Thread: Who you gonna believe - Obama or Webster ??

Originally Posted by janelle

I don't mind helping pay for people who really need help, I don't like paying for people who go to the emergency room for a cold. That is what a health care system that puts everyone on the rolls will do.

No, that's what happens when people don't have health insurance. They go to the ER because they can't be turned away there. They give false information or just skip out on the bill. It's not just illegals either. Regular citizens (albeit dishonest or perhaps just desperate enough to become dishonest ones) see illegals getting treated that way so they do it too. If they had health insurance they could go to their regular doctor.

Originally Posted by whatever

Bahet could your dh have gotten VA ins? I know a lady whose dh got that when he came back from compat (serving) and is still on it. Its just for him. NOT the family. But they have their kids on that schip. So all she has to do is pay for her own. I don't know how any of that stuff works. I know he goes to a va place for his meds scripts etc. Thats basically all I know. But its free for him. Everything the meds etc. He pays NOTHING. Maybe you could check into it. All he did is had a torn rotaters cuff or something like that......

My DH was a reservist for 22 years. He went to 2 wars ('91 and '03). He retired from the reserves 4 years ago. In return he gets base access in the states and commissary privileges (which aren't what they used to be. AAFES discovered they can charge roughly the same as WalMart.) He gets no insurance unless he's on active duty until he's 63. He gets no retirement pay until then either. The military really screws over reservists. We wouldn't even have base access at all here and our kids couldn't go to DodDs schools unless DH's employer (Air Force contractor on base) allowed it.

Originally Posted by pepperpot

Bahet, I may be confused about something. I know your DH was in the service at one time (enlisted). The last stint he did in Iraq, was it military (enlisted) or I recall something about working as a private contractor over there (not enlisted)? I'm not looking to pry but I know it's been mentioned before.

DH was an enlisted reservist. He has several degrees but stayed enlisted because he has a bad back and knees and couldn't have done the runs necessary to become an officer. He was a reservist for 22 years. He went to Iraq from March '03 until May '04 as military. Because of various reasons from financial pressures to difficulty acclimating back to normal life (the VA offered no help and told him to try to get some rest when he went in complaining of night terrors.) he decided to go back to the ME as a contractor. A few of his friends who were in his unit had done that and they reported that it helped their mental state to be back in sort of that environment but with more civilization. It helped them create a bridge into normal life again.

In Jan '06 he left to go to Kuwait as a contractor. He came back in July '07. Because of the work he did there (IT) he was able to get a lot of new certifications and was able to change his career from construction management to IT. Having him in Kuwait for 1 1/2 years was hard but at least I knew he was safe there. TBH, things were starting to go downhill for us between the time he got home from Iraq and when he went to Kuwait. He was a mess and it was ruining our relationship. Even the kids noticed that he was always sad and moody. After he came home from Kuwait things were back to normal again. He got his head together over there and the transition back was much easier.

He worked a regular job in AZ after that but really enjoyed the contract work. Dealing with the military environment is his comfort zone now. When this job (contract) in Germany came up he was thrilled. Even better is one of his best friends from Kuwait is here too.

Of course, since all seemed to be perfect we had to have the rug pulled out. *sigh* After DH got here he was told that the 2 year contract was extended to 5 years. He wasn't obligated for that long. It just meant he had a guaranteed job for at least 5 years if he wanted. That was great news. About a month ago the AF decided to change things. DH and 4 other contractors in his office were told that their jobs are going to be changed to GS positions early next year. DH and the other 4 actually had to apply for their own jobs and they may not get them. We should find out next month. There is a bridge contract in place so their work will continue until the GS position takes over. Except there is one less job in the bridge contract than there are guys already working here. DH is the new guy.

Needless to say, we're incredibly stressed out right now. If all goes well DH will get his own job under a GS position and will go to work one day as a contractor for his company and the next day as a GS employee for the government with no other major changes. Worst case scenario is DH won't get his own job, won't get the bridge contract, and there won't be any other position to transfer him to. In that case we'd end up kicked off base, our kids would be kicked out of school and wouldn't even be able to attend boy/cub scouts since they are on base, and we'd be unemployed in a foreign country where we don't speak the language. We wouldn't be able to go back to our home in AZ as that's rented out on a 2 year lease. Even if we could, with no income we couldn't afford to move our entire household back. We could very well be seriously screwed. DH is a nervous wreck and frankly I'm scared out of my mind. If you (anyone) could spare any prayers +++ vibes or happy thoughts we'd really appreciate it.

Bahet I really do wish you the very best.

Nightrider I notice that every time we have had a hospital bill that the write off for insurance is very large. Usually it is due to some contract between the medical facility and the insurance company.