Hopefully better insurance will help you. I am lucky that I have medicare and tricare. I'm hoping they will pick up a little of the ambulance jet. They put $24,000 on my charge card for that jet ride back to Florida !!! :22yikes:

Would you be willing to share your list? Please PM me if you will. Thanks!

I have found the best doctor ever for my total knee replacement- Dr Steve V Nguyen!! It was minimal invasive -was walking the same day and was golfing 2 weeks after surgery. Caring and keeps up with the latest knowledge and technology. He goes in from the side and does not cut the muscle so quick recover time. Was very very pleased. Also Dr Scott clark great dermatology. So there are very good doctors out there- just need to check them out.

Hi Bonny,
I worked for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Maryland for thirty years. I spoke to several people over the years regarding Air Ambulance Expenses.

Just wanted to pass on a possible lead which may provide some help with expenses. Many credit cards automatically provide coverage for unexpected medical expenses. Check with the credit card carrier you used when charging your trip to St. Maartin. They may just have some such automatic insurance. Let's hope! Pam

That was the first thing we checked. Didn't cover that. :sad:

Trip insurance?
 

I am sure if you had it for this trip you have already checked it, but I am curious if something like your medical air ambulance would be covered on some trip insurance policies, and which one.

Never used to buy trip insurance, but I think in the future that whenever we go out of North America that I will be purchasing it, especially once we are on Medicare, which I understand only can be used in the U.S.? Is that correct? Wondering if there is a good, better, best policy. Anyone know?

This should probably be a separate thread, but... yes, it's true that Medicare does not cover foreign travel. We always buy medical + evac insurance for international travel. I use Medex, but there are a slew of companies if you google medical travel insurance. Amex used to have a fantastic, inexpensive one, but somehow they were forced to quit offering it, at least last I checked (November 2013).

There are a couple of supplemental (i.e., not advantage plans) plans that cover foreign travel, but they are very expensive. It's cheaper to just buy insurance for your trips.

dentist
 

where is a good dentist?

Do a search on the forum for "dentist." There are many recommendations. I suggest reading the most recent posts to get the newest information.

we have office staff and doctors up north that are the same..so

I've often wondered how doctors ended up here. Central Florida must be home to a small percentage, but unless they're Gerontologists I'm not sure they planned on working with so many seniors when they all finished their residencies. Eh, probably a hundred different reasons for a hundred different doctors. :)

I do believe the overall medical care here is equal to other communities of comparable size and sufficient for most needs. Not the best but not horrible and advanced teaching hospitals are not too far away.

Well, that is a shame. However, you have the choice to take your business elsewhere. There are plenty of people who will take your place. Some of the doctors have a waiting list. TVH is not going anywhere anytime soon. They are competent doctors and staff who can and will take care of you. However, healthcare is what it is and you cannot expect them to roll the red carpet out for you every single time your back hurts or your hip hurts or you have the sniffles. Also, why is it folks move here and all of a sudden they forgot how to take care of themselves? I love my doctor here you should find someone you like even if it means leaving where you are at.

We sometimes get trip insurance. Didn't really think about it this time as we were staying at our timeshare.
Will definitely get trip insurance from now on !

What a pleasant first post.

I don't believe anyone expects a red carpet rolled out for minor situations as you suggest. Why do you believe that folks here forget how to take care of themselves? This is a senior community. Unfortunately, very often with age comes health concerns. Why so bitter? I'm sure we're all pleased that you love your doctor.

We are new/part time Villagers and wanted to make sure we got hooked up with a doctor in Pinellas TV Health before they filled up their patient limit so we made appointments with Dr. Perez even though we have doctors back in Georgia until we get here full time next year.

We were amazed how much interest he took in each of us and his willingness to work with our hometown doctors. His examination and information gathering was extensive and time consuming.

We will be glad to have him a three minute cart ride from our home when we are full time Villagers.