I have to pay for TriCare Prime to have health insurance. What happened to the "free" that was promised?
2007-12-04 05:54:23 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Military
I retired from The USN in 1997 as a Master Chief
2007-12-04 06:08:22 · update #1
You guys missed the point. I AM Retired Military. Not just a VET. I served 24 years on active duty. Different benifits than for a Vet. I do not deal with the VA. But the DOD
2007-12-04 06:10:46 · update #2
Just my opinion.. But Ron Paul is an Idiot.. and I live in Galveston county Texas
2007-12-04 06:12:24 · update #3
Served 1973 - 1997
2007-12-04 06:31:23 · update #4
Totally agree MSgt. Just wanted to hear other thoughts on it. I don't live near a Military base, so must use the Tricare Prime. It cost me 159.00 a quarter. Really cheap in conparision to my civ friends.
2007-12-04 08:40:58 · update #5
The free medical care you speak of is at military treatment facilities. But, Congress has never appropriated one dime for the care of retirees and dependents at those facilities. The operating budget of every military treatment facility is based on active duty base loading figures. So, any care your receive at a military treatment facility is done on a space and staff available basis. During World War Two, costs for delivery of babies from military families at civilian hospitals was paid for by the Social Security Administration. And we had 12 million-plus in uniform then.
I've been retired from the Navy Medical Department for over 25 years. In all of that time I have never heard of any retiree or veterans' group being honest with its members and admitting the hard cold facts of how military medicine is funded. Nor will you find any Member of the Congress ever doing so.
2007-12-04 06:41:37 · answer #1 · answered by desertviking_00 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm a retired AF nurse and that was the implied promise for sure. But reality is reality and a peacetime medical care system simply cannot support the needs of a rapidly growing military retiree population. After Vietnam, the government had to downsize the medical corps just as much as it did the rest of the military. TRICARE Prime is a GREAT deal. You'll be hard pressed to find a better system for the money. It isn't perfect, mind you, but it's definitely above average. I mean, come on...There's a lot of people that would love to pay $460/year for health care coverage for the retiree and spouse.
2007-12-05 07:49:56 · answer #2 · answered by kathy_is_a_nurse 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Um, no magma. Sorry to burst your bubble but Bush had nothing to do with it.
Now, I retired from the Army in 93, in 96 I believe we had to start paying for tricare. Now I just wonder who was the President back then? And which party controlled congress?
Free went away because congress needed to make money and the military retiree is always a great target.
When did you retire?
2007-12-04 06:04:11 · answer #3 · answered by SFC_Ollie 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well from what ive seen doing research,
1973 was the last time, the military promised life time free health care to people who retired from the military.
There is a big push, to reinstate those benefits to those who were promised them.
But they have not found any government or military advertisements, paperwork or official documuments printed after 1973, that mentions free life time medical care for military retirees.
So it will be hard to convience Congress to reinstate benefits, for those who enlisted after 1973, that can not be shown, they were ever promised.
2007-12-04 06:16:21 · answer #4 · answered by jeeper_peeper321 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You can still get free healthcare, all you have to do is sign up for Tricare standard and get your medical needs met at a military hospital.
I'm not sure of the details (I think that the $640/yr is an awesome deal, so I'm on Tricare Prime), but they're easily looked up online.
2007-12-04 06:12:58 · answer #5 · answered by BDZot 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You need to contact a Patient Advocate at the VA and let them know.
I understand that you are retired and that makes a difference in what you get compared to a person with no disability rating that served let's say 4 years.
I dont remember exactly, but I think that if you retire and work a job after you retire that factors into how your VA heathcare cost are figured. I am not sure about that but I beleive it does.
I think if you work after retiring they still require a means test to calculate your co pay on health care.
you can also contact your local WFW or american Legion Hall and adk them they would know for sure.
2007-12-04 06:51:19 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Chief,
It was promised, but it was only word of mouth. My dad was a recruiter in the late 60s early 70s.
We are both retired, him in 77 myself in 02. We get into this all the time...bottom line, it was never in writting, but it was stated.
On the other hand the $270.00 I pay a year (single) is not really a bad deal.
Not going to tell a Chief to read his enlisment contract, but that...in the end is the bottom line....
MSgt USAF (Ret)
2007-12-04 08:07:56 · answer #7 · answered by Michael M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know that if you received a Purple Heart and you are retired, you qualify for Tricare For Life.
2007-12-04 07:13:05 · answer #8 · answered by P.Y.T.23 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-10-19 03:40:37 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to contact the VA in your area. You will need your DD214 discharge forms as well. If you are disabled then you may get health care for the disability depending on what % you are rated. Your best bet is to call your local VA office or email the VA from the VA web site look that up I lost the address. Good luck
2007-12-04 06:06:38 · answer #10 · answered by Jenn 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋