Why militay style heathcare system would not work very well for the U.S.

[Theinquisition]

While reading another thread (stewart vs o-reilly) there was discussion during that debate on why don't we just take the militaries style heath care and apply it on the civilian sector as well. As being a soldier for the last 9 years and have experence dealing with the healthcare system in the military I can think of more than a few reasons why it would be an awful idea, and generally why it wouldn't work very well.

1. Sick call hours- Okay so in the military when you get sick you have a very narrow window in which you can see your primary healthcare provider. The times vary from unit to unit, but within my brigade its from 545-615am. So ONLY during those hours can you actually see your PHP. You also are in a line with about 150 other people wanting to see the "doctor" as well (there is a reason for the quotation marks ill get to in a bit). I imagine most people in the civi world are used to being able to make an appointment to see your doctor when your sick for a small co-pay with your insurance company I.E. 20$ or so. Not in the military. Unless your holding a severed arm in your hand, they are going to turn you away to the ER.

2. Lack of actual doctors- Okay so we have one actual doctor in my brigade (a no shit MD). We have PA's (physican assistants) for each indivdual battalion. a battalion is typically 400-600 people large. there is usually 4 or 5 battalions per brigade. So doing some beer math, thats roughly 2000 people per doctor. BTW that doctor is also the boss and administrator for all the healthcare actions within that brigade, so they are not usually "seeing" patients. So you have a PA resoncible for the healthcare of around 400 people. Normally if its not something simple like a sprained ankle or a cold, you will get sent to see a civlian doctor.....which you have to wait for an appt...which averages about a month out. Tri-care is a private insurance company that the military uses, and only a limited number of doctors will accept this insurance.

3. Eligibility- To maintain eligibility to remain in the military and be seen by military "doctors" you have to mean certain requirments. The big one that many people wouldn't meet in the civi world is the BMI ( body mass index). Long story shot, you cannot be obese in the military. If you are you get kicked out. Roughly 50% of americans would not meet this eligiblity requirment to recieve military healthcare.

Also as a cavet to that......if you get injured doing high risk activites you could lose your "free" healthcare and be liable to pay for care out of pocket

For example....to ride a motorcycle legally while in the army you must be wearing long sleeve pants, long sleeve shirts, boots, a reflective vest, DOT approved helmet, gloves, and eye protection. You also have to have completed the armies basic rider, and advanced rider course. If you are not abiding by these rules you can be held liable to pay for any/all injuries incured if you get into a accident.

There are similar rules that apply to many other activites. I.E. ATV riding, Bicycling, skateboarding etc.


These are just 3 reasons not to look towards the military as being a golden example of how healthcare should be run. Other military members please feel free to add some more reasons.

[smelltheglove]

when i was in, i ran into some of the worst doctors ever. their purpose was to get you out of the door and back to work, whether you could or not. of course you could also find some that would essentially write you a get out of work pass for nothing. total crapshoot. also, note to military docs, MOTRIN IS NOT THE ANSWER FOR EVERYFUCKINGTHING. i doubt they read this though, lol

[ptwonline]

Funding for Veteran's health care is shamefully lacking. The military is fine with spending billions on jets they don't need, but won't spend enough money caring for the military men and women who are the true heart and soul of armed forces.

The problem isn't that it's gov't run health care. Gov't run health care works pretty well around the world. The problem is that America's gov't is completely dysfunctional and largely corrupted by corporations and special interests.

[Puremallace]

wow I was in NAVY and we had literally none of those issues you listed. TriCare was the SHIT. I saw NAVY wives getting breast implants because they said it would make them happy. Although I am dealing with a terrible back thanks to them doping me up and helping to ignore the pain for years.

[Masark]

Long story shot, you cannot be obese in the military.

In spite of that, we get reports (pg 14) of a 16% obesity rate in the US military.

[poser765]

i would like to just point out that while PAs are NOT in fact doctors they go through a LOT of schooling on their own and are very much a healthcare professional. Don't get them confused with Medical Assistants which can become certified at a vocational school.

[Pilobolus]

I think you're kind of assuming that they meant government run medicine would be exactly like the care you get in the military vs how current doctors/nurses/assistants would be if they had to report to an administration set up in the style of the military. Also, pretty sure those eligibility requirements would be thrown out the window under the ACA anyways.

[Tradewind]

Uh oh! Sounds like Socialism, where's the 400 foot tall flaming red statue of Lenin to precede this thread?!

[Theinquisition]

when i was in, i ran into some of the worst doctors ever. their purpose was to get you out of the door and back to work, whether you could or not. of course you could also find some that would essentially write you a get out of work pass for nothing. total crapshoot. also, note to military docs, MOTRIN IS NOT THE ANSWER FOR EVERYFUCKINGTHING. i doubt they read this though, lol

That has been my experence as well.

---------- Post added 2012-10-10 at 02:58 PM ----------

In spite of that, we get reports (pg 14) of a 16% obesity rate in the US military.

That was true for a while. During the surge soldiers were not put out of the military with the same gusto as they are now. Soldiers that fail to meet the requirements of 600-9 are flagged (formally reprimanded) and are put out of the army within 6 months if they fail to make the standard

---------- Post added 2012-10-10 at 02:59 PM ----------

I think you're kind of assuming that they meant government run medicine would be exactly like the care you get in the military vs how current doctors/nurses/assistants would be if they had to report to an administration set up in the style of the military. Also, pretty sure those eligibility requirements would be thrown out the window under the ACA anyways.

That may be so, but many people fail to grasp the concept that for us to recieve this "free" medical care there are more than a few requirments we have to meet. Also, even with some of these requirments and cavets it is still INCREDIBLY expensive