Injured military veterans and private insurance

[epchick]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

My father has combat-related injuries. He has private insurance from his civilian life, but since his illnesses are related to his service, he has access to the VA hospitals which are supposed to treat those specific injuries and illnesses. Sometimes he goes to the VA clinic, but for most of the big ones--including cancer--he has chosen to be treated by his own doctor and pay for it with private insurance, even though the VA would be free. VA clinics are woefully understaffed and often treat many, many people over a large geographic area. If you had the choice between going to a doctor in an office close to your home, and driving at least an hour to go to a crowded clinic to see a doctor (or more likely a physician's assistant) for 15 minutes, which would you pick?

Your dad and mine sound like they are in a very similar position. My dad was in Vietnam and has had combat-related injuries since. He's been pushed around the VA system for years, and still hasn't gotten the treatment he needs for Agent Orange. A few years ago he FINALLY was able to get his back & neck surgery he desperately needed (he was a paratrooper and suffered severe nerve and bone damage). Now he's suffering complications from those surgeries, but everytime he gets an appointment at VA, it either gets cancelled or postponed (and it's always scheduled 6 months or longer away).

My dad does get private insurance from his job, but he doesn't want to use just when he gets "VA benefits" and now he's finally starting to realize that VA is crap.

IDK if this is VA or just veteran's benefits in general, but anyone who has family that are recently retired (or about to be retired) need to make sure that the gov't/VA (i'll have to ask my dad which one it is) acknowledges your marriage, and acknowledges your children (and whether or not they are in college). My mom & dad got married when I was 5....and not until this year has VA acknowledged their marriage. Not only that, but they never acknowledged that I was in college, thus my dad never got the benefits he gets for having children in college. My dad had been hounding them EVERY year I was in college and it wasn't until I graduated that they decided "oh yeah, your daughter was in college, sorry" but they'll only give him 1 year worth of back $ that he deserves.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by epchick

Now he's suffering complications from those surgeries, but everytime he gets an appointment at VA, it either gets cancelled or postponed (and it's always scheduled 6 months or longer away).

IDK if this is VA or just veteran's benefits in general, but anyone who has family that are recently retired (or about to be retired) need to make sure that the gov't/VA (i'll have to ask my dad which one it is) acknowledges your marriage, and acknowledges your children (and whether or not they are in college).

The cancellations/postponements are a serious problem, and are based more on facilities, but it's a widespread issue. Like I said, I can't imagine how annoying it would be if that was your only source of healthcare.

As far as the marriage/children thing, that is a VA-specific problem, since the DOD keeps pretty good records of marriage and children stuff--they have to for a lot of reasons. I don't think the VA knows or cares about my existence; my father isn't in that bad a condition where they could have gotten financial assistance with college.

[AGDee]

I should have added that I also know people whose HMOs denied them certain treatments saying that they were things the VA should cover.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by AGDee

I should have added that I also know people whose HMOs denied them certain treatments saying that they were things the VA should cover.

Aren't HMOs known for being horribly restrictive?

[AGDee]

yes, but if that's the "private insurance" that the VA wants to bill... well, I can see there being big issues. I can see private insurances denying veterans with combat complications coverage, as they do for people with AIDS. It could really be a mess.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by AGDee

yes, but if that's the "private insurance" that the VA wants to bill... well, I can see there being big issues. I can see private insurances denying veterans with combat complications coverage, as they do for people with AIDS. It could really be a mess.

Aren't there forms of private insurance other than HMOs? I've never had an HMO, and I've already had a few insurers between my parents and several employers.

[AGDee]

HMOs are becoming the prevalent insurer because they are the least expensive. PPOs can be just as restrictive. The only insurer in my area that is common that is NOT an HMO is Blue Cross and they can still be pretty restrictive and they can refuse to pay for things after the fact. The insurance world is a big huge complicated mess, honestly.

[epchick]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

As far as the marriage/children thing, that is a VA-specific problem, since the DOD keeps pretty good records of marriage and children stuff--they have to for a lot of reasons. I don't think the VA knows or cares about my existence; my father isn't in that bad a condition where they could have gotten financial assistance with college.

Ahh thanks for the clarification. Yeah, my dad should be (because of all the combat related issues) almost 100% disabled--in the eyes of VA. But they WILL NOT raise his disability. He has to throw a fit w/ his back & neck surgeon just so his disability could be raised to 40%. He just came back to the VA today and they are thinking of raising it to 60%.

I don't think my dad's condition is that bad, but then again, i'm not in his body. I know that he can't sleep for more than 3 hours w/o getting pains, so he's constantly tired, his hands & feet are completely numb and he can't feel them, and something is constantly hurting him.