May. 25 2005

By RICK WAGNER - Reporter

KINGSPORT - The next time Tri-Cities native Summer Fox comes back home to visit, she may not have to worry so much if she needs health care for herself or her children.

The reason is that Wellmont Health System announced Tuesday that three of its Tennessee hospitals - Holston Valley Medical Center, Bristol Regional Medical Center and Hawkins County Memorial Hospital - became participating providers with the U.S. military's TriCare health insurance.

They join facilities of Mountain States Health Alliance, including Indian Path Medical Center and Johnson City Regional Medical Center, that already take TriCare.

TriCare covers active-duty regular military members and their families, such as Fox, whose husband is in the Navy. It also covers reservists, some retirees and their families.

"We've had quite a few instances when no one took our insurance," said Fox, who like her husband was born in Kingsport and grew up in Church Hill. "It's a very good thing they're going to accept TriCare."

In a letter to the editor earlier this month, Fox lamented that it was difficult to find a dermatologist for her son during a monthlong visit with relatives.

Quick searches of TriCare's online database of providers found that while some Kingsport physicians participate in TriCare, Johnson City had the preponderance of participating doctors.

But in a Tuesday telephone interview from her home in San Diego, Fox also recalled that during a visit here in 2003 early in a pregnancy, she went to a local doctor she thought was a preferred TriCare provider.

However, the doctor's TriCare participation had lapsed, leaving her with a bill of more than $250.

Fred Steadman of Kingsport and Charlene Barrett of Bristol, Tenn., said the recent influx of reservists' families into TriCare has magnified the problem.

They are vice leaders of the Family Readiness Group of the Tennessee Army National Guard's 2nd Squadron, 278th Regimental Combat Team.

"It's been a very big problem. They're having to run all over everywhere to find care," said Steadman, a retired sergeant from the 278th living in Kingsport.

He said the problem has been mostly for active-duty military and reservist families, not for those like himself who have TriCare as a supplement or co-insurance to Medicare.

Barrett, whose husband is in the 278th, said the problem is people whose insurance went from private plans accepted across the region to military insurance with fewer providers.

"We're proud to support the brave men and women of our military through our participation in TriCare," said Dr. Richard Salluzzo, Wellmont's president and chief executive officer. "I know I speak for all the board members, physicians and employees of the Wellmont system when I say our courageous soldiers - and their loved ones - deserve the best health care possible."

MSHA spokesman James Watson said longtime TriCare participator Mountain States welcomes Wellmont and other health care providers as TriCare participants.

"We encourage other people to take TriCare. This is supporting people who are supporting homeland security and defending our country," Watson said. "It's too bad people in the area for the past couple of years didn't have that option, that Wellmont didn't see fit to accept their coverage."

To search for health care providers that accept TriCare go to www.tricare.osd.mil and click on "Find a Provider."

Story Copyright to Kingsport Times News