I carry a "Fee Basis" card from the VA that is used like normal people would use an insurance card. The care givers swipe my card, bill the VA and in most cases are paid more quickly and with less paper work than they would be if dealing with an actual insurance company or HMO.
If you are angry about being delayed in getting a pack of smokes you should see what I have to go through to get health care.
Typically when I have to go to a new Doctor they initially refuse to honor my card. Then it takes me days or weeks to find a Doctor of the same specialty who will accept payment from the VA. Or to hammer out the details of the transaction with the original Doctors office staff.
Almost every medical facility I have every used has originally tried to convince me to go elsewhere before they agreed to treat me. I am treated like a mooch who is looking for free care and get talked to that way frequently in crowded medical waiting rooms.
Finding a Dentist or a place to get eye glasses that will even discuss this manner of payment with me is a major challenge. I am grateful for the VA care. I am grateful that the VA recognizes my special needs and allows me to be treated outside the VA medical system.
I am not grateful for the "Tommy this and Tommy that" bums rush I get at the various Doctor's Offices. The most frustrating part of this often repeated ordeal is that once I am able to convince a Doctor's paper shufflers to "Fool with a Disabled vet" they truly do get paid higher fee's at a faster rate than they would with an insurance company or HMO.
I guarantee you that it is much more inconvienient and humiliating to be turned away from a medical specialist's office because they do not want to "Fool around with the bother" of billing the VA to treat a 100% Service Connected veteran. But you learn to live with these little slights in modern America.
OK. Now I am prepared to be flamed for sucking free medical care off of the Tax Payers. Flame away!!
Honey, this isn’t about me. Donna George, from down around Bangor wrote this letter. I just posted it.
We went down to Togus ONCE back in the early 90’s. Haven’t been back.
Togus is about a 4 hour drive south of us. We have Champus and Champus supplement we use at our Doctor up here and at the local hospitals. Since Loring Air Force Base closed in 1994, we no longer have our own health care facility.
OK. Now I am prepared to be flamed for sucking free medical care off of the Tax Payers. Flame away!!
Honey, my hubby is also a Viet Nam Vet with two Purple Hearts. I sympathize with you with all my heart.