Why I am so insistent on correct information

Yesterday, I had some Private's wife argue with me that Tricare does not cover the visit if you go to a civilian ER. This is categorically untrue, and I told her so. I've not set foot in a military hospital in years, and have never paid a dime for an ER visit, so I know that the policy which is clearly stated on the website (it says, in so many words, that ER visits are always 100% covered, no matter where you go) is true. This girl apparently had a hugely mismanaged case, ended up with a $2000 bill, and now is traveling the post telling everyone that, "Tricare don't pay nothin' if you go off post." (Ugh.... if you want to be taken seriously, can't you at least speak somewhat correctly?)

I told her that that was completely incorrect information, and stated the real policy. I told her that the information I have is absolutely correct and current, and that in ten years, I've never had an issue with it. I also told her who she needed to call, and what she needed to tell them, in order to get it fixed. Her case was obviously mismanaged. For one, $2000 is double the catastrophic cap. Even if she were on Standard, which she isn't, the most she'd ever have to pay in a fiscal year is $1000, and that would never come from an ER visit. This whole thing flies in the face of policy and regulation, and therefore, it is fixable.

She argued back, called me everything under the sun but good and honest, and said, "Till you work for Tricare, you don't know, thank you very much!" Hmmm... ok.... well, enjoy your bills. I wouldn't want to pay those and my husband makes three times as much money as yours and we have fewer children to support, but ok... knock yourself out. I did, however, tell her again that her case was mismanaged, and that she is doing a great disservice by attempting to give advice based on a mishandled incident. I let her know that we have all had something mismanaged over the course of our time with the Army, whether medical, financial, housing... something's screwed up for each and every one of us. However, most of us know better than to attempt to advise others as if the mishandled case is the norm, and she would do well to take note of that. She did shut up after that, and I hope she stays that way. I honestly don't care if this girl ever gets her bill fixed, but I do care if she keeps spreading bad information throughout post.

The reason I care about that is because it is terrible for morale, and who does that come back to? The NCO's, always. As an NCO wife, I seriously cannot stand rumors and lower-enlisted garbage because it always ends up at work, and it's always people like Thak who end up debunking it, or counseling these poor soldiers whose wives have made a mess due to bad information, on how to get out of it. Bad information is the most dangerous thing ever on an Army post. Posts are like small towns on steroids. If you think word travels fast in a small town, double it and you're starting to scratch the surface of the lightning fast pace of rumors on a post. One bad piece of information can spoil a whole housing area inside of an afternoon, a brigade inside of a day. Anyone who knows what's good for them does not spread rumors, and gets their facts straight before speaking out about anything.

This is not to say that there aren't real issues that exist in and around the Army. There are. There is substandard housing on a lot of posts. A lot of soldiers live in barracks that have been condemned for years. Military hospitals are absolutely notorious for being awful with anything pertaining to the female body. There are soldiers who have hid from deployments for nearly a full decade, while the same few thousand did repeat tours. These are real issues that the Army has, and if you want to raise awareness of any or all of these, please do! However, whatever you do, DO NOT "speak out" on a platform of incorrect information. Check your facts, and listen to those who are senior to you when they tell you that you are working with incorrect information, and where to find what is correct. Believe it or not, a person learns a lot in a decade or two. I always try to benefit from the experience of those who are senior to me. You would do well to do the same there, Mrs. E1. Incorrect information is terrible for morale, and affects everybody.