Healthcare in the Military

Since healthcare seems to be the topic of the day (unless, of course, Michelle Obama's shorts-at-the-Grand-Canyon is of more interest to you), I thought I might blog about my recent experiences with both the medical and dental services provided by the U.S. Air Force.

On Tuesday I had my first dental appointment. I arrived at the dental clinic, signed in, and waited for a mere five minutes before being called back by a young girl not a day over 21. We made our way to X-ray so the military would have dental records to identify my.... okay, we won't go there... The young girl took the panoramic picture and turned me over to an older lady who promptly tortured the inside of my mouth by making me place these gigantic hard plastic pieces vertically into my very tiny jaws. When she could see that I was at the point of tears, and there was no way I could bite down on this plate, she rubbed this gummy numbing stuff all over the inside of mouth. Well, I was finally able to bite down, but I was unable to feel the inside of my mouth for the next 15 minutes. Drooling, I was led to the examining room where the young man (dentist) conducted his oral cancer screening and examined my teeth all the while jamming to Guns-n-Roses "Sweet Child of Mine" in the background. I can say, I've never had a dental exam with Axel Rose serenading me. Then, he (the dentist, not Axel) proceeded to tell me his life story in the AF. I was shocked by how much time I got to listen to this guy- apparently there is something about me that says, "tell me your problems." The whole process took an hour of my day (still paid by the AF), and I was scheduled for a cleaning two weeks from now.

As for medical, I made a primary care appointment so I could begin the process of getting fitted for orthotics due to some foot pain I've been experiencing. I figured, "why not? the government is paying!" I had to drive over to the Army base to get a next-day appointment. When I checked in, there was no paperwork. No insurance card, no medical history form, no sign-over-your-first-born-child. None of that. I wondered, "is this what socialized medicine is like?" There also wasn't plush leather furniture or a flat screen T.V. in the waiting area either. The building was rather old, but clean. Interestingly, the PA I saw was from Flippin, Arkansas! Go figure! She seemed a little ashamed of the fact, but I was just so excited to meet someone from that close to home! She wasn't as chatty about it as I was.

All in all, it was a good experience. The bottom line: it was FREE. I got free dental and medial care, and it looks like there is more to come. For someone who hasn't been to the dentist in three years because it would cost nearly $100, I was really impressed (although I have this slightly uncomfortable cut on the inside of my jaw from that shard of plastic!). I have to say, it is very reassuring to know that my medical and dental needs will be met. I felt some "survivor's guilt" for all those uninsured Americans, my former brethren, who could rest much better at night (and maybe be more productive citizens) if they knew their basic healthcare needs were being met.

Did I mention I didn't have to wait to see this medical professional? In and out in 25 minutes. That's efficiency... for socialized medicine. :)