"Traditional Medicare" vs Medicare Advantage
 

What do you think the breakdown is for The Villages on Medicare between the two options? Most I talk with are on the advantage plan; I have spoken to very few on traditional Medicare. I have been surprised by that.

Also, I was shocked that The Villages Health Centers only accept Medicare Advantage and not traditional Medicare. Is that because the reimbursement for physician services is that much different between the two options?

Traditional Medicare here, we ran into too many problems with an advantage plan could not get access to desired specialists and the ones available were several weeks to months for appointments.
No idea on the compensation.

Personally, I think that The Villages health care facilities do not accept original Medicare because they want to make them more accessible to Villagers. If they accepted original Medicare, they would be required by law to accept all original Medicare patients from the surrounding areas, and they would soon become overcrowded with non-Villagers. These facilities were constructed within The Villages to be convenient to Villagers, not non-Villagers. Otherwise, what is the point of using Villages property to operate health care facilities within The Villages? My opinion.

I don't believe that has anything to do with it. It's about the money, IMHO. Long read but worth the information provided.. Tap on "just a moment".

Just a moment...

I understand your opinion. But, if a Villager cannot get an appointment at a Villages health care facility because of overcrowding, what is the point of building health care facilities on Villages property? The developer is trying to create a convenient environment for people who want to buy houses and get convenient health care.

Read the attached information regarding Medicare Advantage please. I believe The Villages is looking out for The Villages and it is not a benefactor for the citizenry's medical care.

I have read it, but I tend to view the developer's plan as primarily to create a good lifestyle for residents and to attract homebuyers, not to sell health care services.

Kind of like building the school. The parents have to work for the villages in order for the kids to go there.

Agreed

Regarding your first question, when I became eligible, I chose original Medicare knowing that is was more expensive. However, I also knew that the Advantage programs have a network of providers and my current providers at the time were not included. Also, at the time several of the Major Cancer treatment centers were not on the list of providers. I was also advised that the Advantage program was required to approve certain actions.

With the Original Medicare you don't have a limited provider network and Medicare determines whether treatment is covered by a code provided by providers giving the reason for required treatment. That code itself is the Approval so there is no wait and no restriction to your source of treatment. Doctor wants MRI, chooses source, provides a referral with proper code and you can get MRI. In my situation, my former employer pays the first $1,000 of my supplement cost (slightly less than half,) I pay about $1,200 for my supplement and it includes yearly cost to Genesis Fitness center.

Everyone has a different need. I am happy with my decision.

If that’s the case then the rapid pace of development isn’t doing Villager's who already own homes a solid. How about limiting the pace of growth so it doesn’t suffocate the available health care infrastructure? Perhaps I’m missing something, but in my opinion it totally doesn’t make sense to not accept original Medicare in the largest 55+ retirement community in the world!

There are plenty of Medicare providers close by who do accept original Medicare. The developer builds, owns, and operates health care facilities on Villages property that are designed to be convenient to Villagers who want to use a Villages operated facility. Restricting these facilities to a few Medicare Advantage plan members makes it easier to use these facilities. If they could limit access to Villagers only, they probably would accept original Medicare. But they cannot because Medicare is a Federal program and they are not allowed to descriminate against non-Villagers. If they had to accept original Medicare, I think the developer would close the facilities. This is just my opinion and you don't need to agree.

Yes, you hit the nail on the head. One has to choose a plan with fewer coverages/options for medical care to use The Villages facilities at this point. It appears they are unable to build the infrastructure or attract top notch care for everyone. Some system, from my point of view.

The developer is building new facilities in the south.

Medicare and snowbirds.
 

I think Medicare advantage would put me in a network of doctors. Since I am a snowbird I need doctors in two locations that Medicare will cover. I don’t think that works for snowbirds.