Thousands in The Villages could be forced to switch insurance or doctors

Thousands in The Villages could be forced to switch insurance

The Villages Health System LLC filed for bankruptcy back in July. That case is still active; they just filed a proposed order on Nov. 12, seeking permission to borrow additional funds. After some back-and-forth, the company was able to sell the majority of its assets to CenterWell, whose parent company is Humana Inc.

THE VILLAGES, Fla. - The Villages Health System LLC filed for bankruptcy back in July. That case is still active; they just filed a proposed order on Nov. 12, seeking permission to borrow additional funds.

After some back-and-forth, the company was able to sell the majority of its assets to CenterWell, whose parent company is Humana Inc. 

The acquisition

Local perspective:

The Villages Healthcare sent out a letter to patients celebrating the acquisition.  In it, they casually mention that, right now, they have no agreement with United Healthcare, the primary insurance provider for the 55,000 patients TVH served.

On paper, that might look like a good thing – you have more options. The problem is, back in 2016, TVH pushed hard to only use United, so now, that’s the insurance provider for a vast majority of their patients.

The ticking clock

What they're saying:

Mark Bartolomeo, his wife, and his 88-year-old mother all have United Healthcare and are The Villages Healthcare patients.

He points out, The Villages is a senior community — meaning people have more doctor visits, more specialists, and more trouble navigating the internet than average.

"We’re talking about probably the one thing that is the most important to all of us," Bartolomeo said. "Our health."

Carol Wolf reached out to FOX 35 about this. She spent decades working as a healthcare executive.

"The clock is ticking. Time is running out and what a terrible time to be doing this as we're approaching the holiday season."

The Annual Election Period for Medicare Advantage is up on Dec. 7.

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That means thousands of people in The Villages have three and a half weeks to either find a new insurance provider, or find a new doctor.

"My biggest fear is that if this agreement is not made, and individuals go and try to make an appointment after January 1st, that they are going to be told, ‘I'm sorry, you're no longer accepted,’" Wolf said. "What are they to do? I mean, really, it's a horrible situation."

The other side:

A representative for CenterWell told FOX 35 they are working in good faith on an agreement with United Healthcare, but they aren’t able to speculate on a timeline for that agreement.

If there isn’t one reached, they’ll stop accepting United at the start of the new year.

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United Healthcare told FOX 35 in a statement, "We are engaged in good-faith negotiation and are frequently meeting with CenterWell. Our top priority is to reach a long-term agreement that maintains long-term access to CenterWell for 2026 and beyond for people enrolled in our Medicare Advantage and employer-sponsored commercial plans."