i recieve my meds from the va with a co=pay of $2.00.for some reason, i have not been billed for several years, possibly because of a means test, which has to do with income.

it seems that georgeeee had made some cutbacks in veterans benifits early in his "career" so that he could offer large tax credits to his constituents, the rich and powerful.

turns out my co-pay has gone to $7.00. not a big deal unless you are taking a dozen medications, so from $24.00 to $84.00 is a decent enough jump. we are talking $720.00 a year.

i can handle it, but i know a lot of vets who may have to pick the most important meds and hope they don't die because of the lack of the meds they couldn't aford.

i remember my contract with the military paid me squat, but it included deferred compensation in the form of meds, if and when i might need them.

any one want to tell this veteran why georgeee
is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful
human being I've ever known in my life and not a no good sob.

Rick,

Take two pills and call me in the morning.

Rickey dickey...
So you served big deal.
Everything costs more now.
Guess your socialistic , communistic back bone
prefers Mr. Bill to Mr. George,,, figures.
Welfare has ben cut, get ready to move into the cardboard box on the corner.

Dig,
I don't mind that you speak you mind (the profanity is pointless, we are all adults here)in this forum. I think you went a little too far in Rick's posts on the other board, but I know he can take it. When you search out his other posts that have nothing to do with you or your argument you are acting the fool. "keep it in the ring" as it were, and act like the ault you claim you are. Just an FYI I dissagree with almost every political statement Rick makes being conservative myself, however, I have never had to resort to lowlife comments such as some of the ones I read from you. You will find that there is a spirit of debate that runs rampant here. Learn how to speak intellegently and people might listen. Just a word of advice from a fellow Brother of the Leaf. Take it to heart. MK

MKraus -

- don't know ya - but I've got to agree with you - good points ... even though I think Rick is disillusioned on many issues, I do read his posts seriously and respond accordingly to my own beliefs ...

- glad to see you're the same way - and NOT just another "DIG IT" on the forum.

HEY!
Don't speak to diggy that way.
Haven't you heard?
He makes lots of money.
He even can afford to buy Opus X and PAM!
WOW!!!!
Don't mess with him. He's a REAL mover and shaker.
He must be VERY confident in his ability if he can not only bring home the bacon, but also tell us about it when we didn't ask.

Yup. He's secure alright.
Top sales guy in history, from what I hear.
Probably dashing and debonaire to boot.
Just ask him...

LMAO @ Tailgater...

Rick - I agree with your assessment. Why charge more to the ones that can least afford it? I don't get it!

Regards,

B

Digisle, you said "So you served big deal."

YOU'RE DAMNED RIGHT IT'S A BIG DEAL!!

Hey, you don't like this board, cool, go elsewhere. But don't come around making a$$inine statements like that just to continue a fight. No one here is forcing you to post or to even read the posts. You don't seem to like C-Bid, the Board, the people here... Why do you even bother coming to this site? I for one don't usually get involved with other people's tiffs or in political topics but this is just ridiculous!! Enoughs enough.

Jon

ooohh, sorry for the thread jack

Jon

Well Said Jon - Well Said!!!

We fortunate souls who live in Florida are blessed with the the younger brother too. I have never heard a politician whine like this one when he doesn't get his way. There is talk of Jeb being the 3rd Bush in the White House?!?!! Might be worth it to get him out of Fl.

Sorry to hear you have to pay such a huge amount of money.

My 18 month old has eczema on his feet, legs, arms and hands. His prescription is for a topical cream that is about the size of a travel size of a tube a tooth paste and it cost $50 and lasts about 2 weeks.
Gimme a break Rick.

Maybe you should cut back on you cigar spending. Things are going to cost more eventually. Deal with it.

RDC --- I had that as an infant also ... and I eventually outgrew it.

Make sure you bathe the little one using 'oatmeal soap' ... my parents said it stopped the itching, and worked on clearing it up!

Back in thsoe days ... they didn't have much for it, but some 'blue liquid' that my mom dipped strips of sheets in, and then wrapped around my arms and legs.

What ever it was ... she said it worked ...

Thanks Slim! We have been giving him a bath in Aveeno, which is oat meal based.

Seeing that poor little guy scratch himself until he bleeds is heart breaking.

Too bad his medicine is not $7. $50 for a two week supply puts a crimp in the budget.

http://www.va.gov/elig/Eligibility.htm  . The categories grew significantly over the past 10 years (Clinton administration) to keep including more beneficiaries. That's where your benefits went (or possibly were added depending on your status). VA priority number 1 is Veterans with service-connected disabilities rated 50% or more disabling.
Example of a priority 5: Nonservice-connected veterans and noncompensable service-connected veterans rated 0% disabled whose annual income and net worth are below the established VA Means Test thresholds. My take on this: Veteran with nonservice-connected and noncompensable health problem + low income = welfare. Call it what it is.

http://home.hiwaay.net/~al4naus/whitepaper.html 

TRICARE was conceived in 1993 to change CHAMPUS, a system fully controlled by the military departments, into a giant HMO and to reduce cost. CHAMPUS had been under the control of the Military Departments, with the Service Chiefs both responsible for and controlling the means to provide for the health and welfare of those who serve(d). TRICARE, on the other hand, did not have the health and welfare of service members as its primary focus. It focused on two areas: (1) cost reduction; and (2) a demonstration of the nationalized health care proposal the nation had already soundly rejected. With these two objectives, DoD created a new, hybrid military-civilian ACTIVITY with joint control by Military Health Professional Commanders, Lead Agents and DOD contractors. Under TRICARE, no one is now clearly responsible for the health care of military families, and certainly not those who had already completed service.

Clinton couldn't sell a socialized medical program to the country but they dumped one on the military community.

I served 21 years and I still have to pay $460 a year to enroll in this program. Plus co-payments if I use a civilian doctor plus prescription drug co-payment at the local drug store if the military pharmacy doesn't stock my prescription.

You can blame the current president/congress if you like but most of these problems were created by the last one.

threadjack=========

RDC; we battle with our daughter's condition every day as well. Through extensive testing we discovered some major food allergies specifically anything with egg or egg by-products. And don't feel safe just because the label doesn't actually say egg on it. There are many scientific names for egg by-products. We too have enormous expenses resulting from this, but so it goes. I'm thankful for the little help insurance from work provides. As a side note, our dermatologist explained that everyone is born with a certain gene that may or may not get turned on prior to birth. For those that the gene is activated, they will display allergic reactions to many things throughout their life; for others, allergies are virtually non-existent. As for growing out of any particular allergy, that is somewhat of a misnomer; your body simply adapts but can and often just reacts to something else. If you haven't, I'd suggest starting with some blood work and go from there while working with a specialist. Our 3yr old is also plagued with grasses and pollens and the like that can get severe enough to give your little one an asthma attack--ours was in the hospital for 3 days last year as a result. Good luck with your condition and believe me I know how painful it is to see your little one's once pristine baby smooth skin suddenly overnite turn to dry scaly and often bloody patches. Trimming the fingernails every other night becomes second nature. Frequent baths (2/day with water only) followed by liberal rubdowns of Vaseline help tremendously. You might also try the special soaps for bathing as well as for washing clothes. Let me know if there is any thing I can do as well. jsd 2 azat h otma il dot com

RDC

i understand your dilema. do you not have insurance co-pay that will help?

mexico is not the place to buy cigars, but you might check the web for both canadian and mexican pharmacies abd you might find this medicine at a much cheape price. i get some of mine from canada. same mfg, same bottle, same everything but 50% or more less.

toby took an antibiotic before surgery. one pill. $15.00. whenever i get a flu bug my dr prescribes the same antibiotic because it works. 10 days supply, $100.00.


besides, you know me. anything i can blame on bush, i will. come to think of it, my hummingbirds have not returned yet. i know whose fault it is.

Penzt Explained this one the best... I was going to post web site links to show who dropped the ball on the VA.. I posted something to this Affect along time back... and thats when Someone told me to Suck it Up!!!

Well you got me goin again... I've sucked it up for just about 18 years I've done my 4 tours to SE Asia (no not Vietnam)The last tour I did I wished I would have never volunteered for... I came home with something their telling me is Incurable... I take 4 medications a day one of them 3 times a day... now I'm fighting to keep my military presence and ability, eligability... I'm not ready to be retired yet or be retired medically... I don't want anyone to ever say I cannot do it anymore...I've knocked people out for saying "I can't" "I Don't want to" those words are not in my Vocabulary!!!! but I have only been running on 4 cylinders for awhile now... I haven't worked in my shop in about 3 months... I come home from work sometimes early and lay down for a much needed nap... I awake later on Late later on and cannot go back to sleep because of lower back pain that keeps me uncomfortable... I take enough meds I don't need Alcohol... and I had somebody drop the Ball on my Paperwork... all this Expense has been on myself and my Wife for the most part right now!!! my meds had I not had Insurance is for all 4 monthly right at 279 bucks a month... If by chance I lose my position I lose my insurance and who picks up the whole expense?

Thats nothing though compared to some my wife has spoken to... (she does VA Loans) she's been in homes as recent.. one guy is still fighting the VA and Military his story was even on CNN a year or so back... back in 1994 his Marine Unit... a group of 10 Men was in a shelter in Saudi... thats where they were based at... seems the place was a storage area in the past for Mustard Gas... the Military told them they cannot prove nothing and so far out of the 10... 5 are dead from what they call Lou Gehrags (sp) disease... he and whoever is left of his unit... are still fighting for their rights to disability... so I would really like to thank Oh Billy Boy Personally!!!!!

My Fight is running a little over a year now... and I ain't gunna lay down to Nobody!!!!!!

Enjoy your Cigar!!!
Hog

damn... This pisses me off. This is what our tax dollars SHOULD go for. Supporting our military is not just building bombers and ships, it's supporting the people who have defended our country. We're committing how many billions to fight aids in Africa? And we drag our own through knotholes rather than give them what they've earned? This is not right...

According to the recent issues of the magazine DAV, Disabled American Veteran, the cuts in veterans' health care benefits during this Bush administration far exceed anything that occured during the Clinton years. The DAV focuses its criticism on cuts made that make it more difficult for service connected disabled to receive appropriate care.

As a Bush supporter, and decades long member of the moderate wing of the Republican party, it troubles me to know that this administration is not veteran friendly. There have been editorials claiming that cuts are being made now, so that when our injured and sick servicemen and women return from the Middle East, the cost of their care will be less for the Fed to handle. I think that smacks of "black helicopters." I don't think there's any anti-veteran conspiracy, but I am becoming increasingly convinced that this administration is out of touch with the costs of healthcare to low income disabled veterans.