Healthcare is a front page story item, and probably will be for a long time. Whether we’re talking about the implications of the health care reform tax credit, or coverage options, health care will be a hot topic for the foreseeable future.  I’m a firm believer that the problem isn’t that we all should have health insurance. I believe that lawsuits and health insurance drive health care prices up, forcing us to have lawsuits and insurance.

Yes, I understand that doctors and medical staff need to have a lot of training, and that comes with a price, and I don’t begrudge a higher salary. However, when my insurance was charged $45 on a pill that I can get at WalMart for pennies (I was charged that for an ibuprofen not too long ago), there is something obviously wrong with the system.

Since leaving the corporate world, I’ve not had an employer-paid medical policy. We’ve been paying our expenses out of pocket, and several times, even went completely without medical insurance. Thankfully, we never had anything major happen.

Our current situation has us paying out of pocket, with a stipend from my wife’s employer to help offset the cost.  We aren’t exactly happy with the level of coverage we now have for minor medical emergencies or visits, but found this to be less expensive than using the company provided plan.  Although we are relatively healthy, we have found that we need to visit the doctor more than is sometimes financially comfortable.

Looking for options, I did what everyone does…complained to friends. RidgeRunner told me I should look into the VA.  They provide medical services for all veterans with the costs varying depending on your income bracket. Having gladly served in the US Air Force in the 80’s and 90’s and received an Honorable Discharge, I qualified for the plan.  All I needed to do was fill out the paperwork. And like a fool, I put it off. For three years.

Idiocy! Looking back now, I would have saved thousands of dollars. And it’s not like I ‘ve never used any of my VA benefits before. Our first house was purchased under the VA Home Loan Program, with a check we wrote for $1.00.

Yeah, we wrote a check for $1.00 to have a house built for us 🙂 And we didn’t have to pay PMI either, saving us even more money.

As a family of three, we were eligible for food stamps while I was in the service, I was “at work” living in a sealed chemical warfare suit for days at a time, and was basically an indentured servant with very high standards set for me, and higher repercussions for infractions that civilians commit daily with little or no punishment.

But once you’ve served your time, they seem to have a way of thanking you. Little things like the GI Bill for college, the VA Home Loan Program, and the VA medical benefits.

I recently pulled my head out of my butt and filled out the paperwork.  My acceptance letter arrived the week of Thanksgiving.  Less than two weeks later, I got to test out those services.

Yesterday afternoon, I started to feel an ache in my back, around my right kidney area. As the day progressed, so did the pain, gradually increasing in waves as it spread towards the front.  The wife told me flatly that if it got any worse, she’d be taking me to the emergency room, like it or not.

I was against it, as another medical bill wasn’t what we needed. Then in a moment of clarity between waves of excruciating pain, I recalled the VA paperwork. Knowing I’d yet to get my ID card from them, I had the wife call them to find out my options.

The operator that answered took my SSN and looked me up in the system. Finding me and having heard the situation outlined by my wife, she promptly forwarded the call to a RN to help us with the situation. After getting some basic information and asking me several yes/no questions, she said it was likely either a kidney stone, or appendicitis, but either way, that I should proceed to the nearest emergency room, unless we could get to a VA facility. In our case, the West Palm Beach facility is within 45 minutes, so off we went. On the suggestion of the RN on the phone, we packed an overnight bag for me, just to have a few things to give me some of the comforts of home.

Now I’ve not had any medical emergencies before, so I have about zero experience with medical hotlines or their procedures. The fact that the RN suggested we pack a change of clothes, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste all strikes me as a little beyond the call of duty. Is this normal to think of creature comforts of the person in pain?

This was the first of many little things that caught me by surprise.

The family and neighbors stepped up to take care of the kids as the wife loaded me into the van to head to the ER, proof that building community is important BEFORE the emergency occurs (see FHB Tip #2). As the wife left, she briefed the kids as what to expect of us, and what we expected of them for the evening. Off we went. In retrospect, I wish to extend my thanks to the friends and family we called upon. Thanks for being there for us, no  questions asked.

We approached the VA center as I was dealing with wave after wave of pain. Seeing the facility ahead, I was amazed at the sheer size of the thing, it was massive. Turning into their access road, I saw something that brought tears to my eyes, and I almost lost my composure again. Under a picture of a flag were the words:

“The Price of Freedom is Visible Here“

Now, I do not recall ever seeing those words together before. But looking at that facility, knowing it was built and operated for our veterans and them alone, still gets me chocked up. The knowledge that our country still cares enough for those of us that stepped up for whatever reason, and offered all we had in order to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic….well, that knowledge made me very proud to have served my time in a United States military uniform. We, as a country, still care for our veterans.

The rest is mundane details, personal, and not much interest.

They took excellent care of me. I was treated like a person, with respect and dignity, by everyone I met. And at no time was cost or price mentioned, only making me better. Complete strangers, late on a rainy Sunday night, took me in, treated me, and sent me on my way better than I was, and did it all with concern for ME, not anything else.

I think we owe that to ALL our veterans…

Peace,
db

PS- If you are a veteran, go over to http://www.va.gov/ and sign up to the benefits you’ve earned. Do it right now. You’ve already paid the price, Brother. It’s owed to you.