Posted on 05/08/2026 6:50:05 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
For more than a decade, Guy Shoemaker pitched military service to potential new recruits with one key promise: healthcare for life.
“You’re going to have medical and dental for the rest of your life,” said Shoemaker, a retired Army sergeant first class and recruiter who spent a year in Afghanistan. “I used that phrase too many times.”
That promise held up when Shoemaker, 64, of Fort Worth, Texas, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2021. TRICARE — the military’s healthcare program for active service members, retirees and their families — covered the chemotherapy, radiation and years of follow-up care that helped him eat and speak again.
Then, last year, TRICARE moved his coverage to a new contractor called TriWest Healthcare Alliance, a change that he said made him lose faith in the system — and question his longtime recruitment pitch.
“I mean, you go from flawless, I’m being taken care of, to just getting dumped,” he said.
Suddenly, tens of thousands of dollars in previously approved claims were overturned and money that had been paid to providers was clawed back. Shoemaker stopped going in for his regular therapy appointments, no longer able to pay.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
"said Shoemaker, a retired Army sergeant first class "
TriCare is specifically medical insurance for RETIRED military and their dependents.
“ a retired Army sergeant first class”
Ok
Well. He might feel bad he promised everyone more than the military would promise, but that’s not Tricare fault.
I trust benefits and Tricare and any insurance company as much as I think I should. Which is more that I trusted my recruiter.
“Lifetime healthcare is an exorbitant level of compensation for a couple of years of service.
A RETIRED Sergeant First Class served more than two years.”
No the story revolves around his having promised his recruits lifetime heath care
Exactly. Private Benjamin was based on a true story
Leaving the military as intact as when entered did not qualify for lifetime bennies,
at least when I was in.
It’s literally in the SECOND SENTENCE OF THE ARTICLE:
“said Shoemaker, a retired Army sergeant first class “
TriCare is specifically medical insurance for RETIRED military and their dependents.”
Yes. It is. I cited that in my post 23
I also said i am going for coffee
In any case he says his problem is that he promised his recruits lifetime medical. That’s not right
“Lifetime healthcare is an exorbitant level of compensation for a couple of years of service.”
That is why they don’t give it for a couple of years service.
You didn't read the article. There's absolutely no way any intelligent person fluent in the English language could read that article, and then assert that it's about promising recruits lifetime "health care".
It's about a change in "providers" of "health care" for military retirees causing chaos in billing and coverage.
I read the article. You should do the same.
“For more than a decade, Guy Shoemaker pitched military service to potential new recruits with one key promise: healthcare for life.”
First sentence as well as headline.
I did 20 but choose to live overseas and pay out of pocket. The treatment is much better. Tricare and VA doctors are nothing more than pill dispensers.
Read the article.
You’re making a fool of yourself.
I read the article. Don’t call me a fool.
I happen to be correct.
BWAHAHAHAHAHahahahahahaha!!!!
There’s absolutely no way you read the article. None.
Go drink your coffee. Have another one, you really need to wake up.
Then read the whole article. Go to the link in the OP. It’s much bigger than the excerpt. Read it all. Twice, if you need to.
You’re making a fool of yourself.
Of course you omitted the key phrase in the headline!
Lifetime healthcare is meant for Soldiers who retire at 20+ years. Everyone in the military knows this.
“TriWest Healthcare Alliance”
Sounds like they need to be audited for their political donations.
“Which is more that I trusted my recruiter.”
Mine lied his ass off.
One caveat: You get Tricare (for life) only if you retire from active duty after 20 years. If you retire from the reserves with 20 years of service, then you get Tricare (you pay monthly) and you get Tricare for life when you turn 65.
Did I mention the Reservist don’t get retirement pay until they turn 60.
I read it. Don’t accuse me of lying
You are not a nice person so this is not to change your mind
My guess is you haven’t been around whining people on deployment who mumble and groan that their recruiter promised them this, that and the other thing.
That’s all this reads like.
I’ve been taking care of military in the hospital most of my long career. I’m very familiar with TriWest as well as the VA medical system which people in the comments are putting together. They are separate and this article is complaints about TriWest. Not to mention personally
TriWest and any TriCare is going to be hit or miss just like any government program, and it best suits retirees who are also on Medicare A & B and use tricare as supplement
I work for a large corporation. They decreased insurance benefits tremendously last year then this year switched carriers decreasing benefits further. I can tell a similar story to this guy’s. And I would do so without putting down the military for not living up to the promises I pretended they made
People enjoy feeling bad when they hear stories from a sensational news source talking about how the government abuses troops.
I read this as one person having disappointment. There is the insinuation that others are having the same issues and that it is due to the military not coming through as “promised”
In my retired military group, people find the benefits, use them, and work around the disappointments. Stories like these are not that
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