Are there Good Condominiums , New Housing & Good Health Care Services for retirees in Johnson City Area ?

[rccrain]

Well that makes sense. Even as a young buck, I should have know that. "There's my sign."

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by jon313

For the Retirees, once you turn 65 you must have Medicare and it becomes your Primary. I have Medicare and BCBST as secondary. Also it might be added that Doctors are very loathe, in the Tri Area, of accepting those patients with pre existing health problems. It seems like they just want those with no problems.

It doesn't come down to quality of care if you cannot obtain it.

Yes, you are correct. Everyone MUST go on Medicare when they turn 65 whether they want to or not. For now, most doctors are still accepting Medicare but some are not. I expect this trend of non acceptance to gain momentum. Of course, the government will step in at some point but it will be too late for many. On the other hand, hospitals that accept Medicare payments MUST take Medicare patients or risk being in federal violation. So, what is happening? Hospital ER's are filling up with patients that don't go to the doctor and then come to the ER. Of course, if a Medicare patient is admitted, they are usually seen by a hospitalist and then upon discharge told to "follow up with their own physician". If there is none, caseworkers try to find a provider, but that isn't always easy nor obtainable. It used to be that Medicare was a fairly decent payer; I don't think that the public understands that reimbursements have changed over the years. The time to be active is now. The physicians want to accept Medicare patients but they also have to be business minded. This has been thrust upon them. I also feel sorry for the hospitals. It is a vicious cycle that we ALL are in.

Now, having said that, we are lucky that JC has a great medical community and access is fairly easy. Other places, not so much.

[bound2TN]

Hi Folks:
As usual there is a lot of good, useful information here. I am presently on Medicare with the military Tricare as my secondary. I plan to visit the Tricities area this coming Aug (Aug 2009.) I will be focusing on Bristol primarily--Since I am right down on the bottom of the priority list for VA, the VA facility in JC isn't too relevant. I will be contacting local doctors about their willingness to take on new senior citizen patients. Both my wife and I are in fairly good shape except for elevated blood pressure and cholesterol (both of which are controlled.)
I would appreciate the names of any doctors who might be interested in taking us on.
Thanks.

Mike

[beckyhuggs]

To the OP, I noticed you are from Long Island which means that you have top notch hospitals in NYC. Hospitals in this area are good for this area but if you were to compare them to a NYC hospital such as Mount Sinai or Presbyterian then they come away very lacking.

Once again, the hospitals here are not bad overall but if you are used to a more progressive and advanced medical environment then you may not like the hospitals here.

[DADDYO49]

Thanks but the irony is that we are a family of 3 all of whom not only have rather severe Health Care issues but I am " battling back " from a " minor out-patient " surgery at World Famous NYU Medical Center in NYC which went awry and left me paralyzed from the waist down.
I have since had 2 back surgeries and have regained limited ambulation with a walker . All in all there is no guarantee anywhere...but I am still looking for good health care + good housing ( ranch style/ single story ) suitable to the needs of my family ?
Thanks -- DK

[donsabi]

bound2TN

If you go to the Medicare website you can get a list of doctors in a particular area. However, it may not be up to date, but it is a starting point.

Don

[jon313]

The catch is to find one that is accepting new patients.