Veterans Health Care Bill Introduced

[68mustang]

I saw this on the internet and thought some vets with medicare might be interested

in it. Thanks.

68mustang

H.R. 3365 to allow veterans to use their earned Medicare benefits to receive health care and services from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

http://www.military.com/veterans-report/ve...uced?ESRC=vr.nl

[retiredat44]

If I as a vet with medicare were stuck with the VA I would drop medicare. The VA is not worth what I pay in Part B. That would be the opposite of health care reform. I don't want my medicare dollars supporting those idiots at the VA.

I have Part A medicare under SSDI and am also 50% rated diabled Veteran. If and when I go to an outside hospital and have the VA pay my medical cost at the outside hosptial through Fee Basis, they also try to get medical to pay. Since I only have part A medicare, Fee Basis has to be contacted and send any bills I recieve to VA Fee Basis. Medicare wil not pay for anything done in the hosptital because the part B is not purchased. Bottom line, if you get any medeical care done aat a hosptial outside the VA, it must be approved by the VA for them to pay the bills. Medicare will not pay shit, unless you pay for part B. VA Fee Basis may not even pay your bill if it is not approved.

My experience has been real life because my VA doctor called an ambulance while i wa sin her office and they sent me to a non-VA hospital. I had a shitload of bills sent to me. I sent them on to VA Fee Basis. In al my correspondence in trying to get my bills paid, the hospital tried getting piad by Medical. Medical refused to pay anything. Medical is a total worthless bunch of shit. Unless you pay for part B which will be taken out of your pocket.

Note: VA Fee Basis may take longer than one year to pay bills from outside approved care. If you ever get sent to an poutside hosptial you are in for one hell of a tiome, especially if you are to sick to tend to your own matters. Those bills wil stack up and the creditos fromt he hsopitals and doctors will fill your mailbox with overdue bills and notices.. and you had better find a way to pay...

Be prepared for a long drawn out workload of making copies, phone calls and begging for help and payment. Either that or have both VA rating that is service connected and they pay all medical and pay for part B medical too, (if you are on SSDI and medical).

Medical doesn't do a dam thing for anyone on part A, it's sick joke...

[jbasser]

I would advise all Service connected Vets to look at your EOB's.

I know for a fact that they bill for SC conditions and are getting away with it. Insurance companies dont realize how much money they are being bilked fior when they are not even responsible.

When they do something against the law it is called an oversite.

When we do it, it is called a crime.

Go figure.

J

[BoonDoc]

At some point in the future, I can see the VA not treating, for free, any disability unless it's a direct result of combat. Then letting everything else be up to you to pay for; or having a system like medicare, with premium payments per month, for VA treatments. This would save the government gazillions with the war, on multiple fronts, continuing. Time will tell, but I wouldn't put it past them to try.

BoonDoc

[retiredat44]

If this is the wrong thread for this I apologize..

you want to see the government nightmare for Social Secuirty , SSDI and Medicare Part 'B" ! ??

http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/FAQ_PartB.htm

it's a F$$##@ mess trying to get these a-holes to cover your health...

so if you don't pay for part 'B' but have Part 'A' and also have Veteran's health care through the VA, don't even try to use Medicare,, unless you are betting that the VA wil pay for what Medicare will not, through a non-VA health facility.

If the non-VA facility has been approved by the VA, Medicare wil stil be sent bills, and kicked back and forth and then eventually, they wil be sent to you, and to make it bad, the bills can show up even after one year or more after the health care..

and the government wants everyone to be under this government health care? Everyone might ass well keep a gun handy to say bye-bye if and when they start playing games with you..

Note, when I say government health care I mean Medicare, not VA, the VA had been excellent to me and have saved my life several times and treat me very, very good..

[carlie]

At some point in the future, I can see the VA not treating, for free, any disability unless it's a direct result of combat. Then letting everything else be up to you to pay for; or having a system like medicare, with premium payments per month, for VA treatments. This would save the government gazillions with the war, on multiple fronts, continuing. Time will tell, but I wouldn't put it past them to try.

BoonDoc

I do not agree that this will or even could ever happen in the future.

There are millions of injuries that have nothing at all to do with combat.

carlie

[john999]

VA health care is government health care, and medicare is government health care. I have used medicare for years and I like it just fine. When I first got my SC rating the VA only treated those who were destitute or service connected. Now almost all vets can get treatment at the VA. The difference between the VA in 1970 and now is night and day. In those days if you wanted to see a doctor the only way was to show up at the VA and just wait. You did not get appointments except for service connected conditions. I have medicare, BC and I use the VA. I have never had any problem with billing.