losing millions. Could it be that they are looking for a diplomatic way to again accept Original Medicare Insurance?

I lost all respect for TVH when we first moved here 6 yrs. ago I just had a 5 way heart bypass in Ohio where I lived. It was only 6 weeks afterward that I had an issue in my mouth due to breathing tubes during my heart surgery. I was told never be around people that had any kind of viruses. When I went to the waiting room I sat in there for 5 1/2 hrs. with 3 people having puke buckets for severe cases of the flu. I told the them about it & they said they couldn't do anything about it. (that was their exact words) Then when I did see someone it was a PA & he said I had a cold sore, wrong. We got into see the CEO of the hospital & told her the lot longer story, my $4,000+ dollar bill was forgiven. So Tampa can improve them all they want but if want good health care go somewhere else. Besides TVH can't do anything to your heart, all they can do is stabilize you & send you to another hospital, if you can make it!

[FromNY]

I would be happy if they let me back in. I use the specialty group. But on July 1 got the boot for PCP. Not looking forward to finding another. Especially since they want you to use their specialist cohorts. Unfortunately it is about money and that is why our health care system is broken.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by OhioBuckeye

I lost all respect for TVH when we first moved here 6 yrs. ago I just had a 5 way heart bypass in Ohio where I lived. It was only 6 weeks afterward that I had an issue in my mouth due to breathing tubes during my heart surgery. I was told never be around people that had any kind of viruses. When I went to the waiting room I sat in there for 5 1/2 hrs. with 3 people having puke buckets for severe cases of the flu. I told the them about it & they said they couldn't do anything about it. (that was their exact words) Then when I did see someone it was a PA & he said I had a cold sore, wrong. We got into see the CEO of the hospital & told her the lot longer story, my $4,000+ dollar bill was forgiven. So Tampa can improve them all they want but if want good health care go somewhere else. Besides TVH can't do anything to your heart, all they can do is stabilize you & send you to another hospital, if you can make it!

Interesting opinion, considering they do over 5,000 cardiac catheterizations/year most with stent placement.

[Boomer]

TOTV's format has a quirk. You can edit a post, but you cannot edit a thread title. A typo in a title can hang there forever. I don't know if a moderator can fix a title typo or if it has to be an admin. The OP can't fix it.

Please! Somebody, please fix the title of this thread.

A heath is an open area of uncultivated land with characteristic vegetation of heather and coarse grasses and overgrown with shrubs -- especially in Britain.

Yes, TV certainly is buying up land, but I think they are concentrating on just our continent, for now. And besides, TV would never do a survey asking if we think they should buy more land.

[kandmroberts]

Can't wait for the survey. I will be honest...........like where I told them to put their practice when they booted me. Now I have Michael Glick MD for my primary and do not intend to change. I sincerely hope they close up their fancy buildings and make more recreation centers out of them. LOL! MR

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by kandmroberts

Can't wait for the survey. I will be honest...........like where I told them to put their practice when they booted me. Now I have Michael Glick MD for my primary and do not intend to change. I sincerely hope they close up their fancy buildings and make more recreation centers out of them. LOL! MR

Here we go again. Must be the heat. Nobody "booted" you, you made a CHOICE, and "booted" yourself.

[Buckeye Bob]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

The second problem was the misperception that the UHC MA plan had an extremely limited panel of specialists. This was simply not true, with over 20,000 doctors in network and over 150 hospitals. Shands and Moffitt are NOT in network, but there is nothing special that cannot be obtained in network. Also, the insurers are generally very liberal with approving out of network referrals with a good reason and a call from the primary care doctor.

I had DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) done at Shands for essential tremor by Dr. Kelly Foote who is one of the worlds best at this type of surgery. The insurer may approve going out of network but Shands will not accept the Advantage Plan. I wouldn't have trusted this brain surgery to anyone but him.

[Bonny]

Originally Posted by kandmroberts

Can't wait for the survey. I will be honest...........like where I told them to put their practice when they booted me. Now I have Michael Glick MD for my primary and do not intend to change. I sincerely hope they close up their fancy buildings and make more recreation centers out of them. LOL! MR

Booted you out, you mean you left, so now you want VH to close down? ReallY?

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Bob

I had DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) done at Shands for essential tremor by Dr. Kelly Foote who is one of the worlds best at this type of surgery. The insurer may approve going out of network but Shands will not accept the Advantage Plan. I wouldn't have trusted this brain surgery to anyone but him.

First of all, if the insurer approves going out of network, it doesn't matter that Shands doesn't accept UHC MA---that's why they are out of network in the first place---the insurer pays them their usual fee or makes some sort of compromise arrangement.

Second, this is a rather unique treatment that is not available just anywhere---the odds are that the out of network referral would be approved. The only time that it wouldn't be is if there are many specialists in network who do the same procedure and you just WANT this particular doctor/hospital. And even then, in my experience, one phone call from your PCP to the medical director at UHC will get the approval.

Are you STILL ROFLYAO????????

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by kandmroberts

Can't wait for the survey. I will be honest...........like where I told them to put their practice when they booted me. Now I have Michael Glick MD for my primary and do not intend to change. I sincerely hope they close up their fancy buildings and make more recreation centers out of them. LOL! MR

That should help the resale value of your house. What were you thinking???

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

That should help the resale value of your house. What were you thinking???

Best guess----he wasn't