I’m still lost. We haven’t had to fill out the means form for 5 years or more. They already know, via the IRS and Social Security Admin, how much you make so they did away with the form. If a VA doctor is reluctant to approve Triog for civilian services or civilian care of any kind, you can request a new team or put in a complaint against the doctor. Non-military related or not, you EARNED your VA benefits and a simple trip to the administrators office at your VA clinic or hospital will prove that out. I pay nothing nor have had to pay anything for prescriptions from heavy duty pain meds to licinapril (BP medicine). Sometimes, just like being on active duty, you have to fight for what is right. If you make a choice not to, it’s pretty much all on you. Do the leg work and you’ll get those eye drops a lot cheaper or at no cost at all. Again, you SERVED and you EARNED your VA benefits so don’t let some civilian employed by the VA give you a hard time.....!
All of this is true, BUT...…...I have got a very good doctor and she did tell me that it's up to each Veteran's doctor if that doctor will approve any medications outside the VA. Now, knowing that she could get into trouble, including loosing her job with the VA, I would have to tend to believe her. She didn't totally explain it to me, but she did run into some trouble with a Vet she was seeing after approving some medications for him, to be bought outside the VA Pharmacy. I haven't always been with the VA Medical, since getting my Honorable Discharge. When I was unemployed, I'd use my VA Medical and then starting using it full-time around 1995, when companies started making employees pay for medical. Then, in 2004, when I got my job in Denver, CO, I stopped using my VA and went completely with company insurance...….I made a good enough salary for that. After that job, I was on my wife's company insurance wherever she worked. Then, in 2011, went back on VA 100% to save us some money and have been on it since. When I turned 65, I applied and got Medicare A and B and then Florida Blue (supplement) and Humana Walmart (drug plan). I read that having both Medicare and VA Medical is an excellent thing for a Veteran to do. I had absolutely no trouble at all, concerning the VA, when I went outside the VA for my shoulder surgery, PT and medications. None. My VA PCP has all of my health history on her computer. I have found out that there are medical places, outside the VA system, that don't/won't take a VA Medical card. If I needed emergency services, the ER at our local hospital, wouldn't take my VA card, but definitely take my Medicare, Florida Blue and Humana medical coverage. I'd have to get approval from the VA from them to take care of an ER trip. As far as the eye drops are concerned, my VA doctor would have to approve the drops coming from the VA Pharmacy and since the VA isn't going to do the surgery, I doubt she'd approve the drops...…...but will find out.
My plan is from a company specific to Maine, which is the least expensive of my options for what I get. Outside of Maine, my plan will only pay for emergency care, in most cases. I have never sought non-emergency medical care outside of Maine anyhow. Plans and options differ from state to state, but my wife changed her plan from an Advantage Plan to a Medicare Supplement, with a separate Drug Plan because she was seeing a lot of specialists and spending a lot of money in medications. The Supplement costs more per month, but pays nearly all of the costs.
Well, we have those Discount Prescription Drug Membership cards sitting out and will check with local pharmacists that we know about them and the eye drop prescriptions. Along with paying for the laser surgery and specialized lens, adding in the cost of the eye drops (with little-to-none discount), this cataract surgery could be fairly expensive. The laser and lens, for each eye, will cost around $1,900 for each eye and really don't know just how much Medicare and Florida Blue will pay.
And, why would she not approve the drops? Again, everyone I have talked to with the exception of you gets the same benefits as I do which is why I’m trying to help you out. If it’s a bonafide prescription, the VA will fill it except for narcotics. The only possibility I can think of is that you might not have released your civilian medical info to the VA and visa versa. It’s a win / win for them. Oh, and one other thing. If the doctor looks a little disgruntled about a vet opting for civilian eye care, (laser surgery for instance) it might be because the VA already has civilian doctors on contract do do that kind of work. There is an addition now what a vet can do regarding emergency and hospital care which D.Trump just signed into law. If a vet needs to see a doctor outside the VA, he or she can do it and all the medical records are automatically shared. I don’t know all of the details yet or when it starts but it will be fantastic when it is implemented. To me, ANY out of pocket money is important to me so if it costs me over a couple of bucks to get the script filled, I get the VA to do it and I have never once been refused.
It gives him that Galileo Galilei look! Makes me want want to ask him about the transitioning from philosophy to science and all sorts of other questions.
Does anyone here know how Australia's healthcare works? When I was down there, it appeared that there was some kind of subsidized care, but you could choose the plan that best fit you. Companies were advertising for customers just like car insurance companies do here.
@Holly Saunders ...what kind of cream do you use for your eyes? Is it something you put on the outside or in??? I use prescription drops twice a day because I have slightly high eye pressure....but never hear of any cream. My eyes are always dry and I always complain to my opthamologist but he just recommends an OTC eye drop that doesn't really help. Maybe I should get off my iPad ...
Haha...that's KY jelly @Ken Anderson Is this it @Holly Saunders? I look in the eye section every time at Walgreens an d haven't seen it. I'll check tomorrow. I do have the Refresh eye drops. Maybe the Walgreens on my corner doesn't have it...might have to go to the next corner, lol.
That's the one Chrissy... you just put a very thin layer on the inside of your lower eye-lid...just before you go to sleep and then it works overnight ..but keep using your drops during the day