Talk of The Villages Florida - UnitedHealthcare and The Villages Healthcare Partnership

Below is a re-post of my 1-23-2013 reply on THVHC. Those interested in non-Villages provided info may find ACOs to be an excellent fit for TVHCS. Note particularly the similarities (paid MDs, AKA as capitation in HMOs, restricted enrollment, and risk-sharing incentives to name a few).As I recall, PHP, now owned by UnitedHealthCare (UHC), is legally defined as an HMO. I may be wrong. UHC certainly has proven experience in managing HMOs, PPOs, Medicare Advantage, etc., etc.

If Villagers are as healthy as surmised, an ACO could generate a lot of cash flow incentives under a Medicare risk-sharing model. I am not opposed to that so long as good healthcare is provided in the process. I have had personal coverage under managed care plans at various times over the past 30+ years and believe the present unfettered fee-for-service environmental within TV is over-ripe for change, particularly in view of increasing concerns about Medicare expenses. One wonders why TVHCS seems reluctant to be more transparent to its potential constituency.

Re-post:
After reading between the lines and considerable research, I have come to the opinion that The Villages Health System could well be an Accountable Care Organization as defined by the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. Over 300 such organizations are in the works throughout the country, specifically designed to change Medicare from primarily a fee-for-service system to a coordinated care system. Several such ACOs are listed within Florida. I have not yet seen any specific reference to the The Villages Health System, so I am not saying that this is the fact. However, comparing ACOs with the sparsely provided info to date re The Villages system leads me to my conclusion and opinion. Of course, my opinion is just that.

Here is one good URL for ACOs if interested in further information:

Accountable Care Organizations: Improving Care Coordination for People with Medicare | HealthCare.gov