This week, on National Day of the Deployed, the US Family Health Plan Alliance celebrates the brave men and women in our Armed Forces who are currently deployed and all those who have served abroad at some point in their service.
Family readiness is a critical component of the military medical readiness mission. Active-duty military members have earned the right to peace of mind, knowing their families are well taken care of back at home.
As a trusted provider of military healthcare, we are committed to providing our members with the highest quality of care. When active duty military families and retirees enroll with one of the six providers within the US Family Health Plan Alliance, they become part of our family. Our members can say with complete confidence that we always have their backs.
So whether active-duty member families are deployed in the next city, state, country or continent – down the street or thousands of miles away – the last thing they have to be concerned about is whether their loved ones have access to the care they need, when they need it.
We pledge to continue delivering top-rated health care with the highest levels of patient satisfaction to our members across the country. We cannot thank you and your families enough for your service and sacrifices.
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May is Military Spouse Appreciation Month, a time to celebrate the contribution and sacrifices made by military spouses, who support our service members. It is our honor and privilege to provide health care to the spouses of active-duty service members, activated members of the National Guard and Reserve, and retirees. Read more
https://www.usfhp.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/USFHP-play-button-may-31.jpg7781440ushealthplanhttp://www.usfhp.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/usfhp.pngushealthplan2019-05-09 07:00:592019-05-09 14:49:53US Family Health Plan Celebrates Military Spouse Appreciation Month
The US Family Health Plan Alliance comprises six regional health care providers that offer the TRICARE Prime benefit to over 150,000 military families and retirees across the country. US Family Health Plan members living in the Puget Sound area of Washington State are served by the US Family Health Plan at Pacific Medical Centers (PacMed™).
Dr. Rick Ludwig started his career with PacMed in 1981 as an internist and now serves as Medical Director and Chief of Primary Care for the US Family Health Plan at PacMed. He oversees the majority of primary care for the region’s US Family Health Plan members.
In a new US Family Health Plan video, Dr. Ludwig highlights the patient-centered approach PacMed takes to providing health care to military families and retirees.
https://www.usfhp.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/USFHP-playbutton-04.15.19.jpg7781440hammond-usfhphttp://www.usfhp.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/usfhp.pnghammond-usfhp2019-04-15 12:45:592020-10-13 17:35:45VIDEO: US Family Health Plan Regional Spotlight: Pacific Medical Centers, Northwest Region
U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. William “Bill” Ashley, Retired
William “Bill” Ashley enlisted in the U.S. Air Force two weeks before he graduated from his Houston-area high school in 1965. He went on to serve 20 years in the Air Force until his retirement on August 31, 1985 as a senior master sergeant.
Ashley’s service tenure spanned several jobs – including seven years as an air traffic controller – and included two tours with distinction in Vietnam. Ashley served as a load master, working aboard several different Air Force cargo and transport aircraft.
Ashley’s military service afforded him the opportunity to attend the Community College of the Air Force, Barry University in Miami, and the University of Houston where he earned a master’s degree. He also met his wife while serving and now has two daughters and three grandchildren.
“Since I’ve left the military, I’ve had a multitude of jobs. I’ve been blessed in the sense that health insurance hasn’t had to be an issue, because it was with me and it’s always been with me. The US Family Health Plan has been a vital part of that,” Ashley says.
Nearly 20 years ago, Ashley joined the US Family Health Plan through Houston-based member organization, CHRISTUS Health. Through US Family Health Plan’s patient-centered approach to health care, Ashley enjoys reliable access to care that is tailored to his needs and personal preferences.
“Accessing care has been great,” he says. “Care has always been available for me. If I need an appointment I can pick up the phone or go online to use the online portal. I don’t like to take a lot of medicine, and so whenever I receive care, one of things I ask is for something I can do that doesn’t involve additional medicine. I am given the opportunity to try other things other than getting drugs to prevent [illness].”
The TRICARE Prime benefit Ashley receives through the US Family Health Plan allows him to see a regular doctor that he chose years ago when joining the plan – a valued option after seeing numerous doctors during his time in the military.
“I like the idea of having my doctor, and I got to choose my doctor, and I’ve been with her ever since. I get an annual physical, my doctor remembers things, and she brings those up and makes sure they are taken care of. When my father passed away, she remembered why he died, and she started checking me for the same things, so things like that are important.”
Ashley appreciates the consistency in care he receives through the US Family Health Plan and the awareness he has developed for his own health care needs through the relationship he has with his doctor.
“If the US Family Health Plan disappeared, it would mean I would lose my doctor of 20 years,” Ashley says. “I have security in my health needs, and I know how to take care of them and navigate that. I would love to stay with what I’ve grown accustomed to and love. I have never considered leaving US Family Health Plan. It’s been a part of my life since I left the military, and I don’t see that changing.”
Ashley is also grateful for the support the US Family Health Plan has given to his church ministry, Windsor Village, in connecting with Houston-area veterans and assisting them with health care, education and housing.
“The US Family Health Plan has sponsored several of our programs, and they have come together to answer questions and help veterans that are in need,” he says. “I really, really do appreciate it, because one of things I’ve found is veterans are hard to bring into the fold, and with help like we were getting from them, it just makes a big difference. Veterans need to be taken care of.”
Bill Ashley 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 the TRICARE Prime benefit. To learn more about US Family Health Plan, watch the interview above or explore the rest of our website.
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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.
https://www.usfhp.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/USFHP-Jan-23-17-square.jpg523523ushealthplanhttp://www.usfhp.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/usfhp.pngushealthplan2017-01-23 19:56:252017-01-23 19:56:25MEMBER MINUTES VIDEO: Reliable Health Care ‘As Expected’ Through US Family Health Plan
U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Charles Halsted, Retired
Charles “Chuc” Halsted served three decades in the U.S. Air Force National Guard after four years of active-duty Air Force service. Upon his retirement six years ago, he and his wife, Christine, returned home to Maine and joined the US Family Health Plan Alliance through local provider, Martin’s Point Health Care.
Chief Halsted knows that caregivers working with military retirees or active-duty families need to have an understanding of the military culture to establish trust, which he says is especially important in medical care. This culture of trust is what drew Halsted and his wife to Martin’s Point and the US Family Health Plan.
“When you step out of the service, and you look for trust – that kind of trust you’ve been used to for a long time – you look for quality care,” he says. “Are you secure day in and day out that you have the right people for you? US Family Health Plan and Martin’s Point were a no-brainer.”
Chief Halsted also discusses the importance of the positive culture and reliable access at Martin’s Point, a major factor in his family’s decision to stay in Maine.
“I’ve seen a lot of care. I couldn’t be happier with US Family Health Plan and Martin’s Point in the care I get from them,” Halsted says. “I know I can be well taken care of. And when I look down the line, at my age, I know they’ll be there for me, and there’s tremendous security in that.”
The Halsteds are among nearly 150,000 US Family Health Plan members nationwide who enjoy access to quality healthcare with top-rated patient satisfaction through six regional TRICARE Prime providers. To learn more about US Family Health Plan, watch the interview above or explore the rest of our website.
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After a 30-year active-duty career in the U.S. Air Force — including eight years as communications chief on Air Force One — Chief Master Sergeant Michael Tedford has enjoyed nearly a decade of retirement with his wife, Katrina, and their children.
Chief Master Sgt. Michael Tedford served 30 years in the U.S. Air Force, including 22 years at Joint Base Andrews and eight years aboard Air Force One. He is pictured above with former President George W. Bush and at bottom with former President Bill Clinton and crewmates.
Retirement has been “very smooth,” Tedford says, as a result of the reliable and convenient access to quality healthcare he and his wife receive through the Johns Hopkins US Family Health Plan.
“My wife and I have been enrolled in the Plan for nine years,” Tedford says. “The US Family Health Plan has been a phenomenal success, and once we got into it and saw how good it was, we’ve been nothing but big proponents.”
Chief Tedford touts the US Family Health Plan’s convenience of access, a necessity due to a daily commute from his home in Maryland to downtown Washington, D.C., and his and Katrina’s primary care and surgical needs.
“Especially as my wife and I get older, I think it’s going to be significant to our health, because if we didn’t have the Plan available I think our health would suffer as far as the quality and the access. Access is everything,” Tedford says.
The Tedfords are among nearly 150,000 US Family Health Plan members nationwide to enjoy access to quality healthcare with top-rated patient satisfaction through six regional TRICARE Prime provider organizations. To learn more about the US Family Health Plan, watch the interview above or explore the rest of our website.
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Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Bill Hall, who is the Military Relations Manager at Martin’s Point Health Care, has a unique perspective from which to serve US Family Health Plan beneficiaries because he is a US Family Health Plan beneficiary himself.
Col. Hall, whose 30 years of service in the U.S. Air Force included a tour in Vietnam, speaks to US Family Health Plan’s familiarity with military culture, high patient satisfaction and commitment to delivering quality healthcare to more than 145,000 beneficiaries nationwide.
“There’s such a deep military culture,” Hall says. “There’s a real appreciation for what military families go through and what they need, both when they’re in their active duty years and when they’re in their retirement years for the best in healthcare. When they hit retirement years, we understand there’s a new set of stressors that comes with retirement, and we want to ensure that healthcare isn’t one of those, that we provide the best healthcare we can.”
Martin’s Point Health Care operates the US Family Health Plan program for military families and retirees in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, upstate and western New York, and northern Pennsylvania. The US Family Health Plan is a TRICARE Prime program offered by the Department of Defense that provides high quality health care to eligible beneficiaries.
https://www.usfhp.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Bill-Hall-profile.png7781440ushealthplanhttp://www.usfhp.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/usfhp.pngushealthplan2016-06-20 14:56:502016-06-20 14:56:50MEMBER MINUTES VIDEO: ‘What Good Healthcare Should Look Like’
On March 17, representatives from the US Family Health Plan briefed U.S. Senate staff on the incredible quality of care, patient satisfaction and military support the plan provides through TRICARE Prime.
These video clips from the briefing highlight how US Family Health Plan is:
Providing high quality care and patient satisfaction to more than145,000 beneficiaries nationwide
Uniquely poised for success as TRICARE Prime’s only capitated model care plan
Empowering military family readiness by caring for active duty and retiree families
Fulfilling the promise of health care coverage made to our brave servicemen and women
You can learn more about our unique approach to military healthcare by exploring our website. To view the full video from the March 17 briefing at the U.S. Senate, click here.
https://www.usfhp.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/halsted-with-play-button-1.jpg386687ushealthplanhttp://www.usfhp.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/usfhp.pngushealthplan2016-05-05 15:47:042016-05-05 15:47:04VIDEO: Highlights of US Family Health Plan’s Visit to the U.S. Senate
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Hall, whose 30 years of service in the U.S. Air Force included a tour in Vietnam, speaks to US Family Health Plan’s familiarity with military culture, high patient satisfaction and commitment to delivering quality healthcare to more than 145,000 beneficiaries nationwide.