relocating to Florida for retirement (Fort Myers, Port Charlotte: renters, home, neighborhood)
Punta Gorda - Port CharlotteCharlotte County
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I wouldn't choose where to live solely based on where the best hospital is. The key is how good are the first responders. I cannot speak to how great the first responders are in other areas, but I would say that Punta Gorda has some of the best trained, and well prepared first responders any other place in Florida has. If the need ever arises how will they save your life. Once that is done, and it is determined that specialized care is needed, you will be transported to the best area hospital in the region if need be.
That said, I think the Hospital in Punta Gorda offers good care by comparison. Yes there definitely are better hospitals depending on the special circumstances one may have, but the first responders are the key in the event of a real emergency.
I would not base the quality of my life, and the things I most enjoy based on living near the best hospital. Because even they may not be the one that best suits your emergency requirement anyway. Find out if the area you want to live has good emergency care, how far you are from a hospital, how close you are to ambulatory services, and rank it on a scale from 1 to 10 of importance. Generally I would rank it around a 3-4.
Good point BH, agree completely that first responder service in PG is top notch.
We used 911 here once, just a few months ago and they were very good. JSYK.. Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte EMTs draw from the same labor pool .. BUT HERE WE GO AGAIN The Bel-Air Club of SWF hahahaha.....
Anyway... What followed was not and, it was costly.. 2 sets of Xrays and 1 MRI at Hospital Prices and The Prognosis was later proven wrong.. (( My wife has had MS for over 25 years, and as you might imagine, we have been through a lot.. I have had a lot of help finding the path from 2 Daughters 1 a Senior Manager and 1 a Director at a Major Hospital. Not Only with Background Checks and Creditials but About Hospital and Insurance policy))
OH YEA.... just select a different hospital.. like changing your entree hahaha... JSYK changing Hospitals in mid-stream is nothing like changing rooms at a hotel.. Your DR. can do it , but I suggest you call your insurance or be prepared to pay.. You could even trigger an AMA situation..be SURE you know what your doing..be careful.. I will ask how did you do this? " Find out if the area you want to live has good emergency care, how far you are from a hospital, how close you are to ambulatory services" Hummm Ranking Health Care Needs at 3 - 4 out of 10? The Older you get the more Important Health Care Becomes.. we each make our own choices and then have to live with them..
That said ..... we live here.. we moved here recently ... I am told to Expect , Medial Care here to only get better as time goes on..
Last edited by Macgregorsailor51; 12-21-2014 at 04:02 PM..
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OH YEA.... just select a different hospital.. like changing your entree hahaha... JSYK changing Hospitals in mid-stream is nothing like changing rooms at a hotel.. Your DR. can do it , but I suggest you call your insurance or be prepared to pay.. You could even trigger an AMA situation..be SURE you know what your doing..be careful.. I will ask how did you do this? " .
We told the doctor we were leaving whether he checked us out or not. He said, "I don't advise it", and checked us out. 48 hrs later, we checked in at Gulf Coast. BC/BS Florida paid all the bills with no questions. I guess it could be a problem depending on your insurance, but it wasn't for us. I don't remember the AMA calling.
OK : ) AMA in this situation is Against Medical Advice.. " I am refusing at my own insistence and without the authority of and against the advice of my " He didnt sign against you leaving he verbally suggested or advised HUGE difference. If you look deeply enough you will find a LOT of Insurance Compaines are associated with BC/BS.. its a financial deal many have cut with them. They Get The Best Rates/Charges.. Hospitals and Insurance Compaines dot all the i's and cross most the t's and have lawyers to back it up.. Not trying to scare anyone just stating the obvious.. IMHO its like knowing that at some point doing your own taxes isnt as easy as it looks..
Quote:
Originally Posted by wpc691
We told the doctor we were leaving whether he checked us out or not. He said, "I don't advise it", and checked us out. 48 hrs later, we checked in at Gulf Coast. BC/BS Florida paid all the bills with no questions. I guess it could be a problem depending on your insurance, but it wasn't for us. I don't remember the AMA calling.
OK : ) AMA in this situation is Against Medical Advice.. " I am refusing at my own insistence and without the authority of and against the advice of my " He didnt sign against you leaving he verbally suggested or advised HUGE difference. If you look deeply enough you will find a LOT of Insurance Compaines are associated with BC/BS.. its a financial deal many have cut with them. They Get The Best Rates/Charges.. Hospitals and Insurance Compaines dot all the i's and cross most the t's and have lawyers to back it up.. Not trying to scare anyone just stating the obvious.. IMHO its like knowing that at some point doing your own taxes isnt as easy as it looks..
Could you elaborate a little more, please? I would be interested to hear your thoughts about the good/bad on both places. We aren't making this choice as an investment--it will be our permanent residence--so as much information as you could give me would be appreciated.
We've been regular visitors to the area for over ten years, we decided long ago that this is where we want to be when I retire in a couple of years. We decided to buy a building lot this year, as it looks like prices are rebounding, so we chose a lot in Rotonda, I can only offer our perspective in how we chose but there are other folks on the board who know the details far more intimately than we do.
When we began looking in earnest we just looked online for available lots and visited them, in general we found the SGC lots overgrown and obscured by high vegetation compared to the Rotonda lots that were much cleaner looking and easier to see what you were getting. Rotonda also seemed to be a more mature development, from neighborhoods begun in the 70's to newer sections still in development, but as a development, much further along towards build out, and fewer lots are available and higher cost. SGC has more open areas, and developing areas, lots are very affordable at this time, would seem a great deal to developers. To learn more about the details in lots that interested us we contacted a realtor to find out if the lots had scrubjay, elevation, and HOA restrictions, and of course price.
So we chose Rotonda for a few reasons, we liked the "look and feel" of Rotonda better, seemed nicer overall, it was closer to the places we want to go, seemed better kept as a community. I don't know much about the SGC HOA, but Rotonda's HOA is strict but consice (I'll probably hear from a resident on that), that didn't seem to be the case in SGC. We also felt Rotonda was more predictable for future development which would protect equity better, SGC is in the early stages, could get some big developments next door that you hadn't bargained for. I don't want to sound like a snob but something to consider, SGC has quite a few inexpensive lots, those are prime for those looking for affordability and would probably build a very basic home, and that's great. What I worried about, cheap lots are also prime for non resident investors who may build it, rent it, and forget it, and you could wind up with problem neighbors. SGC has some gorgeous areas, and the house and lot prices reflect that. As far as flood plain goes, I wasn't worried too much, for one about 90% or more of the entire area is within a flood plain, and the canals are a part of flood control, so its going to take an extreme flood event to be a problem and there will be many people in the same boat (pun intended), c'est la vie. But watch elevation!
We bought in PC, no HOA. But as to hospitals, PG is just across the bridge from PC and Fawcett Hospital. It would take no longer to get from PG to the hospital than it would take for someone to have driven across the town we moved here from. Distances are not an issue.
If you need true specialists and facilities not available here, there are plenty of hospitals within an easy drive.
This original thread was CountryKaren's thread about the potential for moving here.
Health concerns are an important factor to consider, but it is getting a tad off track now.
I'm glad she's / they're again on track to consider moving here. I thought they had given up on that for a few years - I might be wrong in that assumption, but I hope they find something that works for them, and doesn't overlook health options - it was a good point to bring that up.
Thank you all for your replies. Yes health care is important to use. I'm a RN that worked and retire from the state dept of health that regulated health care, my husband still works for the state. He did the same thing, except he inspected and regulated the physical building, environment, and fire safety aspect, and now review building and construction plans. Unfortunately, in our experience- We have family down there- medical care in Florida is mind-numbing frightful!!! I know I will get a lot of flak for that statement but that is the fact.
So why do we want to move there. Well, my husband really doesn't, and will go only bound and gagged. I like Fla. I'm looking for a different quality of life than what we have now. Yes health care is important so that why I'm looking for an area with the quality of life we want and the best healthcare that is available in that area. We may end up in an area that really doesn't interest us but have the best Fla health care we can find, although I don't think that our lives should revolve around a hospital. What ever.... Anyway, again I'd like to thank everyone who posted a reply.
Thank you all for your replies. Yes health care is important to use. I'm a RN that worked and retire from the state dept of health that regulated health care, my husband still works for the state. He did the same thing, except he inspected and regulated the physical building, environment, and fire safety aspect, and now review building and construction plans. Unfortunately, in our experience- We have family down there- medical care in Florida is mind-numbing frightful!!! I know I will get a lot of flak for that statement but that is the fact.
So why do we want to move there. Well, my husband really doesn't, and will go only bound and gagged. I like Fla. I'm looking for a different quality of life than what we have now. Yes health care is important so that why I'm looking for an area with the quality of life we want and the best healthcare that is available in that area. We may end up in an area that really doesn't interest us but have the best Fla health care we can find, although I don't think that our lives should revolve around a hospital. What ever.... Anyway, again I'd like to thank everyone who posted a reply.
Wow, that's got to be an uphill battle. Would it work to be snowbirds, at least for a while- 6 months in both places during their optimum times of the year, weatherwise? Maybe with a compromise, one or the other of you would be happy all year.
It's a realistic concern to think about the proximity of healthcare in any retirement spot- by the time you might need it it could be too late to go scrambling around to find it! As for the quality of healthcare in Florida, I think it really depends on where in Florida you're talking about- the main problems are its paucity in more rural areas, but it may be Florida is more lenient towards malpractice offenders (especially doctors) that get caught than some of the northern states, I don't know.
I haven't been all that impressed with the experiences we've had with the hospitals in this area, but must say recently I've seen a little improvement and hope that continues. I know of several people that go to Ft. Myers for their healthcare, preferring what's there to what's in either PG or PC. Sarasota is also about 40 miles up the road and the friends I have who live there are happy with their healthcare. A bit of a schlep from here, but for non-emergency care or elective procedures, it might be doable. We have a neighbor who has a rare kind of cancer and he sees doctors in Tampa ( Moffitt at USF- that's about 110 miles up the road) for his care- I can attest to the good quality care provided in Tampa/Tampa General Hospital as our daughter was treated for several years, and finally had open heart surgery which essentially took care of a life-threatening cardiac condition- she couldn't have gotten that kind of care around here ( she was in her 20's, and they don't do young when it comes to cardiac procedures). Although she still sees a cardiologist in PG who stays in contact with the cardiologist who took care of her in Tampa. So especially if you're healthcare saavy and persistent, IMO you can get good healthcare here.
Anyway, best of luck in your search for a good retirement spot(s) and the plans to go along with it.
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