Monday, January 21, 2013

Overseas Retirement is More Than Beer and Women

Comment from a reader:


The choice to live overseas is an option available to any retiree. I strongly resent the implication that I am here for cheap beer and companionship. I do not drink and have been married to the same lovely wife for 37 years. The vast majority of retirees here are married and are either raising families or just enjoying the weather and the slower pace of life. As for Tricare, DODIG told Tricare they were being defrauded and Tricare elected to ignore the report and continue paying the fraudulent biller. Years later, when Congress finally questioned them, they first cut off all benefits entirely in the Philippines and then started draconian measures to punish the retirees here. Here in the Philippines we have Certified Provider lists that tell us which doctors we can use if we wish to be reimbursed. These lists are often outdated, and specialties are misidentified to the point of being virtually useless. Addresses are given as Pampanga province which means that somewhere in the province there is possibly a doctor by that name who is Certified. We are also gifted with a Country CMAC (Champus Allowable Maximum Charge) that is pegged at .52 of Stateside charges and has not been updated in years. Since the charges were based on the Philippine Peso at 52 to the dollar, and it is now 41 to the dollar, we get to eat the difference. You should be happy with what you have now in other countries, for soon, if Tricare is successful here in the Philippines, you will be gifted with the same policies.

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