[lorilorilori]

I sincerely appreciate your input on what to do about Health Care and Health Insurance.

I have had BCBS for 30 years and at the expo was encouraged to take United Health and see the Village Doctors.

What is your experience with all this.

Thanks in advance of your input.

[queasy27]

Are you satisfied with your current insurance coverage and pricing? If so, my advice would be to stay put.

Everyone's policies and needs are different. When I had to go on Medicare, I opted for Villages Health because it was significantly less expensive, but have been displeased.

From what I've read here, most peopile are very content with Villages Health, so I'm in the minority. I have the HMO plan through WellMed Medical, which I think may be more problematic.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by lorilorilori

I sincerely appreciate your input on what to do about Health Care and Health Insurance.

I have had BCBS for 30 years and at the expo was encouraged to take United Health and see the Village Doctors.

What is your experience with all this.

Thanks in advance of your input.

Search this site for United health.
Good luck.

[champion6]

Originally Posted by lorilorilori

I sincerely appreciate your input on what to do about Health Care and Health Insurance.

I have had BCBS for 30 years and at the expo was encouraged to take United Health and see the Village Doctors.

What is your experience with all this.

Thanks in advance of your input.

You have left out many important (to you) details:
Are you still working?
If retired, does you former employer pay for your BCBS?
How old are you?
What is your current primary insurance for hospitals and doctors - BCBS or Medicare?
What is your current primary insurance for prescription drugs - BCBS or Medicare?
How long have you been in TV - in other words, do you already have a primary care doctor that you like and are you seeing specialists that you like?

All of these things (and maybe more) are import for you to determine what is best for you.

You should schedule an appointment with a SHINE volunteer in TV who can help you by providing unbiased information.

Good luck!

[Mleeja]

Best comment of the day “You should schedule an appointment with a SHINE volunteer”. The are very helpful in wading though the Medicare insurance swamp.

[jimnc]

Please do your homework before making any decision. The implications of choosing the wrong insurance could be far reaching. When the Villages Health made coverage by their insurance a requirement for choosing a Villages Health primary care physician I decided to keep my insurance and find another PCP not affiliated with the Villages Health. This meant leaving my doctor, whom I really liked. But the biggest thing you must understand is that not all physicians and hospitals (namely the University of Florida (Shands) might not accept the Villages insurance. You might not be able to afford the best possible treatment. If you're in good health there will probably be no problem. But if you become seriously ill the trade-off of saving a little money in premiums will seem insignificant. Please choose wisely!
You might not be able to go back.
As another poster said, meet with a SHINE volunteer for unbiased information.

[JoMar]

I also had BCBS when I moved here, had several friends, both in TV and in other areas of FL who said FL BCBS had issues. I did talk to them and was not impressed with the knowledge of the person I talked to. So, took a chance with TV health and have not been disappointed. My wife and I have different physicians and sing their praises. Both of us needed TV hospital since we have been here, her for serious life threatening surgery and I for a mundane hip replacement.....both experiences were very positive. My personal opinion is we all come from different places and all have different relationships with the medical insurance and facilities we had so our expectations are based on those experiences. When it's not the same we are disappointed. You will hear many comparisons between here and there (not only on health care but almost everything). Talking to Shine, visiting one of the care centers, talking to your neighbors are all the right things to do. Having expectations met may be a lot harder.

[dewilson58]

I'm following and I'm listening.

Good thread.

[lorilorilori]

Thank you and I found the SHINE INFORMATION.

I am 70 & in excellent health. Thank you for your ideas and I think U R All right. If I have been ok with BCBS as supplement to Medicare, I should keep it for this year til I have time to check out other policies. I was told there is a rule - 60 days from change of address w Medicare and I changed my address last month to the villages - but waiting another year might be the best bet. Thank you all.

[valuemkt]

I'm new to Medicare but chose BCBS as my supplement. I chose it because I have a homes in both Florida and Georgia, and also wanted coverage Internationally as well. Many of the advantage plans are very limiting geographically. I've had BCBS before... Sometimes the inter state coordination of payments is a hassle, but in the end they get resolved. If you are sedentary and will be in The Villages 100% of the time, perhaps your decision would be different.

[villagetinker]

Also, be sure you look into the requirements and limitations if you go to Villages insurance (ADVANTAGE PLANS) and then decide these are NOT for you, there are limitations going back to traditional Medicare and Supplemental. SHINE can give you info on the gory details.

[RErmer]

Just a note - SHINE does not make appointments. Just check the Daily Sun for the schedule of when they are at the various rec centers. It’s first come first served, though this time of year it’s pretty slow so there’s not much if any wait time.

[zmarkp]

I had BCBS in NC for 35 years as a self employed businessman. My premiums increased relentlessly. Then one day around six years ago I told them I wanted to decrease my premium by raising my deductible. They said NO. Anecdotally, i was told by someone who would know that while BCBS was OK in NC it was not in Fl. Wish it was simpler, but you'll really have to do some due diligence. SHINE is wonderful and don't pull punches. As are many of the wonderful people here.