Mayo Concierge Medallion Program (Jacksonville: health insurance, credit card, closing)

[Robyn55]

Our primary care provider (PCP) - we're been with her for about 6 years - just closed her practice - and will be going to work for a big corporation. So we had to look for a new PCP. We get most of our secondary/tertiary care at Mayo - and its basic primary care practice isn't accepting new Medicare patients (my husband and I are both on Medicare). But it has a new (opened in 2012) concierge PCP practice that everyone (including people on Medicare) can use. Here it is:

Medallion Program at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.

We decided to go with it. I realize that it's not cheap (or anywhere near cheap) - and it isn't for everyone. But we saved a ton in medical expenses (especially on insurance) when we went on Medicare - and the additional cost of this program will basically bring our health care spending back to pre-Medicare levels.

Just thought I would bring it to the attention of the greater JAX metro area community here on CD. Would be glad to answer any questions you have. Robyn

[projectmaximus]

My close friend works for Mayo and when this program was introduced we joked about it as some extravagant over the top members club like the AMEX black card or Delta SkyMiles Diamond Medallion, etc.

But actually this seems pretty reasonable (in comparison) and pragmatic...it is for your health after all.

[Robyn55]

Doubt I will ever reach Medallion status on Delta - although I have a ton of peso miles from credit cards there . And for those of us on Medicare who use Mayo for secondary and tertiary care - it solves a big problem. Our PCP who is closing her practice was "plugged into" Mayo (she trained and worked there before opening her practice). But we couldn't find any PCP who was convenient to us now who is similarly plugged in. I'm not going to go to a Baptist or UF PCP if I want to get any secondary or tertiary care I need at Mayo. And the Mayo primary care practice is closed to people on Medicare now - until it reaches "only" 35% or so patients on Medicare (it got as high as 75%).

So - for us - it's a question of access/coordination of health care. I'll note that what we're spending for this is about what we saved on health insurance costs when we went on Medicare - my husband in 2010 - me last September (we were spending a fortune on health insurance). So it's not like we're spending a lot more than we used to spend.

I think that - increasingly - access to excellent health care will be a problem for many people on Medicare. And we're just trying to do the best we can for ourselves.

FWIW - the only somewhat dumb thing we've seen so far is when we signed up - they gave us 2 really swell inscribed tablet cases with some other things inside. Looked the stuff up - and it's perhaps $150-200 worth of stuff. I could have skipped the stuff - and saved the $150 . Robyn

[SmokeyCat]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

Our primary care provider (PCP) - we're been with her for about 6 years - just closed her practice - and will be going to work for a big corporation. So we had to look for a new PCP. We get most of our secondary/tertiary care at Mayo - and its basic primary care practice isn't accepting new Medicare patients (my husband and I are both on Medicare). But it has a new (opened in 2012) concierge PCP practice that everyone (including people on Medicare) can use. Here it is:

Medallion Program at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.

We decided to go with it. I realize that it's not cheap (or anywhere near cheap) - and it isn't for everyone. But we saved a ton in medical expenses (especially on insurance) when we went on Medicare - and the additional cost of this program will basically bring our health care spending back to pre-Medicare levels.

Just thought I would bring it to the attention of the greater JAX metro area community here on CD. Would be glad to answer any questions you have. Robyn

The cost is quite high for the concierge program and you still have to pay co payment etc. A lot of retirees may not be able to afford the $8000 a yr for it. Many of us are at the mercy of Obamacare so I guess only the wealthy will survive

[murfslaw]

^^^ only you can put a price on your healthcare. I don't live in the JAX full time but if I believe that I need special care I'm on a plane in a heart beat! My Mayo doctors and I are on a first name basis and I'm a healthy person.