g5000
Diamond Member
- Nov 26, 2011
- 126,214
- 70,019
- 2,605
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.
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.
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