You Want A Real Medical Insurance Horror Story?

[g5000]

I am a retired vet. Last year, Congress revoked the Tricare Prime health insurance I had, along with millions of other retired vets' Tricare Prime health insurance.

This did not receive anywhere near the attention in the media that other veteran or healthcare issues has.

For instance, we've all heard about the military pension raise being lowered a little bit. I think that might have added up to about $20 less in my pocket each month. But boy oh boy, you would have thought we vets had been clobbered over the head and had our life savings taken from us the way it was covered in the media.


So here's the thing. Tricare Prime was taken away from us vets who happen to live in the wrong places. This revocation does not affect all vets. Just those vets who live in the wrong geographical location. We don't live close to a Military Treatment Facility.

Those who live in the right places still have their Tricare Prime.

So what you have is some vets having to pay more, much more, than other vets for their medical care now.

I will now give you a concrete example of the effect this has had.

Under Tricare Prime, a doctor's visit costs a vet 12 dollars. We also have an annual insurance premium we pay.

Well, now that I am involuntarily on Tricare Standard, I just got a bill for a doctor's office visit for $120.11. I have contacted Tricare to make sure this is correct, and it is. So my bill is literally ten times higher than it was under Tricare Prime.

Let me stress that one part again. This change to my health care insurance was INVOLUNTARY. I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO KEEP MY INSURANCE that I liked very much!!!

PERIOD.

 

[g5000]

Congress did this. The Republican House and Democratic Senate. Approved by Obama.

A bipartisan fucking up the ass of military vets.

CBO Studies Removing Retirees from Tricare Prime | Military.com

Barring working-age military retirees from TRICARE Prime would be the most cost-effective way of slowing the growth of Defense Department health care expenses that have jumped 130 percent from 2000-2012, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis.

The non-partisan CBO explored various options to include changing the eligibility for TRICARE Prime which would produce the biggest savings in the Pentagon's health care budget -- nearly $90 billion over 10 years, the CBO report estimated.

The CBO analysis, released last week, was prepared at the request of Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., chairman of the House Budget Committee.

Paul Ryan. The same guy behind the pension cut.

 

[g5000]

I have a familly member with a traumatic brain injury and other serious health issues. Since we have been booted off Tricare Prime, our medical bills have skyrocketed.

 

[nodoginnafight]

What is the logic behind the geographic component?
(btw: Thanks for your service)

 

[g5000]

What is the logic behind the geographic component?
(btw: Thanks for your service)

You have to live with a certain number of miles from a Military Treatment Facility (MTF). I don't recall how many miles it has to be. Less than 30, I think.

There is one qualifying MTF in my state. And no one lives near it.

For some reason, a VA hospital does not count as a MTF.

 

[buckeye45_73]

Whew, i thought you were gonna say a transgendered surgeory gone wrong. But that is horrible, thats those moderate cut the military and improve obamacare republicans.

Scrap this fucking turd of a law and just allow health insurance compete like car insurance or telephone service.

Why do we have government regulated monopolies? Just let them fight it out, and for gods sake just reduce the government, no one in congress reads a 3000 page bill, its insulting that they think we believe they do

 

[g5000]

Go here: MTF Locator

That will show you where the MTFs are. There aren't a lot of them. The whole state of Texas only has 12, and they are clustered together.

 

[g5000]

Scrap this fucking turd of a law and just allow health insurance compete like car insurance or telephone service.

Exactly the way I feel.

 

[g5000]

There must be other retired vets here who have been booted off Tricare Prime, yes?

Kiss your 12 dollar co-pay goodbye, fellas. And if you need an X-ray or MRI, you better have a fat bank account.

 

[nodoginnafight]

What is the logic behind the geographic component?
(btw: Thanks for your service)

You have to live with a certain number of miles from a Military Treatment Facility (MTF). I don't recall how many miles it has to be. Less than 30, I think.

There is one qualifying MTF in my state. And no one lives near it.

For some reason, a VA hospital does not count as a MTF.

Ok - now THAT is just crazy.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

"If you like your plan, you can keep it. Period"

 

[nodoginnafight]

hats those moderate cut the military and improve obamacare republicans.

Is this a part of Obamacare?

I thought is was a separate law?

But the "cut the military" I agree with. It just chaps my ass that vet care is what gets cut while big military contractors get more in the budget than they asked for.

Why? Because a % of what the military contractors get comes back in the form of campaign contributions while the rank and file get screwed because they don't have any bribes to offer.

 

[strollingbones]

my mother is still getting tricare but i have heard this before and now they are
cutting the funding of the commissary

 

[g5000]

hats those moderate cut the military and improve obamacare republicans.

Is this a part of Obamacare?

I thought is was a separate law?

It is a separate law, yes.

But the "cut the military" I agree with. It just chaps my ass that vet care is what gets cut while big military contractors get more in the budget than they asked for.

Why? Because a % of what the military contractors get comes back in the form of campaign contributions while the rank and file get screwed because they don't have any bribes to offer.

I am fortunate in that I have am able to absorb these new costs so far. But I know a lot of vets for whom this is going to be a huge burden.

I have been thinking a lot about the defense budget. I am among those who firmly believe we need to cut defense. But to my way of thinking, we are supporting a lot of other countries on our dime by paying for their defense. By spending this money that they should be spending, they are able to provide universal healthcare to their citizens without having to raise taxes even higher than they already have since we are supporting their defense structure!

There is something ironic about all that.

Conservatives find an unhealthy dependency on the US government to be anathema to their principles, except when it comes to carrying other countries.

 

[nodoginnafight]

hats those moderate cut the military and improve obamacare republicans.

Is this a part of Obamacare?

I thought is was a separate law?

It is a separate law, yes.

But the "cut the military" I agree with. It just chaps my ass that vet care is what gets cut while big military contractors get more in the budget than they asked for.

Why? Because a % of what the military contractors get comes back in the form of campaign contributions while the rank and file get screwed because they don't have any bribes to offer.

I am fortunate in that I have am able to absorb these new costs so far. But I know a lot of vets for whom this is going to be a huge burden.

I have been thinking a lot about the defense budget. I am among those who firmly believe we need to cut defense. But to my way of thinking, we are supporting a lot of other countries on our dime by paying for their defense. By spending this money that they should be spending, they are able to provide universal healthcare to their citizens without having to raise taxes even higher than they already have since we are supporting their defense structure!

There is something ironic about all that.

Conservatives find an unhealthy dependency on the US government to be anathema to their principles, except when it comes to carrying other countries.

I hate to say it, but I think we have to get a little more cynical - a little more "what's in it for us" when we start helping out around the world.

Don't get me wrong - I like the idea that when people are getting bullied and they scream for help, we hear it. Lots of times we try to help. And our friendships around the world also help protect us. But it seems to me that we are spending an awful lot of money on folks who don't seem to be really committed to having a friendship with US.

 

[Jughead]

Go here: MTF Locator

That will show you where the MTFs are. There aren't a lot of them. The whole state of Texas only has 12, and they are clustered together.

I'll bet real estate in that area must be in high demand.