RE: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,187369,00.html

While I agree that military service members clearly sacrifice their lives and personal freedom for the "free healthcare" they receive, and I am even willing to consent that direct dependents sacrifice their personal life to go on deployments with their spouse or parent, I think that is as far as the free healthcare should go.

I admit I do not have a great deal of experience with Military (specifically Navy) healthcare, but in my time working in Naval Hospitals, it seems that secondary dependents are also covered by Tricare/subsidized by the Gov. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe a child of a servicemember who has a delivery, that delivery is covered. THAT, I do not understand. There was no sacrifice on the grandchild and at some point, there needs to be a line drawn of REAL sacrifice Vs. Gov handouts.

I think people forget that we also pay taxes too.

Free-H-m-m-m? Well, in one respect, yes, but military medical care is not free. While we may not pay at the cashier on the way out, or send a check once a bill is received, rest assured that a premium has indeed been paid. Some have paid the premium in full, some a major portion, some a minor poriton, and still others only a promise to pay, but in all cases it has been paid. Nathan Hale gave the best description of that premium: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." The payment of this premium brings full family coverage too.

I know of no commercial family health care policy that requires that each family member pay their own premium. That a premium must be paid yes, but not by the family members of the premium payer.

If the service member does not die on active duty or retire, the family coverage stops at the same time the servicemember's coverage stops.

Now on to the other aspects of "free military medical care" for family members. If treatment is received on an outpatient basis at a Military Treatment Facility, there is no direct cost, because the premium has already been paid. However, if admitted to a Military Hospital, there is a "per diem" cost, all be it low, but NOT FREE! When treatment is received outside of the MTF (to include contractors) there are these little things called: TriCare annual deductables; TriCare cost share; TriCare catastrophic cap; make sure you know which TriCare plan you are under if you want to see about eye exams or glasses; and don't even think about having TriCare pay for Chiropractic services.

Once retired from the services, or family members of deceased service members a premium must be paid for retiree's and family members to continue receiving the same access to the military medical care as had when the premium payer was on active duty. If the decision is made not to pay this annual premium the care is still free if space is available for outpatient treatment, and at the very low cost for hospitalization, but the key is SPACE AVAILABLE. Not all who wish to pay the annual premium are allowed to, due to lack SPACE. In return for not being allowed to pay the annual premium, HIGHER TriCare cost shares are charged and a HIGHER Catastrohic cap on expenses is set.

Once the retired service member is elegible for MediCare, TriCare coverage stops UNLESS the retiree agrees to pay the MediCare Plan B Fees. Spouses of retirees face the same situation when they become elegible for MediCare.

While MediCare states that you must elect to enroll in MediCare and Part A is at no cost, Part B will increase in cost for each year you do not enroll when you decided to enroll. The only exception to this is when you are still working and the health care plan is at least as good as that provided by MediCare Part B. In that case there will be no premium penalty increase for late enrollment, unless enrollment does not happen within a specified time after the healthcare plan coverage ceases.

Is Military Medical Care Free? NO WAY!! It is "bought and paid for" with a very high premium, and THEN when active military service ends with retirement, it almost always has to be paid for with cash!

Well since you just see an outsider's view you WOULD think it was free. You don't know what a deployment is or is all about, and obviously you have no clue on what it does to a family, a relationship, or just how stressful it is, period. While the grandchild issue may upset you have you thought for a minute that IF the servcemember were around more there might not be a grandchild coming into the picture?? Deployments aren't the only thing that takes a servicemember away from their family. The free healthcare, as you put it, is paid for with extremely long hours, going TDY for long or short periods, work-up's - ever heard of those??

I have been married to the military for about 18 years now and NOTHING comes free. Maybe you shouldn't be on here voicing your opinion with NO military background? While some things may seem excessive there are other things that are seriously lacking in our healthcare. So don't get on here and even discuss sacrifice until you know it. How would you like to be really sick and have to wait seven months to get the surgery you need because your husband is deployed and they can give you pain medicine to "get you through til he comes back home"? Think about the things you take for granted every day. Is freedom one? I'm betting so because THAT isn't FREE!!!

Med Wage YTD
1499.40 Med Tax YTD
21.74

This is deducted from my LES up to date for the year. I don't see any free medical.

So, not only is this deducted from my LES, but because I am now a reservist, I also have to pay for tricare medical and dental at an additional cost with deductables.

Here's the blast from the past. While i was active duty, not only did i pay federal medical taxes, but most of the visits I needed medical attention was met with medical reluctancies (little help or a slap on the back) and a quick pencil whipping in my medical records to write me off and send me back to work.

Military promotion line numbers go something like this.
O-X 1.Pilots, 2. Doctors, 3. Scientist, 4. all others officers.

Pilots will get promoted as long as they maintain sorties and not crash.

Doctors get promoted for giving minimal attention and saving money.

Scientist get promoted as long as they think.

all other officers get promoted if they kiss butt and not screw up.

Enlisted- study and take tests for their rank and pray that they make the cut off score. The cutoff score goes up and down depending on projected rention and retirement rates and government funding.

Many times over, i've seen brass over stripes reap the medical benefits and thats who you pay medical taxes for....and their dependants.

There's no reason to get nasty here. I admitted not having a complete 25 years service to base experiences on, however, I have worked in Naval Hospitals and I am serving in the Navy. I pointed out only an example.

We could extend "Sacrifice" to the Nth degree if we wanted to and give all the American People free or subsidized healthcare, but that isn't what this should be about.

As service members we sign the dotted line and take an oath to defend our country. I would hope this oath is taken out of pride and honor, not "what I get in return?" My opinion is that the Gov does not "Owe" anyone health coverage. However, it is a great courtesy from a greatful nation (we hope) that if any of us is harmed while defending our country, our country has the decency to pay us and take care of us afterwards. That is the line of sacrifice. Now, those who depend upon that person are given healthcare as well, and I see the logic of that since their lives are also disheveled due to their support of the servicemember, but the line has to be drawn somewhere.

The gov. doesn't "owe" us and it certainly should not become the Nanny daycare for all people and those who are only indirectly indirectly involved in service to our country.
Should my niece receive free/subsidized healthcare just because her uncle is in the Navy and she doesn't get to see him often?
Thank you for your support of service members in the Armed Forces.

Good Article. I think it is a process of education.

I really do not think getting hostile and calling people un-American is helpful. What is helpful is getting the word out. Let people know freedom is not free and the benefits we do get as military we are thankful.

There are many avenues to get our messages out, blogs, Facebook, Military.com, twitter to name a few. Post pictures of families being reunited or separated by deployments (nothing makes a person's heart grow fonder than a good photo), talk about it, educate our public. I find the more I interact with “civilians” the more they know and learn about our great military

Last pitch. Join a group that advocates veterans rights. VFW, American Legion etc... That is my piece I am out.....JJ

I wonder how many illegals they would have tried to treat on our tax dollars instead of treating veterans?

As a dependent, I pay 20.00 a month. My husband has to pay 100.00 for Medicare part B. I have to pay my premium so that I can go to my doctor, because the mtf is almost 100 miles away. As I agree nothing in life is free, and what I know and have experienced is that I have been left alone most of my married life so that my husband could serve his duty to our country. I pay for my dental and then have to travel 75 miles to find a doctor covered in the plan. I really don't know where the medical is *free* per say except for active duty, and that is as it should be. I suggest, that you check into things before you state opinions. You know we all complain, but should something happen, we would want our country and our families protected during crisises. I suggest that we think about those protecting us, and our families. It works hand in hand. My husband sustained a TBI and multiple Ortho injuries. Should we have to pay 2 times ( once with the sacrifice of life, my job as I had to quit, and freedom and independence) just so that people think fairness is due. I think not. Our lives are hard enough. I suggest that we stop and think, Where would we be without our servicemembers. I hate to think about it????? Don't you

I came to know what the U.S. pays our military or veterans cause I was married to a 100% disabled Marine. He was in the Vietnam war.
Because of his injuries, he is not able to work.
I am so grateful that our family had the insurance that was provided since he had served.
We now have a son serving in Army over in Iraq. He is in Satellite Communications. He will have served 7 years in 2010.
If the military had not paid for our health care and we of course had to come up with the deductible each year. I hate to say it, we still would of had to seek goverment help. Because just for one example, my daughter was born with Atrial Septal defect. A hole the size of a quarter. She would of died at an early age, but is a beautiful young lady with 3 wonderful children. Thank goodness, at that time we had Champus.
Anyways, I feel that their father and other men and women of the military, have more than once paid the price.
I believe that you and your families deserve all you get and more.