Tricare Problems In The Rp

[United Army]

I'm posting this in hope of getting other retired military personnel to speak up if they are having problems with Tricare.We retirees in the Philippines have all but lost our well deserved/earned TRICARE benefits. However this is one website that really is trying to make a difference, but, they can't do it alone please read and decide if you want to help.Members of the US_Military_Retirees_Of_The_Philippines Yahoo forum are fighting the changes in Tricare policy that affect only the Philippines and make Tricare here less accessible than anywhere else in the world. Most of these changes have been slowly put into place with little or know publicity and policies that were promised but then forgotten such as a local office, toll-free phone numbers and a capitated PPO, where beneficiaries would only pay their co-pay at time of care, have not materialized and without one word of explanation.Currently there is a few retirees posting on Tricare's Facebook Wall but we could use additional help. In addition we could use some help with letters to congressman and senators asking about the issues we face with limited access to our Tricare benefit. Contacting and requesting assistance from any service organizations you belong to would be beneficial as well. If we simply sit back and let them take our benefit away we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Edited September 13, 2010 by Marko

[Art2ro]

Yeah Marko,I really don't know why there's only a few responses concerning TRICARE matters on certain forums. I'm pretty sure Angeles City has a lot of retired military families and I don't hear any complaints out of them! I just the director of the RAO there has their backs in processing reimbursements claims to their satisfaction where as others outside of the Angeles City area are all just SOL! I too am struggling with all this TRICARE CPT coding and filing of claims since I haven't yet to do one after receiving my Military benefits, but I will eventually start filing my claims soon!

[United Army]

For those of you that are not aware, military retirees are literally fighting for their lives in the Philippines. The Tricare Management Activity has made significant modifications to the medical benefit in the Philippines. These, sometimes secret and almost never well publicized, policies severely limit what providers we can see and require that we take local global medical bills and convert them to itemized medical bills as are required in the U.S. and then to determine the medical codes for each procedure or supply so we can further look up the CMAC so we can distribute the global bill across each procedure. The U.S. unique billing and coding system is not used or understood here or most other countries around the world so the providers cannot assist in this. Nowhere else in the world are military retirees required to do this and even Active Duty and their families are exempt for this requirement in the Philippines as well as having 100% of the cost of their care found to be within the maximum allowed amount because they have a different CMAC. So if we see the same doctor for the same condition and have the same bill we may find we have to pay 80% of the cost of our care while the active duty family members pay only their normal cost share of 20%.All adults can sign this petition, you do not have to be military. So please read the petition and if you feel we the retired military members in the Philippines are being cheated of their medical benefits please take the time and sign.You can read and signed the petition Restore Promised Medical Benefits to Veterans (Military Retirees) Living in The Philippinesat: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/military-retirees-of-the-philippines/

[Art2ro]

I'm sure there are a few military retirees on this forum, are any of you concerned about TRICARE and how we are all being treated here in the Philippines for all of our medical needs? Any of you been or read the TRICARE "Wall of Shame" on FACEBOOK? If not, just Google search it and read up on all the comments from military retired families in the Philippines and make your comments or feedbacks know as to your POVs or opinions! Certain individuals or a small group are doing everything they can to do something to change the current system and hopefully be implemented in the near future for all our TRICARE benefits! If we can all jump on the band wagon, we can make a difference!