USFHP Member Minutes Profile

U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Natalie Poole, Retired

Natalie Poole enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at age 18, looking for direction in her life. She couldn’t know that she would complete a decorated 20-year career that spanned several international deployments – including Japan, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia – and earn five Navy Achievement Medals for service above and beyond the call of duty. Her military service, she says, is the best thing she’s ever done.

Upon her retirement as a gunnery sergeant and logistics chief, Poole has remained active, launching a career as an entrepreneur and government contractor while participating in multiple alumni networking groups and the national organization, Disabled American Veterans. Though she remains physically healthy, she wanted to maintain choice and personal autonomy in her health care. After using other care options offered through the Military Health System, Natalie chose the US Family Health Plan at Christus Healthcare for her care.

“US Family Health Plan had the best program of anything out there,” Poole recalls. “Since I was a veteran, I exclusively had the opportunity to take advantage of it. It was all as I expected. Everyone was respectful, efficient, and there were no surprises. And for me that says a lot.”

As a proud US Family Health Plan member for more than six years, Poole continues to appreciate the respectful culture and unwavering reliability her care teams have offered her since the day she enrolled. She emphasizes how an appreciation of military sacrifice permeates throughout Christus Health, fostering an understanding of military culture that helps doctors and care teams work with veterans who may want to handle challenging situations without outside help.

“Aside from whatever I came in for – including my checkups – they’re also asking me different things to open up the floor [on other medical issues]. They actually talk to me about it in a way that’s respectful,” Poole says. “I’m treated like a human being.”

Another benefit Poole enjoys through the plan is access to care when she needs it. There’s no months-long waiting process to see a doctor; when she calls for an appointment, one is scheduled for her within a reasonable time. This is especially important to her because she has two daughters and four grandchildren – further encouragement to stay as healthy as possible. This also encourages her to participate in the preventive health programs which US Family Health Plan promotes for its members.

“As I get older,” Poole says, “I need a health care plan that’s going to grow with me. It’s very important to me to have consistency and someone that I can depend on — a plan that I can depend on. I believe if you promise a thing you should follow through with a thing. The biggest praise I can give US Family Health Plan and Christus Health is they’ve done exactly that.”

Natalie Poole is among nearly 150,000 US Family Health Plan members nationwide who enjoy access to quality healthcare with top-rated patient satisfaction through six regional member organizations offering TRICARE Prime benefits. To learn more about US Family Health Plan, watch the interview above or explore the rest of our website.