An example of socialized medicine
There is nothing like a personal example to drive a point home. My grandson, Gavin, has a cold so Annie, my daughter and the ME of BHM, made a doctor’s appointment for him today. Gavin is covered by Tricare, the Medicare-like insurance our Government gives military families. The local doctor has agreed to accept Tricare.
But this morning we got a call from the doctor’s office informing us that Tricare still had not transferred the necessary paperwork so Annie could be seen by a local doctor. Annie has been in Oregon with us since September while her husband is serving in Iraq defending the country. She has been trying to get Tricare bureaucrats to transfer the necessary paperwork for that long. This is how this Medicare-like insurance works — or in this case, does not work. It is a good example of how socialized health care will work once Obama gets it passed into law.
Even when Annie is on station at a military base, she says it would typically take at least four weeks to get an appointment with a military doctor. This is not surprising to any of us vets who have had to deal with military medicine either while we were on active duty or after we were released to civilian life. Shortly after I was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1969, a VA hospital nearly killed me when they botched a simple appendix operation.
This is the face of Universal Health Care, Socialized Medicine, or whatever the Obama Government chooses to call the National Health Care he hopes to put in place for all of us. For all you people who are hoping Obama will deliver on his promise of Universal Health Care, this is how it will work.
I think I’ll just transfer Annie to BHM’s private policy so her baby can see a doctor.
February 10th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Socialized medicine is nothing to be afraid of. “Socialized medicine” that still puts corporate profits ahead of people’s health is. Canada’s medical system was excellent up until the mid 1990’s. Its gone downhill since, but I’m still glad to have it. The only people in Canada that would like to see privatized health care are millionaires.
February 10th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
GRRRRR! As a fellow military dependent who deals with TriCare I feel your pain! The really sad thing is that everyone I’ve tried to tell about this since long before the election WON’T listen, they just want free healthcare. It’s just too bad that now they are going to get it!
February 11th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Stimulus Hides Socialized Healthcare Plan
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 12:56 PM
By: David A. Patten
Buried in the bowels of the stimulus plan the Senate passed Tuesday are key healthcare provisions that will set America on the road to socialized medicine, involve the government in your choice of a doctor, and inevitably trigger another funding crisis that will be used to justify still greater federal intervention in America’s healthcare industry, experts tell Newsmax.
Among the most controversial parts of the bill are new federal guidelines that will require the government, rather than a doctor, to decide whether a patient should get medical care.
Read more here: http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/stimulus_health_care/2009/02/10/180153.html
February 12th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Dave,
Putting Annie and kids on a private plan is the best option. I work with soldiers every day and even medical care for the soldiers is barely adequate. As soldiers get closer to 20 years of service the prevailing attitude seems to keep them going until retirement and let the VA deal with it. The VA is highly variable, there is some great hospitals and care and some lousy. Good or bad, there isn’t enough and waiting could kill you.
My son-in-law thought promises of universal healthcare was a great idea until I reminded him of the quality healthcare he received while in the U.S. Navy and currently by the VA. He believes that privatation is the best way to go although it isn’t perfect.
Finally, when arguing socialized medicine, a great example is to point out Indian Health Services and the quality care they provide. THe military is a goo example as well and finally medicare can be great or horrible.
February 13th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Hi,
I’m British and have been living in the US for a few months (having spent the first 40+ years of my life under the care of the National Health Service!). I’ve been enjoying reading the website and your blogs are fascinating. However, I feel that I have to comment on this entry!
The unfortunate situation you have described seems to me much more to do with bureaucracy rather than a product of ’socialized medicine’.
I’m curious about the term ’socialized medicine’ – would you use the term ’socialized education’ to refer to public schools? or ’socialized roads’, or indeed ’socialized military’ – why single out health care as being unsuitable for universal provision?
In the UK – the situation you describe would simply not have arisen. Your daughter and grandchildren would have registered with the local doctor of their choice (none of this nonsense I read about the government dictating your choice of doctor!) then she would have made her appointment. Oh, and if your grandchild needed a prescription, that would be free for children.
I guess you are lucky in that you have the option to move your daughter to a private scheme, which maybe an option that other military families in that situation may not have. But please be aware that in the UK everyone has access to decent medical care, not just the ‘lucky’ ones!
February 13th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Rebecca: Strange, my friends in the UK tell the opposite story. Every one of them (and I have dozens of friends there) can tell you stories of 2-year waiting lists for “emergency” procedures, incompetent doctors, unending bureaucratic nightmares. Every one of them has nearly died because of the poor or nonexistent care they received.
Everyone in the US does have access to care, contrary to what the media will tell you each state has programs or charitable organizations covering just about every economic bracket. In most of the cases that I, personally, have dealt with, the reason a non-wealthy person didn’t have health care had more to do with paperwork than availability.
Its not just the “lucky ones”.
February 13th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
PS: That still doesn’t mean its quality care, which is the original issue here. Free is often worth every penny.
February 15th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
As a USMC vet wounded in combat, I know first hand about “red tape” dealing with the V.A. hospital. My suggestion is if the child has been issued its military dependents I.D. and its geographically convinent, just go to the nearest military base. And as far as the socialized health care, I have family in Montreal and they say that not only are they forced to pay for government healthcare but they also pay for private healthcare insurance because of the type of care or lack of it in the hospitals up there. And I guess that is the norm for the ones who can afford it
February 22nd, 2009 at 11:31 am
Hi Dave –
My husband, John, and I are both active duty Army and I’m just incensed that Annie is being treated this way. I’m sure she’s tried calling the nearest Naval and MC bases to see if someone can help – this is just crazy.
You and your family are just terrific and we are very happy to be subscribers – I’ve missed Annie’s blog entries, in fact!
Anyway – TRICARE is a really difficult organization to deal with and we feel your pain. Blessings to little Gavin.
Holly Silkman
February 22nd, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I am also an 100% service-connected; combat-wounded veteran; permanently and totally disabled (VA’s terminology,) having served over two decades in the US Army and USAF. I was a combat engineer in both branches. I had my left leg amputated, from a large caliber bullet wound; my right hand reattached after being nearly severed at the wrist from shrapnel. The military way of life isn’t for everyone. If that were true, why have quotas and recruiters? Tricare has been like the “Sword of Damocles,” both blessing and curse. Since I live 43 miles from Eglin AFB, FL, I’m permitted to choose a civilian doctor, as long as this doctor will accept TRICARE. In this area, most do;mainly because of the huge military presence. However, I’m also on MEDICARE-Parts A&B, so MEDICARE is my primary insurance, TRICARE secondary and VA tertiary. Redundant socialized federal medical insurance; imagine the paperwork I have to fill out on a monthly basis? Durable medical equipment; such as prosthetic legs and wheelchairs. All three coverages will pay for the prostheses, but wheelchairs are another story. Medicare will only “rent” them. Tricare will buy them outright. and the VA says I don’t need one since I have a prosthetic leg? I should start my own “blog” on the governmental red tape involved with socialized medicine? All y’all take care and God Bless! I have to go feed the chickens and my good hand is tired from typing!
February 24th, 2009 at 2:57 am
Yep, yep, yep!! Talk to any Canadians and they’ll give you the same story. Socialized… nationalized… medicine is NOT the answer.
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:15 am
We in Australia have Medibank. which works like a dream: there is number on the card, the card covers just you, or you and your kids. Doctors and hospitals don’t have an option as to whether they will or won’t allow it. It does not cover Dentistry or Opticals, that goes under Medibank Private: you pay extra for the extras. All else is from a two and a half percent tax on incomes above whatever the threshold is nowadays. Need an ambulance and urgent surgery? YOU get it. It works because it was set up to work, not set up to fail,as some of your systems seem to have been. Paper work? In this day and age: paperwork! Yea, go up to the top of the page abd search for medibank.
March 6th, 2009 at 9:24 am
My uncle, a vet of the Japanese Occupation, stationed near either Hiroshima or Nagasaki, died in the care of the VA. He had been seeking help with symptoms of bone cancer for almost 4 years. He was finally diagnosed just about a week before he died. The VA finally figured out something was wrong when he turned purple from bleeding under the skin.
March 7th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
My husband is retired Air Force and I am very happy with our military insurance. Our daughter was born in August with a sacrococcygeal teratoma and we had to leave our state of Montana for her to be born and treated at a children’s hospital since there are none here in the state. Her bills topped 100K and they paid all but the $3,000 deductible. There are some that should have been more timely, but six months later everything has pretty much been taken care of. We’ve also enrolled her in the Prime part of the Tricare insurance, since she will have to have some costly follow up for the next five years at least. We pay under $20 per month and a $20 co-pay for each visit.
Our experience with military insurance has been good.
March 21st, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Having grown up with the Mayo clinic as my home town clinic and now living within 200 miles of the Canadian border I have seen many Canadians – both medical professionals and patients – along with other foreigners flocking to local medical facilities in the states. From what I have seen – and been told there is a reason. My Uncle, a physician in the city where I live now, told his kids not to pursue medicine – because it would be socialized. (So much for the best and brightest – my middle cousin would have been an excellent physician.) A relative of my husbands could not get care in Canada and spent two years living with my in laws receiving care from my mother in law. Her husband finally got her in to a place in Canada. The called him to come and pick her up because she was well enough to go home. When he got there he discovered that she had died and the hospital staff was not even aware. My husband used to see a Dr. that came to the states every fall for about 4 months. He had seen his quota of patients in Canada for the year and was not longer being paid. So he came here. (Don’t get sick in Canada after August…..!) From what I have seen there our systems does need help, but it takes the government to thoroughly and totally foul things up!