[Bucco]

Originally Posted by Indydealmaker

Just be patient. Time will reveal all. This is all part of the consolidation of healthcare in the U.S. Hospital closures and/or mergers are up dramatically. Insurers all over the country are dropping doctors and hospitals. They are trying to optimize profits in the face of the ACA. I think you will find that health caregivers are being extorted as the result of their pushback against the new law. "If you are at the top of your field, you either work with us or you limit your practice to cash customers."

If you can't tell, I am against the implementation of the ACA. It is only a good thing as a concept. In its implementation stage, it is a huge minefield that is only going to result in fewer middle class families finding affordable insurance while taxes escalate to pay for insurance for non-taxpayers. Not to mention that all people will struggle to extract quality healthcare from a healthcare system mired in red tape and bureaucratic impotency.

I say all of the above in spite of the fact that I am a 63-year old person with pre-existings who had to drop my insurance when my monthly premiums topped $3000.

Knock on wood...I have no personal experience with any major healthcare at this point.

I do agree with your sentence explaining your objection to the new bill, plus the cost has already risen through the roof without the lowering of health costs, which was supposed to be the objective.

My main thing is to ask you.....since you have a tangible experience with it.....what has the new availability to insurance done for you...as that is something good about the bill, and what will it do to your insurance costs ?

Thanks for any response.

[Indydealmaker]

Originally Posted by Bucco

Knock on wood...I have no personal experience with any major healthcare at this point.

I do agree with your sentence explaining your objection to the new bill, plus the cost has already risen through the roof without the lowering of health costs, which was supposed to be the objective.

My main thing is to ask you.....since you have a tangible experience with it.....what has the new availability to insurance done for you...as that is something good about the bill, and what will it do to your insurance costs ?

Thanks for any response.

Actually, there is no current change at all, of course, because insurance companies do not have to take pre-existings until January 1, 2014. I have been offered coverage by Florida Blue for a monthly premium of around $600, and an annual deductible of over $6000 with no services (office visits, labs, etc.) provided before the deductible is satisfied. Not great but better than nothing. The sole saving grace is that I only need this coverage for a couple of years because I expect that the cost of this will be nearly $1000 per month within two years.

[Bucco]

Originally Posted by Indydealmaker

Actually, there is no current change at all, of course, because insurance companies do not have to take pre-existings until January 1, 2014. I have been offered coverage by Florida Blue for a monthly premium of around $600, and an annual deductible of over $6000 with no services (office visits, labs, etc.) provided before the deductible is satisfied. Not great but better than nothing. The sole saving grace is that I only need this coverage for a couple of years because I expect that the cost of this will be nearly $1000 per month within two years.

Thanks for your response.

In the spirit of the boards wishes for no current affairs or politics, I will leave it at thanks for responding.

[gomoho]

I think we are very interested to see if you have priced coverage effective 1/1/14 for Obamacare and what your findings were.

[Villages Kahuna]

Several years ago the developer commissioned a thorough study of healthcare here, conducted by a nationally-recognized healthcare consulting firm. After several months of study they arrived at a number of conclusions and recommendations. Fundamental to many was the absence of an adequate number of well-trained, board certified, experienced primary care physicians. Many relocated here prior to the construction of The Villages Hospital. Many had well-documented shortcomings in either training or experience before they relocated here. Many have not improved. The results are measurables which were used to assess the quality of healthcare here.

Several years followed wherein a significant recruiting effort by TVRH, but had only minimal success. The outside consultants concluded and recommended that an essentially new model of primary healthcare be created in TV with the objective of displacing many or most of the less desirable primary care doctors. With the assistance of both the consultants and USF, the structure of Villages Health was created.

Villages Health was launched two years ago with objective of hiring 64 new primary care physicians and the necessary nursing and support staff to man eight new neighborhood doctor's offices. The Developer agreed to finance this new healthcare system.

The model for Villages Health is intended to be patient-centric, with significant measurement and monitoring of the quality of the health of resident-patients. The doctors will be salaried employees and not dependent on the significant, impersonal throughput of Medicare patients to make a living. The vast majority of the doctors employed by Villages Health will be educated in U.S. medical schools, completed their residencies in U.S. hospitals and will all be board certified. Their commitment to the concept of Villages Health will be thoroughly vetted before they are hired. Their performance will be monitored. It is expected that Villages Health be counted among the very best primary care providers, including The Mayo Clinic, The Cleveland Clinic, and others.

The program is proceeding with amazing success. By next spring, six new offices will be opened. Already 25 doctors have been hired. A few have already reached their maximum size patient panel of 1,250 patients. Villages Health appears to be a roaring success so far.

Are less competent, less committed doctors feeling the pinch of the new competition? I'm quite sure they are. But remember, that was the objective from the outset--to improve the overall quality of primary healthcare in TV.

It seems to me that the Developer and United Healthcare, partners in the program, should be roundly complimented for their commitment to improving our healthcare and our health.

Is Villages Health a not-for-profit? No. But it is a well-designed model embracing significant changes for the delivery of primary care here. If the owners of Villages Health can profit from their investment, I say good for them. If our healthcare and health is improved as the result of their investments and commitment, they have every right to enjoy a profit. And if some less qualified, less committed physicians are driven out of business as the result, I guess I struggle seeing how that is bad for The Villages. And I certainly don't understand why those trying to improve healthcare for our benefit should be criticized.

And by the way, the financial incentives available to providers such as Villages Health who are successful in improving a series of metrics measuring both the cost of healthcare and the health if the patients was created as part of The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare).

[ilovetv]

Referring to VK's post title, "You may be criticizing Villages Health inappropriately"......

I don't think many people on here are criticizing TV Health system, but rather the promise "you'll be able to keep your doctor and insurance if you like them"; the obvious promise that the Affordable Healthcare Act will be "affordable"; and the biggest criticism is about the power and the increased market share United Healthcare has been allowed to take by way of the new law.

[Bucco]

Originally Posted by ilovetv

Referring to VK's post title, "You may be criticizing Villages Health inappropriately"......

I don't think many people on here are criticizing TV Health system, but rather the promise "you'll be able to keep your doctor and insurance if you like them"; the obvious promise that the Affordable Healthcare Act will be "affordable"; and the biggest criticism is about the power and the increased market share United Healthcare has been allowed to take by way of the new law.

It has only just begun

[Bucco]

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna

Several years ago the developer commissioned a thorough study of healthcare here, conducted by a nationally-recognized healthcare consulting firm. After several months of study they arrived at a number of conclusions and recommendations. Fundamental to many was the absence of an adequate number of well-trained, board certified, experienced primary care physicians. Many relocated here prior to the construction of The Villages Hospital. Many had well-documented shortcomings in either training or experience before they relocated here. Many have not improved. The results are measurables which were used to assess the quality of healthcare here.

Several years followed wherein a significant recruiting effort by TVRH, but had only minimal success. The outside consultants concluded and recommended that an essentially new model of primary healthcare be created in TV with the objective of displacing many or most of the less desirable primary care doctors. With the assistance of both the consultants and USF, the structure of Villages Health was created.

Villages Health was launched two years ago with objective of hiring 64 new primary care physicians and the necessary nursing and support staff to man eight new neighborhood doctor's offices. The Developer agreed to finance this new healthcare system.

The model for Villages Health is intended to be patient-centric, with significant measurement and monitoring of the quality of the health of resident-patients. The doctors will be salaried employees and not dependent on the significant, impersonal throughput of Medicare patients to make a living. The vast majority of the doctors employed by Villages Health will be educated in U.S. medical schools, completed their residencies in U.S. hospitals and will all be board certified. Their commitment to the concept of Villages Health will be thoroughly vetted before they are hired. Their performance will be monitored. It is expected that Villages Health be counted among the very best primary care providers, including The Mayo Clinic, The Cleveland Clinic, and others.

The program is proceeding with amazing success. By next spring, six new offices will be opened. Already 25 doctors have been hired. A few have already reached their maximum size patient panel of 1,250 patients. Villages Health appears to be a roaring success so far.

Are less competent, less committed doctors feeling the pinch of the new competition? I'm quite sure they are. But remember, that was the objective from the outset--to improve the overall quality of primary healthcare in TV.

It seems to me that the Developer and United Healthcare, partners in the program, should be roundly complimented for their commitment to improving our healthcare and our health.

Is Villages Health a not-for-profit? No. But it is a well-designed model embracing significant changes for the delivery of primary care here. If the owners of Villages Health can profit from their investment, I say good for them. If our healthcare and health is improved as the result of their investments and commitment, they have every right to enjoy a profit. And if some less qualified, less committed physicians are driven out of business as the result, I guess I struggle seeing how that is bad for The Villages. And I certainly don't understand why those trying to improve healthcare for our benefit should be criticized.

And by the way, the financial incentives available to providers such as Villages Health who are successful in improving a series of metrics measuring both the cost of healthcare and the health if the patients was created as part of The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare).

If I were allowed VK, I would say I would buy one of those bumper stickers, but since I cannot make that comment, I won't

[Hancle704]

Reading VK's post I was reminded of an earlier post about total number of patients that could ultimately be served by TV Healthcare. 64 PCP X 1250 patients each=80,000. If you exclude seasonal residents that may have physicians back home, that does not leave many patients for the doctors that have been here practicing in some case for over 10 years. Many of them are still paying rent to the developer or mortgages to the banks for the buildings/offices they occupy. I think we may see some leaving the area or retiring earlier than planned. This reminds me of the statement, "if you like the doctors you have, you will be able to keep them". Maybe not.

[jamarcus]

First, I received the booklet from AARP United with the changes in benefits for 2014. I was not happy to see that the copay for the specialists had increased, the silver sneakers program had been discontinued and, perhaps more importantly, the copay for out patient surgery goes from $250 to 20% of the costs; this one could be expensive. A day or so later I receive a letter stating that a specialist that I use had been removed from the provider list and I need to find a replacement. This is, in my opinion, a brazen attempt by United to force its members to utilize The Villages Health Care System. In fact, I do currently use the system and I am happy with my primary care physician. However, my specialist is far more important to the quality of my health than the primary physician I am using. To that end, I investigated Humana PPO and found that it is far superior to United Heath. The only disadvantage they have is that they have a $10 copay for the primary physician. However, they have a lower specialist copay, they have silver sneakers, a dental benefit, a vision benefit and a $250 flat copay for outpatient surgery. To me the decision was easy...I switched today to Humana and will find a new primary. This is my only form of protest and I took it.

[gomoho]

Kahuna - I embraced and was excited about Villages Health Care from the beginning; however, am bothered by reports that after your initial visit you are seen by a PA rather than your primary - how does this establish the rapport they were talking about?

[doran]

Originally Posted by dp000

Just received a letter from AARP Medicare Complete by United Health Care that my primary physician will no longer be part of my plan. No reason just that I can't use my doctor as my primary physician. The they assigned me a new doctor to use. This doctor is with The Village Health Care System.
I contacted my doctor to find out what is going on with UHC. She told me that her medical group had nothing to do with this decision that United Health Care is dropping a lot of physician that are not with The Villages Health Care System. She states their is nothing they can do.
My doctor was all right all the time I had AARP Medicare Complete by UHC, but since The Villages Health Care System and UHC got into bed with each other they are dropping doctors that are not with The Villages.
My physician says that most doctors practicing in The Villages have signed a non compete clause and couldn't go with The Villages Health Care if they wanted or they would lose there patients for two years.
I don't know about the rest of you but I don't like an insurance company and The Villages telling me who my doctor is or will be.
I think The Villages Health Care System is good and should recruit new patients through good medicine not this way.

My Suggestion--get a new health care plan!!!!!!!!!

[gerryann]

Originally Posted by jamarcus

First, I received the booklet from AARP United with the changes in benefits for 2014. I was not happy to see that the copay for the specialists had increased, the silver sneakers program had been discontinued and, perhaps more importantly, the copay for out patient surgery goes from $250 to 20% of the costs; this one could be expensive. A day or so later I receive a letter stating that a specialist that I use had been removed from the provider list and I need to find a replacement. This is, in my opinion, a brazen attempt by United to force its members to utilize The Villages Health Care System. In fact, I do currently use the system and I am happy with my primary care physician. However, my specialist is far more important to the quality of my health than the primary physician I am using. To that end, I investigated Humana PPO and found that it is far superior to United Heath. The only disadvantage they have is that they have a $10 copay for the primary physician. However, they have a lower specialist copay, they have silver sneakers, a dental benefit, a vision benefit and a $250 flat copay for outpatient surgery. To me the decision was easy...I switched today to Humana and will find a new primary. This is my only form of protest and I took it.

Re check the new rates for 2014. UHC will also be charging $10 for your PCP.

[trichard]

One of the biggest complaint of villagers over the past few years was about the quality of health care in the community. The Villages heard your concerns and has taken steps to address the matter. Like it or not, The Villages Health in an alliance with USF is the most effective and expediant way to do something about the quality of care. If you like your physician who is not part of United Healthcare you have the right to change Medicare Advantage plans during the annual election period which is underway right not. However, many physicians do not accept any Medicare Advantage plans or not candidates for participating in a plan for quality or business reasons.

[mixsonci]

This may sound like a strange question, but what exactly is AARP? I will be 65 in a year's time and will retire. I work for the US Government and will keep their health insurance plus possibly I will also get Medicare, do I still need/want AARP? Do you use them for anything else? How much do they cost? Thank you.