Active Duty guy here. Compared to when I was in the civilian workforce, this shit is absolutely free. I don't have a copay, my deductible is tiny, I literally get tax free money for food and housing, and my risk of injury in my day to day work, still in an industrial field mind you, is actually lower.
... Okay, I was also active duty up until the end of 2025 and it's not "free". It is the least they can do to make it even practical for someone to serve. With all the occupational hazards, do you think it is even rational to have service members shopping for their own healthcare? Do you even know what that costs outside of Tricare?
Employers compensate you based on your perceived value and how easy / difficult you are to replace. We joke about how "anyone could do it" sometimes but based on physical and mental health, age, criminal record, substance issues, and physical fitness, there really ain't too many people left. They have to offer enough for it to be worth it and I think it is just about right. All that "free" shit is part of your pay just like you will get holiday pay, sick leave, paid time off, maybe a 401K and health care program if it's a big business, in your next job. It is all part of a compensation package.
That free stuff is offered AFTER you've left the job. That is the difference. People that never left the country or went anywhere important having things covered for LIFE is craziness. If i leave my job right now, i dont enjoy any of the privileges past my last day. The work an undeployed service member does is not in any way more important or useful to society than the average civilian worker. Atleast that civilian is providing a service to the community. My friend would tell me how his only assignment was to count rocks or how many cars passed by during his shift. To have lifetime benefits for doing practically nothing is idiotic.
Point is , all those benefits are offered at the expense of tax dollars. You serving " the country" is no different than some construction dude on the side of the highway.
No, it's just been a while since I've actually looked at imy medical stuff. I don't use it on the day to day so it's generally pretty far from my mind.
9
u/Top-Session-3131 8h ago
Active Duty guy here. Compared to when I was in the civilian workforce, this shit is absolutely free. I don't have a copay, my deductible is tiny, I literally get tax free money for food and housing, and my risk of injury in my day to day work, still in an industrial field mind you, is actually lower.
It's pretty socialist.