Another Name for "Obamacare"...

(Comrade Karla found this and passed it on).

I originally posted this photoshopped image a couple of days ago with no narrative other than crediting Comrade Karla for sending it to us.

However, today I had an experience with our current pre-Obamacare health system.

Since I'm retired military, I'm a part of the TriCare Prime healtcare network for retirees under 65. A couple of weeks ago I saw my primary care provider at McChord Air Force Base who submitted a referral to a specialist in Madigan Army Hospital, Ft. Lewis. I had to wait at least 3 working days for the referral to wind its way through the system. Because I had relatives visiting I put off calling for an appointment until today.

I called the TriCare Regional Appointment Center to schedule a time to see the specialist I was referred to. However, the operator told my that I should have received notice that I was being referred to a civilian doctor under the TriWest program and that I need to call them in order to obtain that notice.

So I called the number in question and talked to another operator. She told me I didn't have to talk to them and that they already have my referral on file. All I needed to do was call the doctor (which I think they assigned).

And so I called that number which brought me to the Tacoma General Hospital. But I needed their specialty clinic so the hospital operator gave me that number to call.

Finally I called the specialty clinic--and got a voice recording asking me to leave a message and they'd get back with me.

This process lasted nearly half an hour. This was especially frustrating since I'm currently on nightshift. During the day, the only activities I like to do are--a. sleep, or b. workout. I could have used my lost 30 minute doing "a" or "b."

Today's incident then gave me a pause to reflect on Obama's proposed healthcare reform. Even if "Obamacare" (formerly know as "Hillarycare") is enacted, the least it will do is create another layer of bureaucracy within the healthcare system. While minor in comparison to other healthcare ordeals, making an appointment could possibly take a lot longer...