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Posted

WTF?  Same thing here.  Urgent Care visit last week, just got the bill yesterday after a Tricare failure to pay.

Posted

The med clinic is just as understaffed/deployed as the rest of us.  So now they are pushing more patients off base than before. The companies that under bid the Tricare contract are seeing higher than expected costs.  To compensate, they are using standard tactics of narrowing the network, denying care and refusing to pay.

Wonder how it will play in the media, but all the bad press for the VA hasn't changed it for the better.

Posted (edited)

Pharmacy/Referral management - Both are understaffed. They are the bread and butter of the medical clinic.

I was told, "Sir, I'm sorry your referral took so long, but we are understaffed." At that point, I could totally understand. Most career fields are having staffing problems. Most men/women between the ages of 17-24 are ineligible to join the military. We are screwed.

Earlier in a post I mentioned a pharmacist walking off the job on base, which wreaked havoc on the pharmacy. How can I be upset? Pilots are essentially doing the same thing. Nobody is going to put up with piss poor leadership and a deteriorating quality of life. Civilians don't have to accept it either. 

Let's not talk about on base PT vs off base. Like night and day. I was in shock when my therapist off base had a machine to measure my lower back strength. I attended on base PT post surgery for 5 months. Started going off base and the exercises I was given were completely different and helped tremendously. Didn't mean to throw so many knives at our healthcare.

 

Edited by HarleyQuinn
Posted
22 hours ago, raimius said:

It's hit or miss.  We have one awesome flight doc, and one that asked me if I was a pilot during my PHA...I guess my medical records, seeing a flight doc, and the pilot wings weren't enough of a clue...

I had to tell a flight doctor look. You can't tell me to take narcotics as needed and driving on the flight line is remotely okay. If you had told a Lt this and they run into something, all hell would break loose. You have no place being on a flight line if you are taking prescribed narcotics.

Posted

Yet somehow we're expected to think that getting this socialized TRICARE system for life is a major benefit of making it to 20 years? 

Posted
17 hours ago, FourFans130 said:

Yet somehow we're expected to think that getting this socialized TRICARE system for life is a major benefit of making it to 20 years? 

Tricare standard. Go where you want. When you want. No permission. No referrals. 

Just like champus for those of us that grew up with it. 

You pay 20%. $3k max out of pocket for the year for the family. 

A similar plan at delta is $700/month with $13k family max. 

Thats almost half a trip per month I dont Have to work for healthcare. 

Yes. 20 years is worth it. 

  • Upvote 3
Posted

Agree with Hoss - we switched to standard for the last 3 years of my AD time...kicking myself for not doing it earlier.  Prime is bullshit.  Unfortunately for my situation now, there's not a whole lot of places where I live who take Tricare, so our options are limited, but not necessarily bad.

Posted

I was told, "Sir, I'm sorry your referral took so long, but we are understaffed." At that point, I could totally understand. Most career fields are having staffing problems.
 

“Sir, I’m sorry your bombs/gas/cargo/recce took so long, but we are understaffed.”

What a lame excuse. We’re still in the military and still subject to an unlimited liability clause.
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Posted
5 hours ago, HossHarris said:

Tricare standard. Go where you want. When you want. No permission. No referrals. 

Just like champus for those of us that grew up with it. 

You pay 20%. $3k max out of pocket for the year for the family. 

A similar plan at delta is $700/month with $13k family max. 

Thats almost half a trip per month I dont Have to work for healthcare. 

Yes. 20 years is worth it. 

Live near reasonable good military healthcare but switched from Prime to Standard in April.  May 15th wife got sick and we hit the cap in one week.  One thing I've learned is managing the $3,000 cap is up to you...the hospitals and specialists have billed us well over $5,000 and it takes MANY phone calls to work through the chaff.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted (edited)
On ‎7‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 7:46 AM, HarleyQuinn said:

Air Force, AMC pursue initiatives to better retain pilots

https://www.airforcetimes.com/opinion/commentary/2018/07/29/air-force-amc-pursue-initiatives-to-better-retain-pilots/

Most people could probably telework from the states and still get the AFCENT queep accomplished.

I've noticed almost every active officer talking to the Air Force Times in an official capacity doesn't express personal opinion nor do they acknowledge real problems as real.  They have to perform as USAF PA meat puppets that reinforce the official party lines.  Not this guy's fault he had to talk to the press.  Non-event.

Edited by FourFans130
Posted (edited)

So CC's will be allowed to perform in house physical fitness testing again. This was removed from the squadron level because people were hooking each other up and we needed to kick more people out. Oh, and the old requirement forces you to purchase a PT uniform so you have to wear it once a year for your annual test. I'm tired of this back and forth buffoonery. PT uniforms serve no purpose. Give the contract to Nike or Under Armour so the uniforms make you want to use them when not working out at the base. Kind of like college football teams and their wide array of player uniform options to help recruit. Then I might actually buy the gear. Otherwise, I will stick to my Nike dri fit gear.

The AF doesn't give a damn about physical fitness. Stop pretending. In 2013/2014, they were going to start enforcing the reg on shoe colors. I called out our shirt. I'm like you don't know shit about fitness. I used to run at night and early in the morning and you always want running shoes that are highly reflective. I'm not talking clown colored shoes either (millennials style). The AF thought we should all run in certain colored shoes. Meaning, I should train everyday in my normal running shoes that are meant for my flat feet. Then I would have to swap out my running shoes for my annual fitness test for a pair of shoes within reg just to meet the AF color requirements. Every runner knows that's just asinine and could cause an injury. Companies make certain types of running shoes for the way your feet are shaped and how you run. They are limited in color options. Nike and Brooks don't give one shit about AF shoe color requirements. Lets pander to the AF because they matter to our billion dollar industry nobody has ever said.

 

Edited by HarleyQuinn
Posted
28 minutes ago, HarleyQuinn said:

Oh, I like this gem:

Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base has also been ordered to develop a Squadron Commander Foundational Course to prepare officers, as well as civilians in similar roles, for squadron command. Wing commanders will identify field grade officers with high potential for command to attend this course, which will teach them “foundational tools and skills required to thrive in command.”

 

So choose your CCs as ROTC cadets, then groom them via Sq Exec as Lt > SOS DG > Wing Exec > SCFC > ACSC res > CC.  

Done.

Posted
12 minutes ago, nunya said:

Oh, I like this gem:

Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base has also been ordered to develop a Squadron Commander Foundational Course to prepare officers, as well as civilians in similar roles, for squadron command. Wing commanders will identify field grade officers with high potential for command to attend this course, which will teach them “foundational tools and skills required to thrive in command.”

 

So choose your CCs as ROTC cadets, then groom them via Sq Exec as Lt > SOS DG > Wing Exec > SCFC > ACSC res > CC.  

Done.

Maybe, but I think we'll benefit from commanders having a little more training than the one-week course at their MAJCOM after they get selected for command.

Posted
5 hours ago, HarleyQuinn said:

So CC's will be allowed to perform in house physical fitness testing again. This was removed from the squadron level because people were hooking each other up and we needed to kick more people out. Oh, and the old requirement forces you to purchase a PT uniform so you have to wear it once a year for your annual test. I'm tired of this back and forth buffoonery. PT uniforms serve no purpose. Give the contract to Nike or Under Armour so the uniforms make you want to use them when not working out at the base. Kind of like college football teams and their wide array of player uniform options to help recruit. Then I might actually buy the gear. Otherwise, I will stick to my Nike dri fit gear.

The AF doesn't give a damn about physical fitness. Stop pretending. In 2013/2014, they were going to start enforcing the reg on shoe colors. I called out our shirt. I'm like you don't know shit about fitness. I used to run at night and early in the morning and you always want running shoes that are highly reflective. I'm not talking clown colored shoes either (millennials style). The AF thought we should all run in certain colored shoes. Meaning, I should train everyday in my normal running shoes that are meant for my flat feet. Then I would have to swap out my running shoes for my annual fitness test for a pair of shoes within reg just to meet the AF color requirements. Every runner knows that's just asinine and could cause an injury. Companies make certain types of running shoes for the way your feet are shaped and how you run. They are limited in color options. Nike and Brooks don't give one shit about AF shoe color requirements. Lets pander to the AF because they matter to our billion dollar industry nobody has ever said.

 

I hope this is true! Nothing yells buffoonery like allowing in house flight evaluations to see if you’re safe to fly a multi million dollar airplane, but have a “fitness cell” at each base to administer PT tests because they don’t trust commanders.  

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Posted (edited)
6 hours ago, Champ Kind said:

 


Thanks for posting the link. Anyone hearing when this will start and if this also means back to a one year test cycle regardless of (passing) score?

 

Testing once a year for everyone in the AF was tossed around a few months back I believe per my CC. So has retiring as a SSgt after 20 years of service:

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/07/31/air-force-may-let-staff-sergeants-serve-20-years-top-enlisted-says.html

Edited by HarleyQuinn
Posted
1 hour ago, Champ Kind said:

 


Thanks for posting the link. Anyone hearing when this will start and if this also means back to a one year test cycle regardless of (passing) score?

 

Davis Monthan squadrons have been testing our own for a few months now.  

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Posted (edited)
48 minutes ago, HarleyQuinn said:

 Talking about low threat and everyone feeling relaxed.

I'm probably missing the gist of what you're trying to say...

But barring an injury, if Airmen show up to the PT test and find it high threat and stressful, then they are the problem.  

The AF standards are about as minimal as it gets.  Watching 20-somethings weezing on lap 4 of the 1.5 mile run is pathetic.  

Edited by HuggyU2
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