Do American Veterans get free healthcare for life?

Time and time again, Stars and Stripes hears from readers who say they were promised free medical care for life when they joined the military. The topic usually comes up when there is talk of raising Tricare fees for military retirees. "I do mind paying more than $460. read more

But “free healthcare for life” for veterans is and always has been a myth—we only get free healthcare if Uncle Sam breaks us so badly that not only can we not continue to serve, we cannot continue to work at all. read more

Veterans can choose to go to the VA to get treated, if they want rats biting them, being used as experiments, having to wait until you die before you get seen by a doctor. The doctor is probably not a real doctor yet or has been sued for malpractice and so they work for the VA. read more

Clearly, these folks feel betrayed, so The Rumor Doctor set out to see if there is any truth to this belief that troops and veterans are entitled to free health care for life. "The short answer is no," said Peter Graves, a spokesman for the assistant defense secretary for health affairs. read more