US Family Health Plan Founding Members Reunite after Nearly Four Decades

Nearly 40 years after its creation in 1981, the US Family Health Plan is still providing high-quality health care to some of its original members.

Martin’s Point Health Care in Maine – one of the six US Family Health Plan regional member organizations – hosted a recent seminar to educate members about plan benefits, pharmacy options, health coverage and the latest in military health care.  Excitingly, the seminar also reunited some of the inaugural members who have received health care through the plan since its founding.

Among those members in attendance were retired U.S. Army First Sergeant Gary Cadman and retired U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Roger Courtier, as well as Betty Perkins, who was married to an active-duty member of the U.S. Coast Guard.

When asked what has made them stay with the plan after nearly 40 years, all three members agreed that the US Family Health Plan’s patient-centered approach and reliable access to care have kept them enrolled and satisfied.

Sergeant Cadman served a combined 25 years in the Army and Army Reserves, during which he sailed the Arctic Ocean during active duty and worked on radar ships.  Upon retiring, he joined the US Family Health Plan, where he found his care team’s in-depth knowledge of military culture, values and idealsto be a critical asset in delivering the care and respect he believes military families and retirees deserve.

“I’m tickled to death with the care I’ve received, and I can’t thank them enough for what they do for the military,” Sergeant Cadman said.

Familiarity with military culture has also been an important factor for Senior Master Sergeant Courtier, who served from 1970 to 1971 as a French interpreter while stationed on a gunship in Cambodia and Vietnam.  He remains extremely pleased with the care he has received, including reliable access to doctors and nurses and the ease of scheduling appointments.  US Family Health Plan member organizations strive to ensure that members like Courtier receive care when they need it through timely appointments,in-home monitoring, a 24-hour nurse help line and other advanced approaches to care delivery.

“I drive 45 miles [to Martin’s Point for care], but I would rather do that than wait for the same amount of time in a doctor’s office.  I like the doctors and I like the service – if they schedule an appointment at 2 o’clock, I am seen at 2 o’clock.  Other places don’t have the same respect for time that Martin’s Point does,” Senior Master Sergeant Courtier said.

For Betty Perkins, the biggest relief that US Family Health Plan provided was during her husband’s illness.  She was grateful to never worry about billing and to instead focus fully being her husband’s in-home caregiver and supporter.  Today, Perkins still enjoys the US Family Health Plan’s personal touches. Her providers check up on her after her health care visits and genuinely care about her well-being.

“I don’t know what I would do without them. They make things affordable and easy. I get my friends to sign up, and everyone is absolutely over the moon,” she said.

Sergeant Cadman, Senior Master Sergeant Courtier and Ms. Perkins are among nearly 150,000 US Family Health Plan members nationwide who enjoy access to quality health care through the TRICARE Prime benefit, with top-rated patient satisfaction.  To learn more about US Family Health Plan, explore the rest of our website.