Tri-care sucks.....

[d1jinx]

I have to say.... If OBAMA's health care plan and this are anything like the Military's current health plan, THEN WE ARE ALL SCREWED.

The Military's health Plan is not what it was 10 years ago. Depending on what base you are at, there are no more on base emergency facilities. the base hospital is now a clinic that outsources the doctors from the local area.

It is IMPOSSIBLE to get an appointment. If you are sick RIGHT now, you can call and see if they have an appointment soon, which they NEVER DO and they expect you to come in in 3 weeks, go to after hours sick call where you will sit for 4 or more hours only to get rushed through and mis-diagnosed, or go to the local emergency room and sit for hours until someone sees you.

WHAT A ****ING JOKE.

And this is all because of the LAST DEMON-CRAT we had in office, Clinton and his outsourcing.

Good news people.... WE ARE ****ED.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I usually insist on dinner and a movie first......

 

[geezer]

It is IMPOSSIBLE to get an appointment. If you are sick RIGHT now, you can call and see if they have an appointment soon, which they NEVER DO and they expect you to come in in 3 weeks, go to after hours sick call where you will sit for 4 or more hours only to get rushed through and mis-diagnosed, or go to the local emergency room and sit for hours until someone sees you....

Good news people.... WE ARE ****ED.

The only difference btween what you describe and what civilians deal with is that a lot of civilians ("30 million" is the standard number people throw out) don't even have insurance and are totally screwed. So some kind of reform is sure needed.

BTW I see your avatar is a donkey. Loyal democrat, huh? Just kidding...

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Reform:
- Institute a Federal Sales Tax. Exempt raw foods, medicine and baby care. This way it's favorable to the "Unwed Mother" argument.
- Money goes into training more doctors, nurses and support staff, as well as opening more clinics in areas that need them.
- Tie the billing into the existing needs-assessment system used for Medicare/cade, the DMV and the IRS. Show up with picture ID and your SScard and billing is scaled accordingly. (DMV is for ID verification to avoid ID theft concerns)
- System is open to anyone, however costs will vary based on income.
- Tie into existing hospital & care system to reduce new facility costs.

This becomes an optional, national care system. You can still purchase better, more comprehensive insurance through 3rd parties.


What about illegals.
They shouldn't be here in the first place. When they come in, treat them, deport them, and bill their home country at full price.

 

[seasoned]

I have to say.... If OBAMA's health care plan and this are anything like the Military's current health plan, THEN WE ARE ALL SCREWED.

The Military's health Plan is not what it was 10 years ago. Depending on what base you are at, there are no more on base emergency facilities. the base hospital is now a clinic that outsources the doctors from the local area.

It is IMPOSSIBLE to get an appointment. If you are sick RIGHT now, you can call and see if they have an appointment soon, which they NEVER DO and they expect you to come in in 3 weeks, go to after hours sick call where you will sit for 4 or more hours only to get rushed through and mis-diagnosed, or go to the local emergency room and sit for hours until someone sees you.

WHAT A ****ING JOKE.

And this is all because of the LAST DEMON-CRAT we had in office, Clinton and his outsourcing.

Good news people.... WE ARE ****ED.

WHAT A ****ING JOKE. We don't even guard our own military bases. It's outsourced.

 

[MBuzzy]

The Military's health Plan is not what it was 10 years ago. Depending on what base you are at, there are no more on base emergency facilities. the base hospital is now a clinic that outsources the doctors from the local area.

It is IMPOSSIBLE to get an appointment. If you are sick RIGHT now, you can call and see if they have an appointment soon, which they NEVER DO and they expect you to come in in 3 weeks, go to after hours sick call where you will sit for 4 or more hours only to get rushed through and mis-diagnosed, or go to the local emergency room and sit for hours until someone sees you.

Wow, what branch are you? I have a completely different perspective....

So far, 4 bases and I can't complain about Tricare at all. In fact, it has been better than any coverage I had before I came into the military. It does have a lot to do with the base, but as far as I'm concerned, it is a decent system. Not perfect, but then it sounds like they recently screw you pretty bad.

The thing that you may not be recognizing here, is that the military system and Tricare are two different entities. Tricare is the insurance that provides coverage. Military care facilities are the actual doctors. Tricare is just like any other health insurance, it is just that your first choice must be military. Same as civilian, only your PCM is military. Other than that, one MAJOR MAJOR difference that you may also be overlooking....

Normal doctors don't deploy.

At every base that I've been at, the lack of appointments and difficulty with scheduling is based almost solely on the high ops tempo. the clinics and hospital (more on that in a few) are manned to cover the AD and Retired community of the area, but when we deploy over 30% of the docs, techs, nurses, and admins at any given time, what do you expect? It is the same as my career field. We can't maintain our base, because we are too heavily deployed and not funded enough.

It is true that most bases do not have emergency facilities and that many don't even have a full hospital. That is based on population, square footage and surrounding community. Patrick, for example, doesn't have an emergency room because our Active Duty population can't support the cost to keep the ER doctors employed. Plus, not enough of us live on base to make it worthwhile. On top of that, We have 3 major respectable hospitals surrounding the base that you can go to for Emergency any time and never wonder if your bill will be paid (same as a civilian).

If anything, we should be THRILLED that we limit the size and scope of facilities on base - who do you think would fund an emergency room that sits largely empty? TAXPAYERS. Instead, we pay the same that civilian insurance pays, to a local hospital who already has the facilities and can afford more advanced care.

The hospitals and major facilities that we do have are MOSTLY good. Wilford hall and Wright-Patt Medical Center are for the most part, cutting edge in many cases. At least for the Air Force....I can't speak for Army or Navy.

That is the other difference, in the Air Force, our medical care is VERY good. The referral system works great once you know the process, the sick calls function efficiently and well, and their deployment processes are good. Comparing to Army and Navy is a different story though, because they have different standards for all levels of care, not just medical.

I guess bottom line is - I'm sorry that you had a bad experience....but Tricare is not all bad. It has its issues, but I'm willing to bet that it is better than MOST civilian insurance.

 

[MBuzzy]

Oh yeah - I'm not a Doctor!

But, they have paid for mine and my wife's laser eye surgery, our entire pregnancy (not a dime out of pocket, not even co-pays), fixed her Ulnar Tunnel and have done some GREAT things for many of my troops.

 

[MBuzzy]

We don't even guard our own military bases. It's outsourced.</b>

That's is a COMPLETELY different issue from Tricare - although I REALLY wonder why you have a problem with that. Outsourcing our gate guards was one of the best things that we ever did for Security Forces and MPs.

 

[grydth]

WHAT A ****ING JOKE. We don't even guard our own military bases. It's outsourced.

Did I ever hate reading this, it seems that as a country we never learn.

When the Beirut terrorist bombings happened, I was in the US Army in West Germany. Not only was the Cold War on, but we had terrorists of varied species loose across Europe.

WE had civilian gate guards, too.... unarmed. Our brigade commander relieved them and stationed our troops out there in full combat gear, with live magazines locked in M-16s. One higher up questioned that, but our Colonel wouldn't budge. A rare and fine officer.

The reasons for unarmed foreign gate guards then sound a lot like the nonsense we hear now, almost as if the sensibilities of our enemies are more important than protecting our personnel and gaining victory.

I'm beginning to wonder if most have just always been criminally stupid.

 

[seasoned]

That's is a COMPLETELY different issue from Tricare - although I REALLY wonder why you have a problem with that. Outsourcing our gate guards was one of the best things that we ever did for Security Forces and MPs.

Craig, thank you for you service. Yes it is a different issue, but it hit a hot button with me. This outsourcing thing is crazy, when I was in the service, civilians weren't working on base. We handled our own affairs, as it should be. I am only responding to the OP, and this outsourcing thing is foreign to me, within the military, and where security is concerned. Now getting back to the OP, if this is the case then I am not on board with that either.

 

[MBuzzy]

I'd say that our gate guards and tricare are COMPLETELY unrelated, so let's try to stick to tricare here. If you want to discuss gate guards and security outsourcing, great topic, but probably best for another thread entirely. [mod hat off]

Incidentally, your experiences in West Germany are NOT at all indicative of how we operate today.

 

[MBuzzy]

Craig, thank you for you service. Yes it is a different issue, but it hit a hot button with me. This outsourcing thing is crazy, when I was in the service, civilians weren't working on base. We handled our own affairs, as it should be. I am only responding to the OP, and this outsourcing thing is foreign to me, within the military, and where security is concerned. Now getting back to the OP, if this is the case then I am not on board with that either.

No problem....I just can't help myself commenting on the military threads!

I really don't see Tricare as an issue of outsourcing. Now, I have just as many problems with outsourcing as the next guy, especially since my career field is being hit hard....but there are some places where it makes sense and does help.

As for the tricare deal, they are an independent management company and I guess can be looked at as an outsourced entity, but in that case, we simply don't have the resources to fulfill the mission in house. Not with all of the families, retirees, technology and myriad other issues that affect health care.

 

[MBuzzy]

There we go....so I can see a way that Tricare and outsourcing are related....but the whole outsourcing deal is a much larger issue, so here's another thread for that. It interests me what everyone else thinks.

 

[d1jinx]

WHAT A ****ING JOKE. We don't even guard our own military bases. It's outsourced.

well some AF Bases have both AF Security Forces only or AF and Civilian DOD police,

but yeah... I hear ya.

 

[d1jinx]

BTW I see your avatar is a donkey. Loyal democrat, huh? Just kidding...

Naahh. no demon-crat here.... just a smart-***.

 

[d1jinx]

Wow, what branch are you? I have a completely different perspective....

.....
I guess bottom line is - I'm sorry that you had a bad experience....but Tricare is not all bad. It has its issues, but I'm willing to bet that it is better than MOST civilian insurance.

Your right. Like I said, Depending on what base your at.

So.... Do Not EVER come to Joint-Base Mcguire-DIX-Lakehurst. You will see how well the joint base medical system works and how F'd up this place is.

And for the record, when living in San Antonio, Wilford hall and the medical system there WAS good.

 

[MBuzzy]

Your right. Like I said, Depending on what base your at.

So.... Do Not EVER come to Joint-Base Mcguire-DIX-Lakehurst. You will see how well the joint base medical system works and how F'd up this place is.

And for the record, when living in San Antonio, Wilford hall and the medical system there WAS good.

hahahaha....WELL, it's funny you say that. I am pretty sure that I know what you mean then. I was stationed there for 4 years....Before it was McDikHurst. I was actually on the first Joint Basing team to consolidate service contracts.

BUT, the Med Group there has serious appointment issues. They had completely eliminated sick call while I was there for a while, I'm not sure if it is back or not. That is the place that I had the worst experience. BUT, while I was there, my wife and I both had medical issues which were handled at no cost to us, no co-pay and they did a decent job. Longer wait for appointments and long waits there....but 100% better than what I have experienced on the outside. I did everything at McGuire as active duty and generally could play the deployment/mission essential card.

I think the biggest thing is that TRICARE is good, the military doctors and hospitals are the issue. Tricare and the military doctors and hospitals are two completely different balls of wax though. Tricare does a GREAT job - even there....but they can't pull appointments out of their butts, if the doctors don't support them, they can't make more.

As I've moved around, each base has gotten progressively better in terms of health care. Even deployed. I got better service in a tent in Balad, Iraq than I get at the local civilian hospital here in FL.

 

[d1jinx]

hahahaha....WELL, it's funny you say that. I am pretty sure that I know what you mean then. I was stationed there for 4 years....Before it was McDikHurst. I was actually on the first Joint Basing team to consolidate service contracts..

So you are aware of McDikHurts.... Then you know....

BUT, the Med Group there has serious appointment issues. They had completely eliminated sick call while I was there for a while, I'm not sure if it is back or not. That is the place that I had the worst experience. BUT, while I was there, my wife and I both had medical issues which were handled at no cost to us, no co-pay and they did a decent job. Longer wait for appointments and long waits there....but 100% better than what I have experienced on the outside. I did everything at McGuire as active duty and generally could play the deployment/mission essential card. .

It still doesnt have a sick call, only an after hours starting at 4 where it has been known to wait well over 4 hours before being seen....

Scheduled appts are never on time. Even if you have the first appt of the day, you usually wait an hour. I had an appt at 0930 once.... I had to wait through lunch because the Dr. went to lunch. Left there that day at 2PM.

It has gotten a million times worse for appts because now it is Army, AF, Navy, Civ, REtires, Dependants.... And better yet, everyone working there has the Mcguire attitude = they dont give a damn.

I think the biggest thing is that TRICARE is good, the military doctors and hospitals are the issue. Tricare and the military doctors and hospitals are two completely different balls of wax though. Tricare does a GREAT job - even there....but they can't pull appointments out of their butts, if the doctors don't support them, they can't make more..

Here's my MAIN problem. The setup is a typical HALFASS deal. They introduced more people than they can handle. Fine. But if you are willing to let your people go to the Emergency room at Virtua in Mt Holly and pay thousands of dalloars for that visit (military, not member) Then why not have a plan where if you can't get the patient into an appointment in say 3 or 4 days.... GIVE THEM A REFERRAL to an offbase physician. VIRTUA has several primary care clinics around the area, that are more than capable of handling the appointments and it would cost less than the emergency room visits.

Do you know how worthless and un-neccasary it is to go sit in an emergency room for a sinus infection and all you need are some antibiotics, while joe blow crashed his car and is bleeding out his forehead and broken leg??????

Clearly not well thought of or planned out... and Tri-care are the ones who will not allow for you to go to the local doctor WITHOUT a referal from the Onbase clinic, who cant get you in for 3 WEEKS!!!!!!!!

This whole thing is a bunch of frustrating ********.

GET A Back up plan. If you cant handle the appointments in a reasonable amount of time, send them downtown!!!!!

As I've moved around, each base has gotten progressively better in terms of health care. Even deployed. I got better service in a tent in Balad, Iraq than I get at the local civilian hospital here in FL.

Some of our countries BEST Surgens and trama doctors are there on the warfront. I read or watched somewhere like on dateline, that the experience these guys get overthere, makes their skill far more superior than Dr.s who have been here practicing for years. Alot are volunteering to go just for the experience and the chance to make a difference and help.

That local quack in FL or anywhere else is only worried about paying off his medical malpractice insurance, Med school loans and Porshe note..... Not All.... but they too are out there.



PS..... DOVER SUX TOO. Same story without the Joint Base crap.

 

[d1jinx]

Wow.... I sound a little peaved.... like it struck a nerve.... hmmmm... sorry for the rant.

But I will have you know.... just today, the lovely pharmacy lost one of my perscriptions. Yep, dropped it at the window.... waited. went to pick it up and there was only 2 instead of 3. Asked.... waited another 25 minutes.... then was told.. "I MUST HAVE NOT GIVEN IT TO THEM. THEY HAVE NEVER LOST A PERSCRIPTION BEFORE"

So now, I have the burden of trying to get another perscription written, because SRA Dikweed Lost it and said I never gave it to him.

 

[Big Don]

BTW I see your avatar is a donkey. Loyal democrat, huh? Just kidding...

Not "a donkey", his avatar is DONKEY©