Help getting my meds through TRICARE

[mangon1947]

I just moved here in late November from the States and am USAF retired. Since I'm 61 I do have quite a few maintenance meds that I have to take - Plavix, 3 blood pressure meds, stomach/gerd meds, allergy pills , etc. I procured my first refills here through AEK hospital and think I mat get paid back 80% of what I spent.

There has to be a better way to get the pills through TRICARE I think. I did hear that there is some way to set up a post box with JUSMAG in Bangkok and have the meds shipped to it and then they can be forwarded to my address here in Udon, but don't know how to get that set up.

Any help with this matter would be greatly appreciated since my meds for 2 months cost me more than 18,000 baht out of my pocket with only a hope that TRICARE may reimburse me for a portion. I need to get refills in about 3 weeks again.

Thanks,
Ed

[papaguido]

Ed,

As far as I know you can set up a PO box, but they won't forward anything to you here in Udon. I was at JUSMAG about 6 months ago, the Retired Affairs Officer (RAO) explained the procedure for setting up a PO box. The problem for me is that the JUSMAG post office has a requirement that in order for me to maintain it I would be required to check my PO box once month.

I know that the Pattaya VFW has members who are authorized to make a mail run for it's members and collect mail for everyone on their roster. You may want to check with the VFW here to see if they're doing anything like this.

I don't have the RAO's email or number, but Pop's does and hopefully he'll chime in or you can PM him for the info.

[LoongLee]

Mangon1947,,,,,,here's the website for Tricare Overseas prescriptions etc.

http://www.tricare.mil/mybenefit/home/P ... /OutsideUS?

Your e-mail raised several other questions. How are you going to get all of your prescriptions rewritten? By a Thai doctor? I'm not aware of a US Military Treatment Facility you could use in Thailand. Are you going to return to the US once a year to get the Rx rewritten? The Tricare system will probably reimburse you (partially) for Rx filled locally but I would be very, very careful about where I got them. There is a very high probability of getting bogus medicines in Thailand. The containers are perfect and the medicine itself is a perfect copy visually.

My sister-in-law is a registered Thai government pharmacist (45 years) and there have even been bogus medicines discovered in the government system.
good luck

[LoongLee]

Mangon1947---Here's another ref I found on a VFW Pattaya website to availability at JUSMAG. Don't know how current the info is.

http://vfwpost9876.org/FAQVFW/jusmag.htm

[mangon1947]

Wow! The possiblity of getting bogus meds is scary. The points of how will I get the scripts written are excellant ones and I will have to find a way to overcome that hurdle somehow if I can get the meds from the USA. Also, I think TRICARE may not fill scripts written in a foreign country.

I am also collecting disability for several items including prostate cancer so maybe I can get persriptions from the VA, but suppose I would have the same problem of getting scripts written each year. Anyone here in Thailand getting medical care from the VA????? I wonder if i could jump over to the PI to get meds there? Anyone know of cheap flights to the PI?

I thought of going to Japan or Oki, but the flights are expensive going there not to mention the cost of staying there a couple of days.

Thanks for the thought provoking info.
Ed Newhall

[FrazeeDK]

I'm pretty sure you can sign a memo authorizing other folks to pick up your mail from the APO BOX "R" at JUSMAG. I know other Military retirees in Udorn coordinate so when one goes down to BKK to pick up mail for the others..