I recently received a survey about the military healthcare system. I felt very obligated to fill it out and I have already
sent it on it's way. The survey seemed to me to be intentionally confusing. I may be wrong, but I felt compelled to send a
short note with it. The note appears below:
This survey confused me for some reason. I had trouble separating myself and my wife as a result
of this survey. I struggled to answer the survey just as truthfully as I could. I must say, in case the survey didn't reveal
it, even though I have required no health care in spite of doing reportedly unhealthy things to myself, that my wife, Susan
, has not been that lucky. The staff at Dover AFB's hospital, the health care system, and the specialists have
been trying to heal my wife for about a year now. She has a condition that results in her left arm feeling strange, having
pain, and feeling extremely weak. The feelings, which are very hard for her to describe, radiate out from her thumb.
There have been mis-diagnoses. My wife has been turned away from an appointment because there
was no authorization for the appointment. It has been difficult for me to contact the individual at the Dover AFB hospital
who can authorize appointments. On several occasions, there were errors somewhere in the system that resulted in bills from
the medical facilities off-base and I had to call repeatedly. Twice, on the same authorization, the people at the on-base
hospital erred and submitted an authorization for neurology after I had informed them that what was needed was a "pain management"
authorization. I have spent hours on the telephone, but that is not why I am writing. I am writing because after about a year
my wife's condition has not even been diagnosed with certainty. That should not be allowed to happen to my wife or anyone
else. Thanks for your attention.
