SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (WINK) — About 50,000 Southwest Florida residents could see major changes to their healthcare as the dispute between Lee Health and United Healthcare continues with no resolution in sight.
Medicare open enrollment is now underway and many neighbors are looking for answers.
United Healthcare is the largest Medicare Advantage carrier in the U.S. and with the dispute showing no signs of ending, health insurance experts say it may be time to look at other options.
On Monday, WINK Investigates hosted a special called Coverage in Question where volunteers from SHINE, Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders, spent two and a half hours taking phone calls and answering Medicare and health insurance questions.
Two thousand people called into the WINK newsroom during that time and volunteers helped answer questions for hundreds of people.
RELATED: Thousands dial in for WINK Investigates “Coverage In Question” Medicare enrollment phone bank
Medicare open enrollment runs through December and SHINE experts say while there are reasons to be concerned, there is no need to panic.
“There’s always going to be confusion. Medicare is a complicated subject. No longer who long you’ve done it there are always things you’re going to learn,” said SHINE Director Camilita Aldridge.
Aldridge said her team heard some difficult stories from callers.
“It’s listening to seniors who are uncertain about what’s going to happen in the future with their healthcare. Folks who have worked all their lives, are now in their golden years and are now concerned,” Aldridge said.
Aldridge recommends customers shop around rather than wait for the dispute to resolve.
Tyler McCloskey of Rocket Health in Cape Coral, says there are options available for patients in Lee County.
“We’re still hoping that United Healthcare and Lee Health will come to a conclusion on this and fix the problems that they’re having, but the customer doesn’t want to have to wait and wait and see, right? So they do have options and choices. They can look at all other carriers that are right here in Lee County,” McCloskey said.
One option McCloskey recommends is a Medicare supplement plan.
“There’s also the big difference of customers more going towards Medicare supplement policies, where they’re not restricted just to a network. So as long as the hospital or doctor takes Medicare, which Lee Health does, a lot of customers are switching more to Medicare supplement policies now. So again, they can go to any doctor hospital that they want to,” McCloskey said.
Finding a plan that works best for your family can feel overwhelming but Aldridge wants residents to know help is available.
“Even if you’re satisfied with the way your plan worked in the current year, you always want to evaluate for the upcoming year,” Aldridge said.
Residents still searching for Medicare and insurance answers can visit SHINE at floridashine.org.