As the spouse of a Viet Nam (yes he was there, not just an era) veteran, I can tell you that you are eligible for complete health care if it's service related. Even if you are disabled and it is NOT service related you can contact the VA hospital and most things ARE covered even if you are NOT RETIRED military! I am shocked that you have not been given this information. My son was in for 10 years, disabled and they pay all his meds. FTR, they go so far as to even cut your toenails if needed.
I am proud of my family's service and grateful for the health care we get. Neither my husband nor I are eligible for Medicare yet but I can tell you that the American military health care system is a good one and they DO negotiate with drug companies on price to enable vets to get their medicines either free or a $3 co-pay at any local pharmacy for generics. The government Medicare system has been barred from negotiating prescription drug prices, a real waste of health dollars. I advise you to get on the Internet and go visit the VA website or go to your nearest base pharmacy with your prescriptions. IF you are a military retiree you are eligible to get a 90 day supply of your prescriptions for $0.
BTW, for anyone that doesn't know, military retirees health care (referred to as Tricare) DOES come from Humana health care. If you don't get the answers that you want there are always people you can talk to, yep, real human beings that do care. My husband was not an officer or a "higher-up" when he retired, but a real person checks on him every couple of months to make sure his congestive heart failure is under control. We have several either retired vets or military disabled in my family, all, including spouses, treated with fairness and respect.
I hope that America will adopt a version of the military health care system that covers everybody. I was a claims analyst for RE Harrington (a 3rd part claims processor) 20+ years ago and was so disgusted by the corruption, paying claims for the VP's new step-daughter's cosmetic surgery while ordering me to deny a claim for a child that required maxilofacial surgery for birth defects, necessary for him to eat and breathe like a normal human being. I did complain way back then and nobody listened or seemed to care. One of their favorite ploys was to keep claims from being paid as long as possible. Why? Interest paid on the funds in their bank was far more than a few customer service reps paycheck:( Glad Mr. Potter got thru to some people, it was long overdue.
America is far from perfect and we do need a comprehensive health care system for everyone. If all the waste and corruption was cut, we could probably pay for it with just those savings. Contact your congresscritters and tell them to "move their butts" NOW!!
Mr. Harvey or anyone else that needs military retiree info, go to http://tricare.mil/
You can also write to Military Health System
Skyline 5, Suite 810, 5111 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041-3206
The abuses of health insurers must be reined in. These companies are no more able to police themselves or act disinterestedly than an addict is to abandon his drug. They are addicted to cash and in their insatiable need for more and more, they trample human beings and behave criminally. Just as the police have to step in and enforce laws to keep the ruthless from robbing and abusing people, the government now has to dismantle the health insurance companies and enforce fairness in apportioning health care --- as well as capping the outrageous charges for care and medication. Who else is going to do it but we the people, speaking through our elected representatives (those who are not bribed and corrupted)?
People are irrationally panicked about universal healthcare. They have been brainwashed since the Reagan years by some very crafty flacks. They see a cleverly engineered ad and believe it with all their hearts, playing right into the hands of the health insurance companies. Some of these folks sound like they went to sleep and got body snatched and woke up spouting the insurance companies' exact fear-mongering invective. Whlie other countries' citizens enjoy the benefits of universal healthcare, we die broke and untreated --- or worse, watch our loved ones going without lifesaving care.
Dear Mr. Potter,
Thank you for taking a courageous, principled and public stand against such powerful interests.
America is my adopted country, and I am "an American by Choice". While my early years were all about career success,my current passion is to make this a better country for my kids and future generations. From this perspective, I cannot be partisan on any issue, but must rely on my own judgement on what's good for our country and future generations.... I try to be fiercely independent.
On the subject of Healthcare, I see a meaningful Public Health Plan as ABSOLUTELY VITAL, for stability and predictability in our personal lives. I pray that such a plan option will be available to me. I travel frequently to Canada, and work closely with many Canadian citizens. I am always impressed by the fact that no Canadian is constrained from leaving a job and starting his or her own business by concerns about retaining Health Insurance. While their system is not perfect, it is far superior to ours, in terms of "Maximum Good for Maximum Folks".
I am deeply troubled by mixed signals coming from the Senate, especially from Democratic senators such as Joe Lieberman on this issue. I hope that the outcome will be Statesmanlike, and not proof that the good senators are completely beholden to special interests.
Again, thank you for your stand.... you are anything but alone!!!
Sincerely,
Rao from NC
A couple of decades ago, the Michigan originators of the true "no fault" insurance proposed pay at the pump system. It would be a splendid way of encouraging fuel frugality without the impact that taxing would have. Since insurance has to be paid for, the use of pay at the pump would provide incentive for minimizing wasteful fuel consumption. Moreover, pay at the pump would see to it that unlicensed drivers and illegal immigrants were paying towards insurance.
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