I have been going to Bay Pointe Hospital on Subic Freeport for my medical care for quite a few years, not only is it a fairly new hospital, but it also is certified by Tri-Care (my military insurance) I have grown to know and like all the Doctors there and have been treated well within those doors. It has become my go-to place! Like all my list of “Go To” that fix and repair stuff.
Have you noticed that the Philippines have an odd way of passing on bad news or information to customers; I was there on January 30th for an appointment with my Doctor who performed my emergency surgery on Saint Patrick’s Day 2016. I might have mentioned it a time or two in the past.
He scheduled me on February 1st for an Ultra-Sound on my third hernia on my right side, the mesh keeps breaking. So while there on the 1st, they requested I return on Saturday morning as they were swamped. Being retired I agreed, as I’m never in a rush for anything.
The ladies at the Tri-Care office at Bay Pointe informed me that the office will be closed on February 2nd while they go through a name change. A name change, could that be my fault? As in the past, I have asked why they spelled POINTE with an “E” The hospital will now be named ACE Bay Pointe (They kept the superfluous “E”). But not to be confused with ACE Hardware where you can buy Panasonic stand-alone showers when they’re not; “Out Of Damn Stock”
Well here is what I found out, one day changing the name? Oh no… 90 days because now the US Government paper pushers must re-certify the hospital to see if it meets the required standards set forth in article six subsection up-tee-clutch, but because a new name will in fact change, the building, the doctors, administrators, and equipment. That was completely certified the day before are not valid today. But the ladies held back this information, as to not upset me.God love them all!
My anger was welling up, my temper was rising, why was TriCare doing this to me? (No doubt other people are also affected, but we seldom think about that.) And thanks to the Tri-Care ladies for trying hard not to break the bad news to me I’ll explain how I found out later, but for now…
Let’s go to Sit-‘N-Bull for lunch, it is a well-known fact that lunch there always makes me feel better.
Great lunch, arrive home and fire up my puter and there in facebook both sent by the Fleet Reserve Association, and the Retired Affairs Office was Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” (Listed below if you want to read it, I advise not reading as it is as boring as hell) (*)
After reading the memo (Not the FISA Memo) I drove to James L. Gordon Hospital just to see if it was still the dump it was 18 years ago. It was not, it was clean and well organized and they even had a Tri-Care office with an older but pleasant lady in charge. I read the board on the wall, and every doctor from Bay Pointe (I’m sorry ACE Bay Pointe Hospital) also practiced at Gordon Hospital! My mood improved as warm sunlight now shown through the glass and bathed us in an all-encompassing glowing light that let me and the world know all is right once again.
My added good news was that the order for Ultra-Sound by my doctor (At Ace Bay Pointe), would be gladly accepted by the Gordon hospital since all my doctors are all treasured members of institutions.
But it seems like it just going to smoothly doesn’t it? Oh, now it goes array, as you knew it would!
Monday morning I arrive at Gordon Hospital, I check in with Tri-Care and the lady called Singapore and found out I was indeed a welcome member of TriCare. All was going fine until… Remember the Pinoy hates to disappoint (e) with any bad news? So after I paid the full price for the Ultra-Sound upfront Which point(e)s to a solid lack of trust on their part. The full cost of P887.00 was not charged to my Insurance only cash from my pocket. And that is when I was informed they do not do out-patience care, only in-patience. Also, my doctor will have to see me at the new Ace-Bay Pointe where I am no longer covered by TriCare until re-certification. Confused yet, I went and had a beer and saw New England not win the Super Bowl, and witnessed Philly not lose. We all know Philly cheated!
So thereafter receiving such devastating news, it was found to be a tempest in a teapot, a nothing burger and my friend’s bar was within walking distance from the hospital. She has great Mexican food and ice cold beer. But because of my cane, I took a Trike.
I’m back to Ace Bay Pointe to see my regular doctor and we schedule the operation for the hernia repair. My doctor’s visit took ten minutes and cost me P 400.00 so with the Ultra-sound a grand outlay of P 1,287.00 and I heard a Kano later at lunch, bitching about the high cost of medical, he must be one of those guys who retired in the RP on $200.00 per month and eat dirt twice a day and sleep in the jungle under a mosquito net?
So in a month or so when TriCare recertifies ACE Bay Pointe Hospital I will check in and receive my surgery.
Happy days are here again!!!
Oh did I tell you about Medical City over at Clark AF Base A 28-minute drive away and TriCare certified.
Please don’t read (LOL)
(*) Urgent Tricare News
Effective tomorrow morning (2/2/18) Bay Pointe Hospital is not be accepting TRICARE patients.
If you need care under TRICARE you will need to go to either Gordon Hospital (Olongapo City) or Medical City (Angles City) Baypointe is undergoing recertification through TRICARE as a result of a name change. That is normally a 90-day process, but a request for expediting the princess has been made. We will notify all soon as they are accepting TRICARE again.
If you are at Baypointe you have probably been notified that tomorrow morning you are no longer being billed as TRICARE. If that is the case you have the following options;
- If you require additional treatment you can transfer to Gordon or Medical City.
- You can continue to have treatment there and pay out of pocket.
- If medically stable and don’t require additional care you can be discharged.
I have spoken with TRICARE and was informed they have not yet received official notification of the request for a name change and until such time as they do, they will continue to reimburse for treatment received at Baypointe. Once they do they will notify the RAO and we will publish that info.
Well, that is a clear as mud, but seems to cover the ground! I told you it was boring!
Sit-n-Bull has to be pretty much a “Kano” bar. From the picture of the front, I do not think there was one “Motor” under 500 cc there. 😉 Good luck with everything Paul.
Thats the Mad Dogs parked out front. And we have plenty of Pinoy members.
Don
That you do. I see them on the road quite a bit. And at Sit-N’-Bulls
The bikes do visit, because the food is that good. But the Filipino food is a big draw for the locals too. My wife and her twin sister will request we eat there over most Filipino Restaurants In the Navy we have a saying, “Luck or water, we make our own.”.
I found after reading your very interesting article that I started adding ‘e’ to pointe. Then it got worsee as I added ‘e’ to every wording ending in ‘e’ and theen starteed adding ‘e’ to eeveery ‘ee’ … nowe ite ise ae reeallye badee situatione ase Ie ame addinge ‘ee’ toe eeverythinge ande beecausee ‘e’ hase beecomee ‘ee’ Iee nowee amee addingee ‘ee’ toee eeverythingee. Canee youee helpee meee pleeasee Paulee? Thankee youee.
Mike;
Take two beers and soak it, that might help. Keep adding the “E’s’ and destroy spellcheck once and forall.
Thanks Paul … your advice is workinge most of the timee.
Mike;
All one can do is try
Yes paying for medical care is a concern for me. Getting it free for 65 years it’s going to be a shock. Ok I pay taxes but you never see the connection and med care feels free as no cash leaves my pocket when I see a doctor etc.
Gary Dadds;
Phil-Health is one way to go here. We went a few years here in the past we were uninsured, I kept enough on hand to get me to Singapore, Guam, or back to the states where I was covered. But it came back.
I always enjoy reading Paul Thompson’s articles.
Elsie;
Thank you very much.
Paul certainly has a way with words, and a loyal following too!
Bob;
Had I not been a sailor I would have ended up as a political Spin Doctor, thank God for ships!
Dear LiP Readers:
Yes I mention Sit-N’-Bull in my articles a bit, and I believe I’ve mislead readers that it is a Kano only eatery, and that would be a error on my part, at anytime you may find the tables full of local people, it goes back to Tom Dryden’s hotel who was the most famous (According to the Lonely Traveller Web Magazine) When Tom sold out he left a void in the Barrio for good food that appealed to all. Ron (The owner) hired the now unemployed chef and cooks from Tom’s old place as the new management brought in a French Chef and a new menu. and sent the Filipinos and others in search of a new eatery. A good Business plan is find a need and satisfy it. Which the “Bull has done. All the Pinoy and foreign customers found the restaurant on Pillar St. and flocked to it. The motorcycle guys come because of the food, and are some nice folks. BTW the owner also has a Harley. So bottom line it is the good service and well prepared generous portions of great food! But I am bias!
Hello Paul,
It is funny how folks use these old style English (from England) spellings to make their place seem more distinguished. I worked at a historical site in Virginia. The original settlement had been built by the English in 1611. In the 400 year old maps and documents that describe the place, it is spelled three different ways. One was Henryco, which was later used as the county name. But they modernized it to Henrico. Another was a Greek version, Henricropolis, which also appears on a monument, erected there in 1911. And a Latin version, Henricus. The folks who set up operating it as a historical site had to choose one for an official name for the place. They chose the Latin version. Then, they couldn’t agree on how to pronounce it!
And I’ll vouch for the chow at Sit-N-Bulls. It’s so good that the staff will hike the meal from the Sit-N-Bull restaurant to the patrons at the Sit-N-Bull bar, a block and a half away.
Take care,
Pete
Pete;
As a former Altarboy I’ll try the latin, for some reason it always stuck in my head. I smile when they add the “U: to harbour and favour and so many more words. I might have have a Boston accent, but we don’t add extra letters, we just change them…Like car to cah.
Yes. Most folks don’t know that we fought a revolution against the British over that U in harbour, labour, and others. I don’t know where that tea story came from. We fought them again in 1812, because they still insisted on reversing the letters E and R in theatre, metre, and such. We are still seeking a diplomatic solution to the superfluous E at the end of so many words.
Take care,
Pete
Pete:
I think it was Bill Shakespeare who demanded the spell theater as theatre,theatre, as for measurement I grew up drinking a “Gansett” GIQ (Giant Imperial Quart) why would anybody who had that want a metric liter? ,
Sit-N-Bull # 1
Loren,
Don Cook and I made a meal out of Popcorn Shrimp and onion rings. It was great!