RANT RANT RANT... that was your warning.

I don't like to rant... okay so everyone who knows me knows that's a lie (which I try not to make a habit of doing) but it's been a while so rant it is:
Why the Military Healthcare System sucks: (I've probably already blogged this before?)

1) it's free - (prime who don't pick their own providers) anything that's free, comes with an undesirable level of service, I mean you wouldn't want your real estate agent to list your house for free, you wouldn't want your mechanic to work on your car for free, and you certainly wouldn't want your dentist to drill into your teeth for free right?

2) if you decide to go standard chances are you'll get better service, but you also will no longer have access to that free stuff they call health care, (see #1) which may require you to adjust your budget and we all know how well those emergencies pop up with our children...

3) We don't use it enough in my family to warrant the necessity of having it free but the times we actually do need it (this is where the rant comes in) getting an appointment that isn't a few weeks out is like going to the dentist and having your teeth drilled.
today:
"well Mrs. Brown our first available appointment is not until the 26th, you can call in everyday at 6am to try and get something sooner"..... ARE YOU F'ING KIDDING ME!! I just told you the finger (middle finger which I want to show you right now) is swollen, it looks like someone lobbed off an extremely large mans finger and replaced mine with that one. There's a lump the size of BB in there so that makes it difficult to  make a fist (which if I could I'd like to punch you with).. Obviously this is what's in my head but instead I politely say, 6am everyday okay.. to which she says "or I could transfer you to the clinic directly to see if they have anything sooner"
I thought you just said first available was the 26th? Again what I want to say but instead I say "that would great".  Oh it doesn't get better upon transfer (did I mention I've already been on hold 12 minutes)..

4) When you are a professional receptionist/administrator/secretary (whatever you call yourself is fine with me) have a level of tact and decency to the PATIENT you are on the phone with... "yeah" and "maybe ummmmm" are not appropriate professional words.
So I once again explain the situation and he says "ummm looks like we don't have anything available with your Doc until the 23rd"  I say what about another doc? He says "yeahhhh, ummmm"  I don't even give him the chance I just say "so I should call the appointment line back or you make me an appointment" he says "yeah"    [deafening silence inserted here]    I say yeah...???? so I should call back? He says yeah, I say okay then he says okay and HANGS UP!

5) Back to it's FREE - so when it's completely free, (I'm totally generalizing here) people tend to take advantage, they go to the ER for a scrape (which I have done, so I'm guilty too) they schedule appointments for a 99 degree fever and a cough (which I've been guilty of too - hey first babies are scary when they get all crazy with a little temperature and a dog barking cough), but just maybe... if there was a minor co-pay for health care and treatment with the Military (even prime) and instead of saying oh you have free healthcare and here's what it equals out to in your pay for the year... GIVE IT TO THE SOLDIER IN HIS PAY, then he can choose his health care for his family.

6) Because I'm on Prime if I decided I wanted to go to a healthcare provider in Tricares network off post and even would agree to a co-pay, Tricare says I'm not allowed because I have prime.
And if I did that without asking permission and asked that Doc to bill my insurance, Tricare would come back and say "no we aren't paying that she didn't ask permission"....


How's that Obamacare working out for everyone? Do you experience the same discontent??
Medical insurance even with Gov't. assistance on it has turned out to be extremely expensive for a large majority of hard working Americans... If I tried to insure my family of 6 with Colorado's Healthcare help... whatever it is.... the cost is roughly $900 a month!!! HOLY CRAP! AND THAT'S NOT EVEN ANY DENTAL COVERAGE!!! How the hell is anyone supposed to afford that?



Further, Free health care that's what happens when it's free.... waiting forever to be seen, the doc gives you 20 minutes of their time (15 of which is spent going over previous medical history and height and weight), you get an "eh" diagnosis, or none at all I've actually been told "I can't figure out what it is" Only a week later to discover the idiot that did a spinal tap on me punctured through my spinal cord and I had a leak.. that an SF Doc fixed for me in 5 minutes after a week of agonizing pain and "we don't know what it is"......

I just hate it.... Don't get me wrong I am grateful to have healthcare I truly am and my kids pediatricians have always been pretty decent for the most part.... except when Emily was a baby and the shot person gave her an extra shot of HIB instead of the shot she was suppose to get... or that time Aiden was literally projectile vomiting and they had us sit in the ER covered in vomit for 3 hours while we waited for him to be seen.

Where was I going with this?? Oh yeah... I think that I'd rather have the what ever amount of money they say my husbands coverage is a year included in his pay and we can pay co-pays and pick service providers.