UHC Medicare advantage question
 

Medicare question to those of you on a UHC advantage plan. My wife and I are getting ready to retire in 2023 and have been extensively researching Medicare. We're both healthy and very fit (knock on wood). So we've decided the best plan for us is the AARP UHC advantage. We'll be snowbirding in TV starting next fall. The UHC network here in Indiana includes all the providers we need. So we were wondering how good the UHC network is in the TV and surrounding areas? Thanks in advance.

Could you get that information from UHC?

You can search by provider. But when you don't know who the good providers are there, that's hard to do.
Sometimes it's best to just not respond to a post if you have nothing constructive to add.

We have UHC The Villages plan, check it out vs. AARP.
We're plenty happy with United HealthCare , 14 years running down here.
Best wishes

I have UHC and also a snowbird have no interest in The Villages UHC PLAN

Wow.

How good? Does The Villages Health take AARP plan? If they do TV health is very good imo.

Shut that down real quick!

Excellent. Been highly satisfied. Never an issue with a claim.

UHC Medicare Advantage
 

We've had UHC Medicare Advantage, PPO, for 12 years, in Illinois first, then snowboarding, and for the last 2 1/2 years full time in TV. We chose the PPO plan so we could go wherever we want. The Villages Health DOES accept UHC-MA, both the HMO and the PPO plans. Our primary care Dr. is in TV Health, as are some specialists, but we still have the OPTION of going to any Dr. we like, without prior "permission." We've been very satisfied with the PPO plan.

UHC is the way to go, here in the villages. BUT with traditional medicare, NOT medicare advantage. If you want more information, go see a SHINE ( Serving health insurance needs of elders) specialist. ln Chula Vista recreation center, or Lake Miona recreation center, or Lady Lake Library, or Eisenhower recreation center, different times and days. These are medicare people, NOT insurance company people. Or call 800-963-5337 for information. You may be healthy now, but you don't know what tomorrow brings. Good Luck!!

For the past 7 years we've had UHC TV Advantage program and used the TV Health Services. Both are very satisfying. You can use, but don't have to use the TVHS. The TVHS is staffed with many highly qualified doctors and specialists. It is the most convenient, comprehensive and accommodating medical care we have had since retiring 15 years ago (have experience with 2 advantage programs in 2 other locations). When traveling you have access to the network of UHC doctors. I would suggest also getting a local personal insurance agent. That helps when you may need some care outside the normal advantage coverage. DM me if you would like the name of a local UHC agent. Shine is an excellent unbiased source for your insurance needs.

Suggestion: contact Debbie Pecerarro @ 352-406-4010. She is one of the best UHC representatives here in TV and is a world of knowledge. She can answer any question you have about UHC.

I worked several years for a Medicare Advantage PPO and HMO insurance company as an RN health coach. Most of the nurses I worked with agreed that when we retire, we would not have an advantage plan. So much of our time and our clients time was spent determining copays, searching for in- network doctors and hospitals, whether certain procedures would be covered and donut hole concerns. Deductibles and co-pays can add up through the year and over a lifetime, and many of my clients would decide not to have a recommended procedure because they could not afford the copay. Or they may not be able to go to a preferred specialist because they were not in network. I am with AARP Medicare Supplement insured by United Health Care and I am very happy. I have been in good health and an advantage plan may have cost less initially. But I am starting to go the the doctor more frequently now and I do not have to worry about any copays or specialist selection. If I would develop a series health issue, those copays can become overwhelming. When you retire and start medicare, you have six months when insurance carriers who provide a supplement plan have to accept you in spite of any health issues. However....after that they do not have to accept you and your option of choosing a medicare supplement plan may not be possible. So I highly recommend a medicare supplement plan over any Advantage program. If down the road you decide you want an advantage plan....you can switch. But you may not be able to switch from an advantage plan to a medicare supplement plan after that initial 6 month period.

I am also a retired RN, and I agree completely regarding Traditional Medicare vs Medicare Advantage. With Medicare Advantage, not only are you limited to which physicians and facilities you can go to, physicians are also limited to which procedures they can order for you. A Neurologist friend once told me he had a patient that badly needed an MRI of the brain, but Medicare Advantage would not allow it. To me, that was monumental. So save a few bucks in the beginning, but take a chance of a serious issue not being diagnosed? No thank you! I have Traditional Medicare with Florida Blue Supplemental and am very pleased with both.