Posted on Apr 9, 2024
What are some considerations when deciding between using VA healthcare versus a private plan?
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I'm a veteran thinking about enrolling in VA healthcare but also have civilian health care with Blue Cross Blue Shield. What are some considerations that should go into this decision?
Veterans Affairs (VA)
Healthcare
Disability
Caregiver
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 60
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Go with VA health care. If you have Tricare for life as well that is all that you need. Medicare part a and b
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They are improving, except that guy who told me.....You had plenty of time to get a pre-approval before your auto accident
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I have Medicare and TRICARE for life and all care is without cost. Medications can be through a local military base or ESCRIPTS for $14. I am enrolled in the VA (70% disabled), but I prefer the flexibility of choosing a doctor that I feel gives me best service.
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I have a very good BC/BS plan from my former civilian employer (retired law enforcement). It's so good that I declined Medicare, thereby forgoing my eleigibility for Tricare For Life (I'm also retired Army, NG). I have never used the VA. My main consideration is that I consider my problems, service connected or not, to be minor compared to all those who were combat wounded and disabled. I keep telling myself to enroll in VA Health, but I keep putting it off. I don't want to avail myself of a system that I don't really need, but is so vital to so many others.
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CDR Vanessa Smith
You never know what the future holds for you. The VA is there as a benefit you earned -- combat injury or not. There are many good reasons to maintain your VA connection , which only requires an annual visit. You can continue with your private healthcare, but make that annual check up at your loca VA. Benefits include: hearing aids (free to Veterans through the VA); lower cost mediations sent via mail; and if one day you become incapacitated, your spouse could be paid as your caregiver. If you haven't sought VA disability claims yet, do it as soon as possible (even if you have been out or retired for decades). Contact your local VSO for assistance. Any level of disability will help you, but you'd be surprised how quickly your aches and pains add up and you might exceed the magic 30% or 50%. The main issue - don't let your hard earned benefit die on the vine.
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MSgt Alfred Gronroos
1SG Malkowski, I also felt the same as you that he VA was for the wounded combat vets and myself not wounded or sick could use private insurance when I had that. After my first visit I felt ok using it. Now I feel it was and is a benefit I earned by my service. I am entitled to it just as you are. Your service was important to our nation. Please take the time to enroll before you need to use it.
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Health care benefits how to get This A's Care giver of veterans from 1980 when I was 16 year old I help my mother to care the veterans full time I care then from hospital and our home us member of veterans house hold from 1980 up to his death in 1985 and how I can avail this as family caregiver of veterans from 1998 my mother was suffering of many illness I am a Care giver of spouse of veterans up to she died on June 2 2002;I am fully time to serve my mother.how I can get caregiver as family caregiver of veterans and spouse anyone to answer me
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I only use the VA when I have no other choice. They had their chance to kill me and almost succeeded! They performed a colonoscopy without enough anesthesia. I was begging them to stop but they continued until I had a seizure. When I complained to the "patients advocate" I told "Mr. Kelley you get free healthcare I don't know what you are complaining about!" By the time I got back to my room on the 5th floor they had my discharge papers waiting. My wife had to rush me to the ER at 01:00 the Doctors had to remove 2/3 of my colon and 6in of my small intestines due to hemorrhaging. And the VA still didn't care! Luckily I live far enough from the VA to be able to go to outside Drs.
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TSgt John Duff
Wow, that's quite a story. My experience getting a colonoscopy from the VA wasn't so intense. I woke up towards the end but it was sort of like a dream & it wasn't unpleasant. Afterwards, they wheeled me to a recovery area, gave me a snack because I had to fast for 24 hours, got dressed & went home. I live in NYC, which has VA NY Harbor Healthcare and I've had nothing but positive experiences.
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In my case, the consideration boils down to how far away the VA facility is, but also on comparing VA care to the private HMO or PPO. I use VA and also keep my private insurance. I have a local VA clinic for routine care, but all specialists and the actual hospital is 45 minutes or more. I feel that I have received better care at the VA, honestly. But I would rather be hospitalized closer to home if I had to be hospitalized so that my family could spend more time with me, so I would use a hospital my insurance covers. And I pay a copay to see a nearby private podiatrist rather than drive to the VA every 3 months, just for the convenience. This visit takes 30-40 minutes to the local guy, where it could take 2.5 - 3 hours to drive to the VA, park, walk a long way to the VA hospital and wait for an elevator, check in, wait my turn, get treated, then reverse back through the giant parking lot to the car, and drive home in nasty traffic. So having VA as well as private insurance works for me, but then my private insurance is not too expensive (medicare advantage). I love VA medical, and I would choose it if I had to choose one or the other.
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I have TRICARE for Live and Medicare but I am enrolled at the VA. I use the eye clinic to get a new pair of glasses every year. For me TRICARE, BENEFEDS and Medicare are working but I want to leave my options open.
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