Do you have prime, standard or what? and why?

Prime for right now but if we go back to Jacksonville, we'll all be standard. No way in hell am I EVER going back to the hospital at NAS Jax again.

We have prime...

I am very happy with Prime for several reasons. Yes I have to see a Dr on base. But if I get a referreal for things out in town I pay nothing..My delivery for Ethan was over 18,000 dollars out in town and I paid zero of it. That doesnt include my monthly, and weekly visits while pregnant. I have never had to pay for anything including a surgery I had, Ethans delivery, prescriptions (unless I go out in town and then it was only 3-9 bucks) Ethan's care is covered etc...

With Standard you do have more Dr choices but you do have to pay 20% of your bill plus a co-pay in some cases. FOr us that just wasn't going to work because even tho it is only 20% it still adds up. And you have a deductible as well.

I have prime because it's completely free... but I do wish I had standard sometimes because I REALLY hate going to the OB in Portsmouth Naval Hospital. Less than 2 years ago they changed it to where you HAD to go to the hospital OB.

Brandi, why do you hate the NAS hospital so much?
What if I have Prime but I want to see an out side doctor? can I do that?

not unless it's a specialist that you are referred to for something. But as far as OB and PCM you HAVE to go to a Navy facility. If you want civilian you have to have standard.

My sons have a civilian pedi.. but that's because there were no navy pedi's with room to take them..

not unless it's a specialist that you are referred to for something. But as far as OB and PCM you HAVE to go to a Navy facility. If you want civilian you have to have standard.

My sons have a civilian pedi.. but that's because there were no navy pedi's with room to take them..

Depends actually. NS Great Lakes does not do pregnancy (even tho they have a MTF and military hospital) so I saw a civlian my entire pregnancy and delivered EThan at a civilian hospital...I was referred out because of that so I got to choose my hospital etc

if you want to see a civilian with prime you do need a referral first

We're prime because of the co-pay with standard. I desperately wish we could see a civilian doc but with all of my and Bradley's medical problems we would go broke.

Prime- it works best for our family!

We have always had Prime and have seen civilian doctors. In Florida we all saw civilians and that was allowed without a referral. Up here in IL we see a navy doctor because we have to. Each region has different rules.

Yes each region has different rules. It also depends on how far from a military facility you live.

My ex sister in law and her husband are navy. He is stationed in Groton, CT but they live in New Bedford, Mass, which is about an hour and a half to 2 hours away from Groton (why he is willing to make that commute for his wife I'll never understand) anyway... The closest military facllities to her are in Newport RI, which really arent that far but mileage wise far enough for the military to allow her to use civi docs and a civi hospital.

I actually miss the way it was back in the mid 90's when there was just champus. It was really easy :hehe

I actually miss the way it was back in the mid 90's when there was just champus. It was really easy :hehe


I miss Champus to. We have prime. Its ok, but we tried to get a referal for our son and they want us to take him to Balboa, now we have to fight with Tri West to get a dr out in town. We just have a small clinic here, they dont see children under 5 I think it is, not sure ours is older than that. They also dont see OB. They dont do much at all at this clinic, at least there is a female Dr that just got here.

We lived at Mayport where there was a clinic a mile from our house. We still saw civilians. NAS Jax was a 45 minute drive depending on traffic, and we still saw civilians. If you were pregnant you had to see a Navy doctor unless there were issues with the pregnancy and then you saw a civilian.

We are prime,because the base here only has a clinic and they don't see
dependents, so we go to a civi doc and hospital and don't have to pay anything.

We have Prime. so we don't have a copay. Me and the kids all see Civilian Doc. cause we live more than 45 miles away from NAS Jax. My OB was Civi, my kids PCM are Civi's and so are mine.

I actually miss the way it was back in the mid 90's when there was just champus. It was really easy :hehe


We have prime!! But a quick note on CHAMPUS...when my brother was in they had that and they had so much trouble when it came to my youngest nephew!!! The Navy docotrs couldn't figure out what was wrong with him and when they were here visiting he had to be rushed to the hospital and CHAMPUS kept telling my sil that she had to drive him 70 some miles to a MTF or she was gonna pay for everything!! That didn't happen...but I guess every insurance has there bad points!!!

Brandi, why do you hate the NAS hospital so much?
What if I have Prime but I want to see an out side doctor? can I do that?

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=96562&ran=33503

NORFOLK — Jessica and Thomas Hugaboom say they want other Navy parents to learn from their medical nightmare: Don’t be afraid to ask doctors lots of questions or insist on a second opinion.

The lesson applies to civilians, too – but it’s Jacksonville Naval Hospital, where their 7-month-old son was treated, that played a central role in the couple’s heartbreak.

Michael Hugaboom died Feb. 7, 2004, of undiagnosed meningitis and a massive bacterial infection, according to medical records. They also show the child had been to the emergency room at the base hospital three times over four days, besides visiting a Navy acute care clinic and family practice. His parents made four phone calls to the hospital’s medical hot line during that time.

Over those four days, Michael’s diagnosis changed from upper respiratory infection, to bronchitis, and, finally, chickenpox. With the last diagnosis, the Hugabooms say they were told not to bring their son back to the hospital because he was contagious.

At no time did the doctors or nurses order a blood test, urine sample or blood culture, Jessica Hugaboom said. When she requested a blood test on the third visit, she said the physician told her she was “100 percent certain” Michael had chickenpox.

Michael stopped breathing at home three days later. Paramedics thought he had been scalded, his mother said, because his arms and legs had broken out in blisters with red halos around them.

An autopsy showed Michael had abscesses in his liver, a markedly distended gallbladder and infected kidneys. There were abscesses and pus in his brain. The cause of death, according to a county medical examiner: sepsis – infection of the bloodstream – and meningitis.

Jessica and Thomas Hugaboom, a petty officer 2nd class now assigned to the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in Norfolk, have filed a $15 million claim against the federal government, alleging that naval hospital negligence was directly responsible for Michael’s death.

“We trusted doctors,” Jessica Hugaboom said Wednesday at a press conference in Norfolk. “I still miss our son. I pray every night that another family member doesn’t have to go through this.”

The couple’s Jacksonville attorney, Sean Cronin , called the Hugabooms’ case “the tip of an iceberg” at the hospital.

A former Navy pilot who still serves in the Reserve, Cronin contends that Jacksonville Naval Hospital does not provide “continuity of care.” He said doctors and nurses too often fail to read charts and reports, and they don’t order necessary tests. Cronin is handling 10 cases against the hospital.

A hospital spokeswoman could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Dependents cannot sue the government if a military member is injured or dies because of negligence in a military hospital; a precedent called the Feres Doctrine prevents those lawsuits.

But the rule doesn’t apply for family members who are injured or die from negligence. Earlier this month, Jacksonville Naval Hospital was ordered to pay almost $61 million in a malpractice case involving a baby who sustained permanent brain damage during delivery.

Thomas Hugaboom, 27 , said he doesn’t hold the Navy responsible for his son’s death; instead, he faults the hospital itself. Hugaboom, a sailor for more than 9 years, met Jessica when both were assigned to the Abraham Lincoln, based in Everett, Wash .

He and his wife had always received good medical care from Navy physicians, he said. And both loved the doctor who was Jessica’s obstetrician and Michael’s pediatrician.

“I felt like I could trust them,” Thomas Hugaboom said. “I had utmost faith in the hospital.”

For now, 30-year-old Jessica Hugaboom is getting prenatal care at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center . She is five months pregnant with their second son.

She isn’t sure whether she will give birth there. “I have mixed feelings about it,” she said.

A check of the Norfolk federal court showed that three cases of alleged medical malpractice involving children have been filed this year against Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, the Navy’s oldest hospital.

Those cases are pending


Reporter Tim McGlone contributed to this report.


Reach Kate Wiltrout at (757) 446-2629 or kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com.

We have prime. The boys see a civillian Dr. and i go on Base

i have standard but it's only because i live in a region that does not carry prime. when we get to cali i will be going to prime. dh has prime b/c he's active. so far my doctors bills haven't been too high but i've only had just the usual pap test and blood work. my Rx are only $3. i would rather pay nothing but at least i have insurance. that is all that is important to me right now. the only problem i have had was when my pharmacy charged me full price for an Rx because they tell me my ins covered only generic, but it was only one time. so i'm a happy camper for now

I signed us up for prime but we will have to drive about 30 miles to the closest doctor that takes prime. All the doctors here in my hometown are quitting the prime coz they are saying it is not paying good. They will take the standard though. Don't quite understand that but that is what they are saying.

Prime for us. Just works best for us right now.

Prime for us. I like not paying for anything except for my Rx. But I have some medical conditions, and have to see a Neurologist every month, so that is also part of the reason. There is a MTF here on base, but I also see a civi.

Wow Brandi, thank you for posting that. It sucks! :(

Prime, but we live in a remote location where we only have a small base clinic..I go out to the base for my dr, but I saw a civi doctor and delivered Aaron in a civi hospital and he still goes into town to see his doctor and we don't pay anything. but if they had pedi dr on base he would go there

Taylor and both have Prime. I've had NO problems with it at all. I had Taylor at the hospital on base and had a GREAT experience, and when she was there with RSV we also had a great experince.

Her primary care doctor is out in town, and I've never seen mine! :hehe

we are prime too and before i can here whne i lived in jax I had a civilian Dr. after I got preggo they sent for referal and I had to go the clinic at mayport for my prenatal care After we moved here I started to go to tripler and thats where i had my baby and where we took her when she was having seizures at 5 days old she was admitted for almost a week and while we where there we decided that one of the peds drs that saw her while she was there we wanted to be her pcm she is just so good with her I go to the makalpa clinic
The only problem we have had at tripler was when we took her to the er they had so much trouble getting blood and putting in an iv they stuck her so many times I was crying
We just love her dr she is very sweet on the day of carries 4 month appoitment she wasnt seeing any patinets but she wanted to see carrie so she set up an appoitment for her anyway

When DF and I get married, I'm going standard. I work at a Dr's office and have spoken to a few drug reps, and I'm not going to go to the Dr's on Base.

We have Tricare Prime Remote it has been ok for us. Much better than being on standard and having thousands of dollars in medical bills.

prime. i was able to use prime with a civilian dr. when i was living in oregon and just kept it in hawaii. haven't had any complaints yet with the naval clinic here or tripler.