I am so frustrated I want to cry (warning whiny rant)

Well, here I am waiting impatiently for my referral to be processed by Tricare. So, I call them today to see how things were going and if they could tell me who the Doctor was. I just became so down in the dumps I wasn't sure what I am going to do. I live in Waukegan Illinois, and the doctor they are referring me to is in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Now here is the issue, it is 53 miles one way. What in the blue blazes are these people thinking!!!!!! I mean we are talking about a major surgery with a 1-2 hour drive depending on traffic. What happens regarding follow up care? I mean I would end up losing a whole days worth of work. It is mandatory for me to go to some seminar, and they are on a Wednesday at 6pm, I can't leave my 12 year old alone (I don't have family or friends to help) at home. It would require me taking time off with out pay, because I need to save the weeks vacation time for the surgery. My husband does not get any paid time off. Now, I just say a post a moment ago where she says that Tricare will not pay for certain items and it is $XXXX out her pocket. I don't have that kind of money either, and the Navy Hospital at Great Lakes does not do this procedure. So I will pose this to all of you on how to handle the distance thing? I wouldn't be able to use any of their services easily as they are so far away. Sorry, this is long but I am at a stage of trying to figure out what to do.

I can empathize with why you're upset. It sounds like the area that you're in does not have many surgeons that do this kind of surgery, much less take Tricare. Is it possible that you can take your 12 year old with you to the seminar? I think the reason why the poster below has to pay out of pocket is because she is Tricare Prime, and the surgeon is a civilian. Is that the case for you? If you have Prime, and you're going to a military hospital, everything will be covered. Anyway, I definately hear what you're saying about the distance. I live 35 miles from Walter Reed...and the traffic makes my commute 2 hours....oh God. Don't get me started about the traffic..... It might not be what you want to hear, but I think that these are all reasons that you may want to reconsider if this is something that you really want. I really hope everything works out for you

I am Tricare Prime and it is a civilian doctor....I guess I better see if I can scrounge up the money. I have no one to borrow from, and I had ran into two years of bad luck which meant that I ended up filing for bankruptcy so a loan is out of the question. I do not have any credit cards either. this truly sucks....

well..wait a minute! what branch are you affiliated with? if it is the navy or marine corps, the navy marine corps relief society may be able to help you with a loan at 0% i dunno though. i don't think that it's fair that you would be charged all of this if you have tricare prime. it's not your fault that the closest surgeon to you is a civilian. it seems like you're being charged for not living close enough to a military facility. i wonder if tricare can take this into consideration...especially because they were the ones that referred you to that doc. ((hugs))

Have you tried calling tricare and finding out if there are any covered providers closer and if so can they change the referral to them? Most referals you can just call and ask them to change the referal to another covered provider. Hope this helps, Layla

Well, I have decided once they process my refferal, I am going to see if there is someone closer, I mean geez I am 4 miles from the base. You would think in a military area more doctors would take Tricare. I don't think the Navy Relief Society will help, as we make combined more than $60K a year. My hubby is retired Navy, but also works. As far as taking my son with me, the night they have this required attending seminar is a Wednesday, and that is a school night. That will not work either. I will also see if I can find out what part they are not going to cover. I mean if I have to use a doctor that is 53 miles away, why should I pay a program fee if I am not able to use it. If I remember correctly, I only had to pay $75 for hospital fees when my son was born. So now I am questioning everything and anything

Hold on a minute! Don't get worked up about out of pocket expenses 'till Tricare gets back with you. I am Tricare Prime, I just had Surgery in July with civilian Dr. All I had to pay out of pocket was a $500 paper fee which covers all filing with insurance, surgery booklet, and so on. Tricare paid EVERYTHING ELSE. I would wait 'till you talk to Tricare and your Surgeon. I do know things are sometimes different from one surgeon to the next. So breathe and give it time to work out. Talk to ya soon. ~~Mindy~~

I'll ditto Mindy here. Tricare (I'm prime too) covered everything, except for my surgeon's program fees ($750). Some surgeon's don't even have program fees. So you may be worrying for not. Did you search around for a closer surgeon? You can go to Tricare's webpage and see if that surgeon is an in-network provider. If you do find a closer one, just call Tricare and have them switch the referal to the closer doctor. I did this, took the receptionist about 30 seconds to do it. Don't stress about the money. If the surgeon has a fee, they usually will except payments. Mine let me brake it down to 3 payments of $250 over a 2.5 month period. It'll work out! ((HUGS)) Andi

WELL dont know if you know this but if the dr they put the refferal in is 40 miles or 60 minuets away you can call tricare and tell them this and they will reinburust some of your travel expenses. honestly i would be thrilled if i could have a dr that could do the surgey that was only 50 miles away. my dr is 161 miles and 3 1/2 hrs away...

Whated to add this. I did a quick search with Tricare North and found this surgeon in Vernon Hills. MCCLELLAN, LESLIE C MD MERCY BARIATRIC WELLNESS CENTER 250 CENTER DR STE 201 VERNON HILLS, IL 60061 Office: (847) 549-6100 Provider Type: SPECIALISTS Provider Specialty: SURGERY, GENERAL Gender: Female Here is the surgeon's website for their program. http://bariatricwellness.com/ The center in Vernon Hills says this "Our 5,500 sq. ft. center is located in Vernon Hills, IL. It is conveniently located near I-94 & Route 60 and is approximately 30 miles north of the Chicago Loop. The facility also offers access to Alitus Integrative Health and Wellness (a Family Practice/Primary Care Physician Group), Psychology, Physical Therapy/ Exercise, Nutritional Program, Patient Support Group, Acupuncture, and Massage/Spa. Family changing rooms are conveniently located on the premises, as well as a child play-area." They have a second center in Harvard, Illinios located in a hospital. I couldn't asleep and thought I might as well do something productive while I'm awake. I hope it helps. Andi