THE VILLAGES, Fla. – Thousands of residents of The Villages are breathing a sigh of relief after learning of a deal between UnitedHealthcare and the new owners of The Villages Health System.
Centerwell announced Wednesday that the senior primary care provider will accept Medicare Advantage plans next year from UHC.
The Villages Health System is a bespoke health care system created for The Villages to provide whole-person care for its senior residents. UHC was the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans to TVH patients.
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However, as News 6 has been reporting, The Villages Health System filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after it self-reported Medicare overbilling to the federal government to the tune of at least $360 million.
Centerwell, which is owned by health insurer Humana, bought TVH as part of the bankruptcy deal. The deal closed on Nov. 7.
However, as open enrollment began, Medicare patients learned UHC and CenterWell had not reached a deal to accept the plans for next year. UHC patients were told to consider changing their plans.
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But patients told News 6 they were having trouble finding comparable Medicare Advantage plans with other providers that included all of their doctors and medications, and the plans also cost more money.
Some 25,000 of the 55,000 patients at The Villages Health utilize UnitedHealthcare plans.
A Centerwell spokesperson sent the following statement to News 6:
“We are pleased that CenterWell has reached a long-term agreement with UnitedHealthcare, ensuring The Villages Health will remain in-network for patients with UHC coverage in 2026. We recognize that the possibility of being out of network with UHC created uncertainty and concern for many TVH patients over the past several weeks. We are happy to have reached a successful resolution that will allow all TVH patients to continue receiving the care and services they have come to know and trust from The Villages Health.”
Meanwhile, The Villages Health is still going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. A status hearing is set for early January.