Do I need my FEHB and Medicare B if I am a veteran?

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Gordon
Posts: 284
Joined: 2005-10-29 18:26:16

Do I need my FEHB and Medicare B if I am a veteran?

Post by Gordon »

I am an Air Force veteran. I also just retired from a federal government job. I took my Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) Plan into retirement. I had also planned to sign up for Medicare B within the allowable eight-month window. (I enrolled in Medicare A when I turned sixty-five.)

The thought occurred to me this morning, however: Why do I need my FEHB or Medicare B if I plan to use the VA for all my medical care?

I have an ileostomy, and I also do self-intermittent catheterization. I thus need ostomy pouches and skin prep wipes and one-use catheters and lubricating jelly. I am also being treated for Crohn’s Disease and am taking Budesonide (a generic steroid medication). Will the VA cover these medical supplies and medication, with me just having to pay a co-payment and deductible?

I am a Category 8 veteran. How does this lowest of low categories affect my getting medical treatment, medical supplies, and medications? How does it affect my getting vision care (and eyeglasses), dental care, audiology care (and hearing aids), and so on? How does it affect the cost of these services and these aids?

Thank you in advance for any help and information.
Gordon
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Mike ET
Posts: 634
Joined: 2008-10-23 06:23:43

Re: Do I need my FEHB and Medicare B if I am a veteran?

Post by Mike ET »

Gordon,

You raise some interesting questions for which I do not have easy answers. I will, however, proffer some concerns. Given the current set of problems with backlogs and related matters for vets trying to gain access to the VA, is it more trouble than not to even consider using the VA for your ongoing health care needs, especially since you already have the FEHB plan and Medicare options to adopt?

That you identify yourself as a category 8 eligible vet suggests to me that your current GI and urinary statuses are not service connected. Is this correct?

Now, not to disparage the VA, since I have been availing myself of some of their services as a service-connected vet for quite sometime, you may not be able to obtain the particular brands and quantities of supplies as you now need or desire. The VA, not unlike other branches of Federally sponsored health plans, is under the gun to contain costs and limit access to some levels of supplies and services.

I would encourage you to speak directly with the folks at the VA offices or facilities within your geographic region.

Mike ET
ostomy can present an identity crisis of image and function, and require tradeoffs.
Gordon
Posts: 284
Joined: 2005-10-29 18:26:16

Re: Do I need my FEHB and Medicare B if I am a veteran?

Post by Gordon »

Mike ET wrote:Gordon,

You raise some interesting questions for which I do not have easy answers. I will, however, proffer some concerns. Given the current set of problems with backlogs and related matters for vets trying to gain access to the VA, is it more trouble than not to even consider using the VA for your ongoing health care needs, especially since you already have the FEHB plan and Medicare options to adopt?

That you identify yourself as a category 8 eligible vet suggests to me that your current GI and urinary statuses are not service connected. Is this correct?

Now, not to disparage the VA, since I have been availing myself of some of their services as a service-connected vet for quite sometime, you may not be able to obtain the particular brands and quantities of supplies as you now need or desire. The VA, not unlike other branches of Federally sponsored health plans, is under the gun to contain costs and limit access to some levels of supplies and services.

I would encourage you to speak directly with the folks at the VA offices or facilities within your geographic region.

Mike ET
Mike, thanks for your response. You are correct that my current statuses are not service related, When I was at the VA facility yesterday, the person with whom I spoke suggested I talk with a SHIBA representative, so I plan to call them tomorrow.

http://www.oregon.gov/DCBS/SHIBA/Pages/contact_us.aspx
Gordon
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Mike ET
Posts: 634
Joined: 2008-10-23 06:23:43

Re: Do I need my FEHB and Medicare B if I am a veteran?

Post by Mike ET »

Hi, Gordon.

Glad to learn a bit more about your circumstances.

A limitation of working with the VA system is the lack of opportunity to use other than VA providers, which may or may not be a problem for you; however, I would bet that there are certainly circumstances wherein a specialist or other provider may be desirable but not available through the VA system. It is not always the case that the VA or the military provider base is the most suitable for some with specific needs or wants.

If the FEHB and Medicare plans afford you a broader range of providers you may want to factor this into your decision calculus. Also, please appreciate that the changing financial landscape of third party insurance entities is applying means testing protocols more than they have done in the past, and you may discover that what holds true for a particular set of expectations may change as the government reevaluates each participant"s financial means or standing.

Mike ET
ostomy can present an identity crisis of image and function, and require tradeoffs.
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