Troops, Families Say They’re Worried About Planned Changes to Military Health System

This is a “hot button” topic for me. I became a mental health provider using my Post 911 GI Bill specifically to use my experience in combat in a positive way to provide quality mental health treatment for other veterans and their families. After 3 years of graduate school (I already had 2 graduate degrees), an internship of 700 plus hours, passing a national exam, doing 18 months with a “restricted license” meaning I had to practice under supervision, I applied for my full license and finally I was able to apply to be on insurance panels. That was at the end of a 5 and 1/2 year process!! I applied to several panels including Tricare. I was told “we have enough providers we aren’t accepting new provider applications.” A year later Humana took over Tricare East and suddenly the panel was open. It took 8 months to navigate the enrollment process. I had to make multiple phone calls and deal with their frustrating provider portal. Often the extensions for vital people involved in the process had full voicemail boxes or their voicemail wasn’t set up. I did finally get enrolled on the panel. What I discovered was that Humana has DRASTICALLY cut reimbursement for services. Tricare is the lowest paying panel I have. I mean it’s lower than my sliding scale. The contract won’t allow me to say how low but it is ridiculously low. This is why they opened the panel to new providers. Many of the formerly enrolled providers refused to rake Tricare. I have considered dropping Tricare myself but my responsibility to my fellow veterans and their families compels me to continue to take Tricare insurance but there are fewer and fewer mental health providers in my state taking Tricare. The folks I deal with need intense care and it takes a lot of physical and emotional resources to handle these cases. As a veteran and professional I often feel like our government has abandoned its responsibility to veterans yet again.

Pushing family members out of military treatment facilities may save money, but it will hurt morale and mission readiness.

Not to mention the retirees who have been hosed by the system for years