TriCare No Longer Accepted.

[Chiller]

Just thought I'd post this note.

I've been retired from the AF since 1993 and use TriCare as a suppliment to Medicare. The hospital in my community of 127,000 people, advised last month that as of April 1st 2013, they will no longer accept TriCare insurance.

Just another indicator of things to come.

Ltc. JW

[HeloDude]

Don't worry...Obamacare fixes all. I know this because he told me.

[hindsight2020]

Just thought I'd post this note.

I've been retired from the AF since 1993 and use TriCare as a suppliment to Medicare. The hospital in my community of 127,000 people, advised last month that as of April 1st 2013, they will no longer accept TriCare insurance.

Just another indicator of things to come.

Ltc. JW

Do they accept Medicare?

[LoneStar]

Does this look like it is going to be a trend item for local hospitals? I know CVS has stopped filling prescriptions, but that is a far cry from providing care

[Marco]

Just got a prescription filled last week at CVS, no issues. When was this?

[Bergman]

Just thought I'd post this note.

I've been retired from the AF since 1993 and use TriCare as a suppliment to Medicare. The hospital in my community of 127,000 people, advised last month that as of April 1st 2013, they will no longer accept TriCare insurance.

Just another indicator of things to come.

Ltc. JW

I haven't heard of a current patient being shown the door, but have seen quite a few doctors and dentists that won't take new patients with TriCare. I've asked some of them about it, and the typical answer is because they don't pay as much and they are a pain to deal with. Shocking, I know.

Edited April 10, 2013 by Bergman

[Spur38]

Google: "Tricare News" for all the latest fun the proposed budget has planned for retirees and service members!

[M2]

Just got a prescription filled last week at CVS, no issues. When was this?

I think he meant Walgreens. I get prescriptions from CVS all the time without any problems.

[Smokin]

I'm always shocked when I see the copy of the tricare statement of how much the doctor billed versus how much tricare paid. What surprises me is that it has taken this long for health care providers to start making a fuss.

[Duck]

http://www.tricare.mil/psazip

Full disclosure. I am not 100% sure what this all means, but here is the link that my squadron sent out. I know it affected a lot of our soon to be retiring members and their enrollment in Tricare Prime.

[Snooter]

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2136864,00.html

[matmacwc]

Don't post something we have to subscribe to.

[LoneStar]

I think he meant Walgreens. I get prescriptions from CVS all the time without any problems.

That one is always very self critiquing when I show up at the wrong place.

[jcj]

I looked at my numbers today - I get paid overall .30 on the dollar for surgical fees..Medicare & Tricare pay more just don't pay enough to make expenses (pay your nurse, keep the lights on and the rent paid and pay yourself enough to pay your student loan, buy a "starter" house and support a wife & kids.. Most hospitals have about 5% that can't pay, we have about 15% and (because I'm a trauma surgeon and my patients are in high speed wrecks or shoot-outs with the cops or each other) sometimes my self pay percentage is about 40%. Insurers (who aren't tricare or medicare) are paying to care for their patient, plus a premium to cover the gap with uninsureds, medicare, Tricare & medicaid.(medicaid pays OK until they run out of their 12 hospital days per year - then they are uninsured) patients who don't meet all their expenses or pay their way at all. That's really how most hospitals stay afloat by doing alot of work om well insured where the revenue is greater than cost - to compensate for those who bring patient cost but no revenue.

If a physician has a well established practice seeing little or no self pay and a large patient source from well insured patients with good commercial insurance, the first ones they'll drop are medicaid, medicare & tricare - mainly because the reimbursement is so low and the hassle of dealing with .gov. Sucks but that's how it is in many places.

Docs that do take tricare may be young & more recently trained - haven't established a big practice yet - but that can mean that they're up to date on the latest and have the latest skills. Don't automatically run from them - check 'em out. Many are really good.