Many young vets don't use free medical

Many young vets don't use free medical
UT San Diego
By Jeanette Steele
FEB. 18, 2013

Only 45 percent of San Diegans who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are using the free health care that combat veterans are entitled to receive from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical system.

The majority are missing a great lifetime deal. Think no annual premiums and $15 copays for basic office visits, even if the illness isn’t connected to military service.

Health coverage for new veterans became a topic of national water cooler discussion in recent days after Esquire published a watchdog group’s story about the Navy SEAL who shot terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. The SEAL claimed that he lost all medical coverage when he left the military after 16 years of service — four years short of a pension and retiree health benefits.

Other media outlets quickly revealed that the story was inaccurate on this point, and Esquire and the Bay Area-based Center for Investigative Reporting later corrected their reports.

But the celebrity of the Navy SEAL-bin Laden connection put a spotlight on the usually unglamorous issue of health care for young vets.

In Coronado, the two-star admiral who commands all Navy SEALs issued a statement this week saying that the Bin Laden shooter — who wasn’t named in Esquire — got advice about his options before he left.

“Months ahead of his separation, he was counseled on status and benefits and provided with options to continue his career until retirement eligible,” said Rear Adm. Sean Pybus, Naval Special Warfare commander.

Pybus also pointed out that SEALs are among the best and brightest, which begs the question: If this elite fighter didn’t understand his medical benefits as a veteran, who does?

At least one other former Navy SEAL who served in Iraq — San Diego marketing entrepreneur and reality TV star Brent Gleeson — said he was unaware of the VA health care option, which provides five years of free health care to post-Sept. 11 combat veterans for problems even remotely related to their military service, plus low-cost overall coverage.
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