Having several different health care options (ERs, hospitals, specialty clinics and primary care centers) coming into The Villages area such as UF Health, Orlando Health Medical Group, HCA Florida Healthcare, AdventHealth and Premier Medical is positive because it provides critical competition, prevents insurance monopolies and expands in-network access, particularly for major Medicare Advantage plans.
Up until recently, CenterWell (formerly The Villages Health) was the “major player” in The Villages for primary care centers and specialty clinics.
In 2016, The Villages Health forced patients onto the UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans by telling patients that they must switch to UnitedHealthcare or stop receiving care at The Villages Health. There were limited options at that time, so most patients had no choice but to switch into UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans.
Then in 2024, the unexpected happened! It was discovered that between 2020 and 2024, The Villages Health had billed Medicare $360 million in overpayments…